fleas..fleas..fleas... and pale nose?

Just being my normal worry wart self....and wondering if i should be concerned...

we have been battling fleas for about 2 months now...frontline works for about 2 and 1/2 weeks then bam, my baby is infested again...I just treated him ( his 2nd month on frontline plus ) and decided to also use food grade DE in the carpets and such and vacuuming like a crazed person.

poor baby has pretty severe flea allergy...

Its been about 4 days and he still has fleas on him and now...i know this sounds strange but his nose is very pale, i dont recall it ever being as pale as it is, his gums look fine, should i be concerned about anemia? he seems to be acting normal otherwise, eating, using the litterbox, being his usual attention seeking self.

as far as the fleas...i think i'm gonna have to bathe him ( I am not looking forward to that )...hoping soon the DE will help control the situation..any advice on the nose or the fleas would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

It could very well be the first sign of anemia. I work at a veterinary office and I've seen cats die from flea anemia. I'd go to your vet and get a cap star pill (to kill the fleas he has right away) and a stronger preventative (one that repels as well as kills) Vectra or Effipro are what I use. If he doesn't improve or starts getting worse take him in and get a blood count done on him.

hey please don't be too worried, it sounds like you are doing all that you can to combat the fleas, he's eating drinking and pooping normally so continue to  check his gums, and continue with the treatment.

Before going in with the bath, please try some combing, don't be alarmed if you see alot of dirt come off him, keep a shallow pan of dish soap and water near by, dip the comb in if you get any live ones, wipe the comb off with an old towel or paper towel. Either one should be damp, bright red smears will indicate flea dirt that is only a day or two old, darker brownish smears, with some black dirt will indicate much older dirt, this is essentially flea poo.

Fleas will almost always be an issue, depending on the areas you live in and the temperature, fleas may always be active. speak to the vet about this and which treatments you should use.

If you do decide to use a bath, this may "dilute" previous treatments, do not be surprised to see fleas up on the face of the cat, they will run from water. This is prime time to catch them in a comb, focus on the cheek they will swarm there and in the ears.

As for his nose becoming more pale this could simply be a sign of his pigmentation changing as he ages, much like an older dog losing spots or growing a beard.

I have been combing him and getting lots of fleas and dirt, i just feel so bad and i know he's miserable, trust me i dont want to bathe him if i can help it...lol pretty sure he feels the same way. the fleas are hanging out primarily on his paws which he doesn't like me to comb and his cheeks/forehead

I will be calling the vet tomorrow ( my vet has weekend hours..yay! ) to talk about the cap star and mention the pale nose.

These fleas are awful and of corse i live in FL so its a year round issue, just never had them this bad.

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep you posted

Rayne said:

 
I have been combing him and getting lots of fleas and dirt, i just feel so bad and i know he's miserable, trust me i dont want to bathe him if i can help it...lol pretty sure he feels the same way. the fleas are hanging out primarily on his paws which he doesn't like me to comb and his cheeks/forehead

I will be calling the vet tomorrow ( my vet has weekend hours..yay! ) to talk about the cap star and mention the pale nose.

These fleas are awful and of corse i live in FL so its a year round issue, just never had them this bad.

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep you posted

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I only steer clear of bathing as when we first had our cat I had to bathe her as she knocked over a bottle of wine and then rolled in it. I still have the scars.

If you have to resort to a bath, trim his nails first I did not think about/ have any time to consider this before putting her in the sink and she used my skin to climb my back.

The fleas usually prefer warm spots on the cat, typically under the arms, around the neck and near the base of the tail. They might be on his paws if he's been curled up somewhere, or if he's scratching his chin they may have been disturbed and gone on to his paw.  Or it might also be if you've run the comb down his back a couple of times they've all scarpered they will then show on the paws as well as the hair is shorter. The only places I ever see them on my cats is where they have white or pale hair.

Certainly you are going to have a year round problem given the climate that you are in, have you tried treating the environment as well? I find a flea collar in the hoover useful as well as household sprays. Just shut the animals out of the room one at a time until you have cleared the whole house with the hoover and the spray.

Any visitors that often bring pets. They may well be sharing them around.

do you have any other animals at home?