| Cats > Flea and Ticks > Selecting an Effective Cat Flea Collar | |
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also see Dogs Cats
also see Cat Flea Remedy
also see Cat Flea Powder
also see Flea Control
also see Cat Grooming
also see Cat Flea Treatment
also see Cat Flea Allergy
also see Flea Collar
also see Kittens Flea
also see Flea Life Cycle
Advances in pest control are making cat flea collar options more effective than ever before. Traditional cat flea collars, infused with insecticides, are ineffective if used alone because they kill fleas only on parts of the body near the neck, and during only part of the flea's life cycle. New cat flea collars, infused with non-toxic chemicals called Insect Growth Regulators, or IGRs, are proving less problematic and more effective.
The cat flea life cycle consists of egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. Females lay eggs in a host, which then roll off onto your floor or yard. After hatching, larvae feed on fallen scraps of feces and blood. Adults then develop from pupae in cocoons made from nearby materials. Whatever the color of your carpet will be the color of the cocoons, for example. Insecticides used in whatever form cannot reach fleas in these protective cocoons.
Virtually non-toxic to pets and people, cat flea collars made with IGRs offer a better, safer way to help prevent and control flea infestations. Basically, IGRs, which are used also in topical spot treatments, prevent flea larvae from turning into adults. (Your vet may also prescribe an oral medication containing chemicals called Insect Development Inhibitors, or IDIs, which prevent flea eggs from hatching.) Ask your vet about the full range of safer on-pet and in-home flea control products.
Cat fleas can cause more than pain, itching and infection, which can be fatal. Cat fleas may transmit tapeworms to other other cats, dogs and humans. Moreover, cat fleas are suspected of transmitting typhus to humans. So, using cat flea collars made with IGRs can certainly play an important role in protecting the health of your entire household.
also see What You Should Know about Sick Cat Symptoms
also see Cat Toilet Training Made Easy
also see Kitten Flea Control in a Nutshell
also see Feline Acne
also see Haircoat Problems in Cats
also see Pruritis or Itchy Skin
also see Flea Life Cycle
also see Flea Life Cycle