A flea? I'm not sure

[Ela]

Just thought a very famous quote , 'Ours is not to reason why, its only ours to do.... and die,' in the cats case  the die bit is treat cats on a regular basis with good quality flea and worm treatments.

[Ela]

see www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tapeworm.html

[kris]

Ela, that makes it sound as though there can be no tapeworm without a flea but there CAN be a flea without a tapeworm?

I'm getting confused 

[Ela]

Ela I never knew that. Sorry but are you sure?!!!

!00% sure

Tapeworms are intestinal parasites of cats {and dogs). Because they are classified a cestodes, they belong to a different family of worms than hookworms an-roundworms (called nematodes). Several types of tapeworms are known to infect cats; Dipylidium caninutn is by far the most common.
The tapeworm uses its hook-like mouthparts for anchoring to the wall of the small intestine. Eventually, adult tapeworms may reach several inches in length. As the adult matures, individual segments (proglottids) break off from the main body of the tapeworm and pass into the cat's faeces.
What cats are likely to get tapeworms?
Fleas are the intermediate host for the tapeworm. In other words, the tapeworm is unable to complete its life cycle without the presence of fleas in the environment. Regardless of whether the guardian may have seen fleas, the cat must have ingested a flea in order to have tapeworms. Consequently, tapeworms are more common in environments which are heavily infested with fleas. Lice are also reported as intermediate hosts for tapeworms but they are relatively uncommon parasites of cats.
How do cats get tapeworms?
First, tapeworm eggs must be ingested by flea larvae (an immature stage of the flea). Contact between flea larvae and tapeworm eggs is facilitated by contaminated bedding or carpet, Adult fleas do not participate in this part of the tapeworm lifecycle.
Next, the cat chews or licks his skin as a fiea bites; the fiea is then swallowed, As the flea is digested within the cat's intestine, the tapeworm hatches and anchors itself to the intestinal lining.


 

[Rosella moggy]

If a cat has fleas it will most certainly have tapeworm.

Ela I never knew that. Sorry but are you sure?!!!

[Marie]

Thanks for that Ela I will try it.  She went to the vets only last Wed night with her scratching problem which the vet thinks maybe stress or habit.  He gave her a long lasting injection and a good comb and didnt mention fleas, but I will do the test tonight to be sure.

[Ela]

We have no bites or anything

To be honest that does not mean a lot a it seems some people are just more susceptible to them that others.

If there are absolutely no blacks bits that turn red when you put the contents of the flea comb on damp tissue them you are possible quite right and it is not a flea

[Marie]

Thanks for your advice.  The thing is i'm not sure if it was a flea or a little bug of some sort.  I combed her with the flea comb and could find nothing else also she is pure white but long haired but we could not see anything.  We have no bites or anything.

[Ela]

I think you really also need to flea spray the whole house, Staykill from the vets only needs spraying once a year. Please remember you must also treat for worms every 3-6 months (depending on what your vet advises). If a cat has fleas it will most certainly have tapeworm.

[Ela]

use Revolution, is that brand available in the UK?

I can honestly say I have not seen a flea on any of my own cats or in my house for many years. Although I have seen plenty of cats that come into care.

[Maggie]

When my cats get fleas I often see a big one running through their fur, usually around their face and ears.  They go quite fast, don't they, and I usually can't find them either.  I'm not familiar with frontline, though, I use Revolution, is that brand available in the UK?
Some brands will only kill the adults and nymphs, and the eggs will continue to hatch every 3 days.  They can also live in carpet, so its very easy to get re-infested, even if they don't go outdoors.
I used to use Advantage and it worked for a while, but then I would start seeing fleas soon after, even though it was supposed to kill the adults and eggs for a month, so its very probable that the treatment just didn't kill all the nasty little butter!
Depending on the dosage of frontline, if its a once a month treatment I'd say you're safe to give them another one ( you say its been 6 weeks?).If its a longer period between dosages, maybe talk to the vet and she can recommend a product that might be more effective.
I hope this helps!
Best of luck
Maggie

[Eve]

Fleas and other bugs can drop eggs, so anything is possible.

Do them again tonite and see if it helps. Is her skin ok where she has been scratching? She hasnt irritated it and made it bleed has she?

[Marie]

Last night I noticed something running through Maisy.  She has been having a re-occuring problem that is causing her to scratch one area around her neck for nearly 3 months now.  We have been to the vets many times but so far no-one can give me a definite answer as to what is causing the problem.  This did not seem to hop like a flea but ran and we lost it.  I gave her a good comb and could not see anything else.  She was frontlined about 6 weeks ago and her and Tommy are indoor only cats.  When we got Maisy over 6 months ago, she was riddled in some sort of large running bug that could be the same thing but these were killed off with frontline.  This may sound silly but could they still be living on her after all this time?  Shoulld I get more frontline tonight and do them both just to be sure?