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Old March 30th, 2012, 08:58 PM
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Miaow Miaow is offline
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Location: Ontario, CAN
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Flea Infestation

Hello,
I'm currently out of the country for work ( I work with race horses ) and there is a cat in the barn next door to us who I have realyl grown attached to. I noticed while I was petting him one day that he was missing patches of hair on his back and when I pulled back his fur I found the worst flea infestation I have ever seen. He is a mostly outdoor cat so it is not surprising. But literally any patch of fur I pulled back you would see 2-3 fleas. My own cats back at home have had the odd flea.. but you might only find one or two and a bit of flea dirt. This cats entire back is crusty with flea dirt and you can barely see the skin in some areas. The poor guy is so itchy. I bought him some "Frontline" about 3 days ago. I re-checked him tonight and could only find a couple of fleas. Will the "Frontline" continue to kill them as well? Is it possible to treat them again before 30 days?

I'm asking because the lady who owns him has mentioned she cannot take him with her when this meet is finished.. which is in 3 days and everyone will be leaving the track. I'm worried she will leave him here. I would like to bring him home with us to continue treating him and possibly find him a new home when I get back to Canada. We will be going to another track for one month before returning home and staying in an apartment. When my own cats had fleas I just treated them with Advantage and never had any problems after that. But with an infestation like this, could they get into the apartment and live there? Do they live on humans or just bite them? Any information I could get to help would be greatly appreciated. I don't know for sure that we can take him yet, but I hate the thought of him being left here and want to know what I would be dealing with if I did take him.

Thanks!
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  #2  
Old March 31st, 2012, 02:34 AM
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sandyrivers sandyrivers is offline
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your future cat's fleas

Hi,

What a nice thing you are considering to adopt/rescue this cat!

I have 8 cats myself, and when one of them showed up at my door, before I adopted her, she pretty much had the same problem. She had so many fleas that her back was covered in ''bumps'' and some hair was missing due to her scratching herself so much.

I gave her the ''revolution'' treatment, and with this, there is a HUGE inprovement in her scratching herself within 72 hours. (From what you mentionned, your cat was showing signs of improvement after 3 days... it means the stuff is working! )She also had a very bad case of earmites (which revolution takes care of also, as well as intestinal parasites).

Quote from the website

"FrontlineŽ Plus for Cats:

Frontline Plus for cats is a topical 'spot-on' application for the treatment and prevention of flea infestation and biting lice on cats and kittens. It is also effective against all stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, lone star tick and deer ticks (the major carrier of Lyme disease). Frontline Plus has a rapid onset of action and kills re-infestations with newly acquired adult fleas for at least one month. Frontline Plus also prevents the development of flea eggs, larvae and pupae produced by any adult fleas acquired for up to 6 weeks after treatment. Frontline Plus treats and controls Flea Allergy Dermatitis in cats. It can be used on kittens from 8 weeks of age and is safe to use on breeding, pregnant or lactating animals. Frontline Plus is waterfast from 24 hours after application.""

As you can see from their web site info...Once the treatment is given to the cat, it stops the flea infestation right away; hence, no more fleas will reproduce on your cat. The existing ones will die out very fast also.
It is important to repeat the treatment every 30 days, in cases of severe flea infestation, like in your cat.
Repeating the treatment before 30 days would be pointless, and could be harmfull to your cat, it is important to follow the directives about these medications, as they are very strong!
If you want to help your cat furthermore...you can do so by using a pair of tweezers, like those women use to pluck their eyebrow and manually remove the fleas from your cat! The best place to catch the fleas on your cat is on the belly, you part the hair and you will see the little devils run around. You catch them with the tweezers and then drown them in some rubbing alcohol.

You mentionned that you would be on the circuit for another month before returning home.
The fleas will be dead by then, and the lice/larvae will also be ''out of commission'' .
I would not worry about your cat ''giving fleas'' to your other cats at your house after two treatments. My stray cat came in 2 weeks after her first dose, and there was no problems.
Of course, you will need to reapply the treatment after one month just to make sure.

So as for your cats at home, when you bring the new cat...by then there should be no problem for them in terms of fleas, as they will be gone.

As for the fleas ''living'' in the apartment you will be living in, well, a parasite need a host. If there is no habitat, there is no habitant. As long as you keep your apartment in hygenic conditions, there is no problem there. The fleas will not live if there is not a proper host (your cat) to live on. Since your cat has been treated, this will not be a problem.

I would also look into what vaccinations your new cat needs to enter Canada, if any...
Being in the horse business, you surely know vets who could inform you and give the proper shots and vet/health certificate required to enter Canada. It would be a pity to see your cat refused access at the border after all you did for him/her and see him/her end up in a kill shelter...
It's best to be informed on those kind of things to avoid dissapointment or frustrating situations...

It is, of course, important to wash all the cats bedding on a regular basis if you are dealing with fleas, kind of the same way it is done when children have head lice...

Hope this helps you in making the decision about the new cat that may enter your life...
If you have pictures of your cat, and the horses as well, it would be a pleasure to see them!

And best of luck to you on the circuit with your horses!

Keep us posted please!

sandyrivers
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Helper to:
Cookie July 1st 1999 f/ RIP July 31st 2008 -cat
Tonali June 3rd 2007 f -cat
Elphin April 21st 2008 m -cat
Stibule(Gino,Airell,Katla,Rasta)June 6th 2009 f- cat
Gino Ferrero April 8th 2010 m -cat
Airell Awenn Awnfenn Ep Berrth April 8th 2010 f- cat
Katla Chilam Balam April 8th 2010 f- cat
Rasta Farian Marley April 9th 2010 m- cat
Chipcat-Filou found June 12th 2011 (Ocicat 6months old) f-cat
Jane the Snow Cat rescued Dec27th 2012 f- cat

Last edited by sandyrivers; March 31st, 2012 at 03:36 AM. Reason: add info
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Old March 31st, 2012, 09:45 AM
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Myka Myka is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miaow View Post
I would like to bring him home with us to continue treating him and possibly find him a new home when I get back to Canada.
Are you in the USA? If so, you won't be able to bring the cat across the border without vaccination papers including rabies, and a vet health certificate. I believe the rabies has to be at least 30 days old, and the health certificate has to be less than 10 days old. It is different depending which way you are going across the border though, so make sure to double check that all the paperwork is correct before you approach the border crossing. If you can't bring the cat with you, maybe you can get a hold of a cat rescue group nearby that could take the cat.
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Old March 31st, 2012, 09:48 AM
Hazmat Hazmat is offline
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I believe frontline can be applied as often as every two weeks. Application time may have to be increased if the cat is sleeping and hunting in a flea infested environment. Frontline and similar products usually kill fleas withing 12-24 hours but new fleas are always jumping on.
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Old March 31st, 2012, 09:10 PM
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sandyrivers sandyrivers is offline
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Hi, I looked it up and this is what I came up with

Here is the page from ""Canadian Food Inspection Agency""
www.inspection.gc.ca


Frequently Asked Questions: Importing Domestic Cats


Does Canada quarantine imported domestic cats?
Domestic cats entering Canada do not have to be quarantined.

Do the import requirements apply to all cats?
Canada's import requirements apply to pet cats or those described as "personal importations". They apply to pet cats entering Canada permanently, as well as pet cats passing through Canada on their way to a final destination.

Different import requirements apply to non-domestic cats. Please refer to the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) for more information.

Do all cats have to be vaccinated against rabies?
Cats do not require a rabies vaccination or certification if they are less than three (3) months of age at the time they are imported into Canada. You may be asked to show documentation confirming that your cat is less than three (3) months of age.

Cats three (3) months of age or older arriving from a country officially recognized by Canada as being rabies free do not have to be vaccinated against rabies, although vaccination is strongly recommended.

These cats can enter Canada with a signed veterinary certificate from the country of origin that identifies the cat and states that it has been in that country since birth or for at least six (6) months immediately preceding shipment to Canada.
The certificate must be accompanied by documentation from a competent government authority*, stating that rabies has not occurred in the country of origin for at least six (6) months immediately preceding the animal's shipment to Canada.
*Note: a "competent government authority" means a veterinary agency or other government agency that manages a country's animal health and welfare situation, as well as handles the responsibility of veterinary certification for international trade. The document can be either:

a letter issued on the competent government authority's letterhead, which must be dated, stamped, and signed by an official of the competent government authority in the country of origin; or
a signed letter written by the licensed veterinarian who issued the certificate, which must be endorsed by the competent government authority.
Why does Canada have different requirements for rabies-free countries and non rabies-free countries?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) protects human and animal health by minimizing and managing risks. Cats coming from a country recognized by Canada as being rabies-free are not considered as a risk for introducing the disease into Canada.

You can protect yourself and your pet, as well as help reduce the spread of rabies by having your pet vaccinated against rabies.

Please refer to the Rabies Fact Sheet for more information.

Why are some countries considered as rabies-free not recognized by Canada?
Canada officially recognizes a country as rabies-free when the exporting country:

made an application to Canada to be recognized as such; and
was assessed to the satisfaction of the CFIA.
Do I have to accompany my cat to Canada?
No, you do not have to accompany your cat to Canada.

Does my pet cat need a health certificate?
Cats do not require a health certificate.

Cats of any age may require additional documentation when flying. Please check with your airline to determine whether you meet its requirements.

Will I be charged a fee to import my cat?
Inspection fees may apply.

Cats entering Canada are inspected by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA agent will require an additional inspection by the CFIA if the cat does not meet the import requirements or it appears unhealthy or in distress.

For those cats that do not meet the import requirements relating to rabies certification, owners will be required, at their own expense, to do the following:

have the animal vaccinated against rabies within a specified period of time; and
provide the vaccination record to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency office.
Please refer to Inspection Fees for more information.

Do I need to contact the authorities before my cat's arrival?
No, there is an inspector on duty at all times at points of entry into Canada.

Do I need an import permit for my cat?
No, an import permit is not required for your cat.

If I buy a cat in a foreign country and bring it back to Canada, will I have to pay any taxes or duty?
For more information, please contact the Canada Border Service Agency.

Does my cat require a tattoo or microchip identification?
Canada does not require a microchip or tattoo identification for pet cats.

Comments or requests for additional information.


Of course, I would personally call or contact by email this gov agency and get more details just to be sure... And I would as well take down the names of who YOu spoke with, as well as print the various e mail communications you had with them. Always best to be on the safe side!



Hope this helps

sandyrivers
__________________
Helper to:
Cookie July 1st 1999 f/ RIP July 31st 2008 -cat
Tonali June 3rd 2007 f -cat
Elphin April 21st 2008 m -cat
Stibule(Gino,Airell,Katla,Rasta)June 6th 2009 f- cat
Gino Ferrero April 8th 2010 m -cat
Airell Awenn Awnfenn Ep Berrth April 8th 2010 f- cat
Katla Chilam Balam April 8th 2010 f- cat
Rasta Farian Marley April 9th 2010 m- cat
Chipcat-Filou found June 12th 2011 (Ocicat 6months old) f-cat
Jane the Snow Cat rescued Dec27th 2012 f- cat

Last edited by sandyrivers; March 31st, 2012 at 09:13 PM. Reason: add info
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