by Lauren Todd

Created on: March 26, 2010

Cats are awesome, a cat adds so much to your life. Cats have even been immortalized in many proverbs. But If you own one of these spectacular animals, you must take care of them and realize that common health problems will arise and must be dealt with accordingly. The single most common health issue for both outdoor and indoor cats is external parasites.

Expect to deal with fleas and other external parasites if your cat is like most cats and prefers to spend some of their time outside. Fleas, ticks, lice and mites can all infest your outdoor cat and they all can cause excessive skin irritation problems. Fleas are easily recognized as they are the size of a pencil-lead and are constantly moving, they bury themselves in your cat’s coat, but much of their time is spent off your cat as well.

At the earliest sign of fleas, treatment should be administered both to your cat and its immediate environment, as flea’s lay eggs, and the eggs hatch, one or two fleas quickly becomes a manifestation of the little brats. Unfortunately, organic or natural insecticides simply do not work, don’t bother spending your money on them. Instead, it is best to buy a proven product that really does the job, such as Frontline Plus for cats. It is the most effective product on the market I have found. It not only kills fleas, but flee larvae (flee eggs) and prevents them from returning for up to six weeks. But and if there is a high risk of infestation in your cat, the product should be used again in one months time. Be sure to read the instructions carefully and pay attention to any cautionary statements to prevent harm to you and your cat while using Frontline Plus or any other product designed to get rid of fleas and ticks.

Ear mites are the other parasites to watch out for. These dark colored microscopic little blood-suckers burrow in your cat’s outer ear canal. Just like fleas, these parasites are easily transmitted from cat to cat or dog to cat. Ear mites debris can look just like regular dirt, and your cat itching its ear repeated times throughout the course of a day, may be a sign of ear mites. Notwithstanding, my cat was constantly scratching at her ears, and brown debris was present in her outer ear canal, so we had the vet check it out and it was nothing but dirt irritating her skin. So, your cat’s behavior can be misleading, if you suspect that it might be something more than dirt, be sure to have your vet check it out.

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