Question on cats and fleas

[Nush]

We don’t have any cats, just one hamster. But there is a cat who comes to say hello to me whenever I am in the garden. He’s done that since the time we moved to our flat and because we’re animal lovers, we didn't mind it. Sometimes the cat would dart into the house before we can stop him but we’ve always made sure he cannot access the hamster.

On Monday evening I found one lone flea on the couch. I managed to kill the flea. I also vacuumed every inch of the living room and washed the door mat where the cat usually sit. We have wooden floors so I’m hoping it’s harder for fleas to lay eggs but the cat does rub against the furniture too.

Today I brushed the cat and I found, what I thought was, flea dirt. I got the cat out straight away. My question is could my hamster catch fleas from the cat? And what precautions should I take (apart from not letting the cat in)?

Also I should mention, my hamster is a longhaired one, -not sure whether it matters or not - and he does roam free in the living room.

[Silver]

I "think" hamsters can catch fleas.

As you said don't let the cat in or even stroke it out side because it takes only a second for a flea to hitch a ride on you into your home.

I think it is a case of wait & see if the ham does start to itch more, or if you can see them on the ham.

Also waiting to see if the flea brought his friends to visit you. If you know the cat's owners you could tell them the cat needs treating for fleas

Silver xxx

[Nush]

I will check every inch of Maximo tonight. He's probably not going to like it.

It's going to be hard to keep the cat away. He knows us very well now and is not scared of us at all, even if I was to be stern with him. I'm going to have to creep outside at night to water my plants and hope he doesn't spot me!!!

[shiny]

Lots of fleas are quite happy living on lots of animals, for example most fleas found on cats are actually the dog flea - the fleas don't seem too worried. Saying that, these fleas can bite but not live on humans so there are differences cross species.

I would definitely not let the cat in any more as you already suggested. Some people just never flea treat their cats A good way to look for fleas is if you have one of those clear cylinder type vacuums such as a Dyson, you can hoover the room then look for fleas pinging around inside the cylinder bit.

Look for flea faeces on your hamster, tiny red / black specs in the fur. If you rub this on damp kitchen roll & it leaves a brown / red trail then it is likely flea faeces - the colour is due to the fleas's digested blood meals. If you find this, I would talk to your exotics vet & find out which treatments are suitable for hamsters.

You can get flea treatments for your house if needed BUT I would be very careful in using this without proper exotic vet advice as your hamster free-ranges on the floor & you wouldn't want to cause problems from unsuitable insecticide getting into your hamster's system.

The flea lifecycle takes a few weeks (google flea lifecycle for loads of useful diagrams) so I would check regularly for a good few weeks in case of new ones hatching.

Hopefully you have caught it before it has gone too far & you won't find any signs of fleas

[Silver]

LOL

perhaps a little bit of water on the end of his/her nose will help. Now you didn't hear this from me!

Silver xxx

[Lougarry]

I really wouldn't worry. We had an outbreak of fleas recently - both cats and the dog were infested, despite not being due for Frontline for a while. We think it was because we get lots of foxes in the garden. Apparently the fleas jump off and when an animal gets close they respond to body heat and hop on! Anyway, they didn't get transmitted to the hamsters, and many baths, combings and Frontline treatment later the fleas have been vanquished.

[Nush]

To be honest, we've grown quite close to the cat over the years - we've called him 'Friendly, because he is! But Maximo is my primary responsibility.

We decided not to have any cats of our own, if we have hamsters. The flat is too small to have both cats and hamsters and I didn't want to have an animal preying over my hammy.

I'm wondering whether I should treat the cat for fleas, myself. I've talked to the neighbour who owns the cat once. But I'm not sure if I have the courage to ask her to treat her cat!

[Lougarry]

Be vey careful as the more effective treatments, like Frontline, can be hazardous if too much is used.

[Nush]

Originally Posted by Lougarry

I really wouldn't worry. We had an outbreak of fleas recently - both cats and the dog were infested, despite not being due for Frontline for a while. We think it was because we get lots of foxes in the garden. Apparently the fleas jump off and when an animal gets close they respond to body heat and hop on! Anyway, they didn't get transmitted to the hamsters, and many baths, combings and Frontline treatment later the fleas have been vanquished.

Oh I just saw this. It does make me feel a lot better that Maximo might not have picked up any fleas from the cat being in the flat.

[Nush]

Originally Posted by Lougarry

Be vey careful as the more effective treatments, like Frontline, can be hazardous if too much is used.

I'd weigh the cat first and follow the instructions. But may be you're right, it is a big risk to take with someone else's cat.