Winter Fleas? Living In New England

[houseofnine]

Hi friends,
We keep all of our kitties indoors and don't board them, and we don't have a dog. Basic question: we just brought in a semi-feral and have kept her separate from everyone in a bathroom. It has been bitterly cold in CT the last few weeks, and she was outdoors until 1/2/18. We just couldn't leave her out there anymore. Do you think the chances are good that she would introduce fleas/ticks/mites into the house? We're not "precious" about our house, but don't want to let her out of bathroom into adjacent room til we know. Ideally we want to get her to a vet first, of course. Does anyone have a clue? Just looking for general idea or opinion--no worries about liability! Thank you.
Lynne

 

[susanm9006]

I grew up and still love in Minnesota and we had many indoor/outdoor cats. And yes, outdoor cats do get fleas, even in cold climates, and they can bring them in with them. Usually the fleas stay on the cat but you do want the cat to get a good flea treatment as soon as possible. Your vet can recommend one for you.

Since your new cat has been outdoors, before you integrate him with your other pets you want him checked out by the vet and tested for communicable diseases and neutered if he is intact.

 

[houseofnine]

I grew up and still love in Minnesota and we had many indoor/outdoor cats. And yes, outdoor cats do get fleas, even in cold climates, and they can bring them in with them. Usually the fleas stay on the cat but you do want the cat to get a good flea treatment as soon as possible. Your vet can recommend one for you.

Since your new cat has been outdoors, before you integrate him with your other pets you want him checked out by the vet and tested for communicable diseases and neutered if he is intact.

Hi Susan and thank you!
We're making arrangements with our rescue friend to wrangle girl kitty into a crate and be seen by vet. Someone (unknown) had her TNR'd about 18 months ago. She'll get snap tested, vaccinated, flea treatment and wormer. She'll have a long road to being domesticated, but we've done this before. The process was easier the other 2 times, because they were feral mamas with kittens, so they had the "mommy hormones" and they had their kits to hang out with in the bathroom.
Thanks for getting back to me!