It's possible to have fleas in your home without even having pets. They can jump onto your clothes and hitch a ride inside. Once there, you can be sure that they'll find their way to your cat. Besides being annoying to the cat, fleas can be dangerous. To a small kitten or an underweight cat, an infestation of fleas can actually suck enough blood to cause anemia. Fleas carry tapeworms and can transmit them if your cat swallows one in the process of grooming itself. Fumigating the house is the first line of defense. The new generation of once-a-month flea prevention products have proven to be remarkably effective in fighting fleas, and are available through your veterinarian. For a chemical-free method of removing fleas from your cat, consider a flea comb. It's a very fine-toothed comb that removes the fleas as you groom your cat. Keep a small dish of alcohol or soapy water nearby to rinse the comb in and kill the fleas as you comb them out. One other advantage of the flea comb is that your cat will love the extra attention.
