My cat has fleas. Can I cut her hair to help eliminate the problem?

They make several topicals such Frontline and Advantage that last for 1 month and do not require a prescription and can be purchased from a vet or a pet store. They make a topical called Bravecto that will last for 3 months or a tablet called comfortis that will last for 1 month but do require a prescription. Typically a flea problem is more of a problem in the environment than the pet so you may want to look in to treating the environment also

See your veterinarian for an exam. Sky may need antibiotics to prevent or treat infection of the sores. A short course of steroids followed by antihistamines may provide relief from the itching. Your vet can also dispense Capstar to kill any adult fleas on Sky. Follow up with a topical preventative such as Revolution or Frontline. Either should be applied monthly for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Vacuum your home/apartment. Clean everywhere Sky has been. Dispose of the bag outdoors. Wash all bedding in the hottest temperature allowed by the fabric. To prevent reinfestation, use an environmental treatment such as Knockout ES.

Great question! Flea collars are not very effective, as you are seeing unfortunately. I can give you an effective flea treatment program for Indy. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment, as it will be a continuing source of fleas if you don't. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!

Frequent brushing may decrease the amount of shedding. Fleas can be treated with a topical preventative such as Frontline or Revolution. You can purchase these from your veterinarian. Use a topical or oral flea preventative for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. An oral medication such as Capstar can quickly kill any adult fleas on your cat. Again, purchase this from your vet. You will also need to treat the environment. This includes vacuuming everywhere your cat goes and washing all bedding. Follow up with an area treatment (flea bomb) to prevent reinfestation. Cays usually keep themselves very clean and don't require bathing more than once every 6-8 weeks if not longer. If your cat is not grooming regularly, have him examined by your vet to diagnose illness or injury as either can commonly cause a change in behavior or grooming habits.

I would think the scabs are most likely due to itching secondary to fleas. I would recommend applying a flea prevention every 30 days to all stay cats if you can. If you really cannot catch them I would try to spray the environment with pet friendly flea killer. It can be very hard to manage fleas in outdoor animals

An electric shaver is safe, but removing hair in one area of a dog won't help you get rid of the fleas. I promise, they are all over him! Chase needs to be on a good quality monthly flea preventative. Bathing will help remove fleas that are currently on him, but it won't prevent new ones from hatching in days or weeks. Bathing will also decrease the efficacy of topical flea preventatives. I would recommend having Chase examined by a vet so he can be started on an oral flea preventative. It may take up to 3 months to completely rid your house of fleas. Here is some more information on how to treat fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/flea-control-and-prevention/

I think the best option would be to give your cats an oral flea medication like Comfortis. This medication is very effective and will get the problem under control fairly quickly. This will also be helpful so you won't have to apply anything else to the skin since it sounds like they have some skin issues already. I would also recommend to vacuum well throughout the house and clean all the cat's bedding (this will help remove flea eggs). I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.