My adopted stray cat has fleas. Should I see a vet or treat at home?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Ocicat | Female | spayed | 8 lbs
I found a stray male calico cat around our apartment complex; he was heavily malnourished, but extremely domesticated with friendliness. I've adopted him and he's on the mend with gaining weight, but he has fleas and I though he's neutered, I'm wondering if I should just give him a simple flea treatment or go for a thorough vet examination? Vet Examinations are very expensive for me, so I just want to try all options before having to strain my bank book.
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 3rd, 2017
As he was a stray i believe it is important that you take him to the vet for a checkup, vaccination and deworming treatment. you can de-flea him with Advantage spot on, a very effective over the counter flea treatment.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 10th, 2018
If the cat is weak I would recommend getting it in to see a vet as soon as possible as it could have an illness that requires treatment. You can refer to this page http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html for ideas on helping to afford veterinary care for the issue. If the cat is very debilitated then some stronger flea treatments may be to much for it to handle. A bath with dawn dish soap can kill the fleas on the cat at the time but will not prevent further fleas. I would consider this (with thorough drying) and seeing a vet as soon as possible.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 13th, 2019
There are not any effective over the counter oral flea prevention that will last a month. There is one called Capstar which works well but it only lasts 2 days at most. Products that last for 30 days need to client patient relationship to be sold by the veterinarian which means the pets need an exam once a year. Topical products would be your only option. Frontline is the best option for an over the counter product but there are some resistance issues. Nothing with heartworm prevention is sold over the counter so you also need the see the veterinarian for that. Unfortunately, without being able to touch him, there's not much you can do. Work on building trust and hopefully you can work up to applying medication. If he is not sterilized, you may look into the local humane society to see if they have a trap, neuter release program. Intact cats tend to have more health problems than sterilized cats. Cats can quickly reproduce which then leads to fighting and disease outbreaks. I hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on March 7th, 2019
Fleas can be picked up from almost anywhere, especially if Chandler goes outside at all, but I would still let the clinic know in case it is related. Thoroughly cleaning his environment, bedding, floorboards, etc is a good idea as flea eggs can lay dormant in the environment for several months, and warmer weather can cause them to hatch. A flea treatment such as Frontline or Advantage is also a good idea for killing fleas on him and preventing more from reinfecting him.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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