cats & dragons!

[reddragon1]

I had to bring my 2 outside cats in cuz my neighbor is trapping them & i havent got them into a vet yet, but i know they have fleas & maybe ear mites. they could also have worms but im not sure on that, anyway i do what i cant to keep them away from my dragon & his worms, but can he catch anything from them?

 

[AHBD]

I'm pretty sure hey can't catch anything from the cats, although flea infestation could affect your entire house. The thing of concern will be that the outdoor cats are hunters, and they will soon key in on which room the dragons are in. Be sure they can't get on top of the tank, if it's screen it can easily break through. Don't try to introduce them, one member on this forum did and it got ahold of her dragon like lightning.....you can't take the chance with outdoor cats [ or indoor unless they have been long time " friends "]

 

[sheri85]

agree with everything AHBD said. keep the beardie and cats separated. i have an indoor cat that has never killed anything, but even so i keep a close eye on her when my beardie's out. she sort of thinks of him as a toy and will gently poke at him with her paw, but i still wouldn't trust her alone with him. my parents' cat, on the other hand, was found when they were in florida. this cat is an experienced lizard killer and thus i didn't trust him AT ALL with my beardie, not even for the experimental nose-touch.

fleas shouldn't be a problem to your beardie, but be careful--they may bite you. whenever my cat gets fleas i always get bit, and it's the worst!

 

[reddragon1]

yeah believe me i dont let them around eachother ill close them in a room when i get the dragon out. i dont wanna take any chances especially since they have claws still. they've spotted eachother & not really much interest... ive had them in before but now they are constantly in because this neighbor.. any ideas on whats good to get rid of fleas in the house or on the cats?

 

[techdave]

The expensive way is Frontline. And carpet powder that kills fleas.

 

[sheri85]

i use the Hartz flea drops that you put on the back of the cat's neck--they're pretty cheap and, and it seems to work pretty well (though i do have an indoor cat and it's pretty rare now that she gets fleas). i also use a carpet spray to kill any fleas or eggs on the floor (as i mentioned, i make quite a feast for the fleas so this part is more for me, though it helps keep new fleas from getting on my cat).

i also use a flea comb which has very fine teeth so it can catch the fleas out of the cat's coat. this helps in the meantime while you're waiting for the drops to kill them (and the cat gets a good grooming too). to prepare for this method i put boiling water in a bowl so when i catch fleas in the comb i can dunk them into the water and kill them (squishing them is almost impossible, and once they get free of the comb's teeth they can jump right back onto the cat).

sorry about your neighbor. good luck with the fleas!

 

[FBradshaw]

i use the Hartz flea drops that you put on the back of the cat's neck--they're pretty cheap and, and it seems to work pretty well (though i do have an indoor cat and it's pretty rare now that she gets fleas). i also use a carpet spray to kill any fleas or eggs on the floor (as i mentioned, i make quite a feast for the fleas so this part is more for me, though it helps keep new fleas from getting on my cat).

i also use a flea comb which has very fine teeth so it can catch the fleas out of the cat's coat. this helps in the meantime while you're waiting for the drops to kill them (and the cat gets a good grooming too). to prepare for this method i put boiling water in a bowl so when i catch fleas in the comb i can dunk them into the water and kill them (squishing them is almost impossible, and once they get free of the comb's teeth they can jump right back onto the cat).

sorry about your neighbor. good luck with the fleas!

While Hartz is fairly cheap, it is also quite toxic to animals. Search Google and you will find plenty of horror stories of what Hartz products have done to dogs and cats. On top of that the Hartz products aren't very good at their advertised job.

I personally had a problem with fleas having 2 dogs and I use Comfortis to keep the fleas off the dogs, it's a prescribed pill that I have to get from my vet but it works beautifully. If the house infestation isn't that bad yet the powder you put on the carpet should work, but make sure you vacuum really well before letting your beardie out to play. If they're already pretty bad inside you may need to use an aerosol bomb.

 

[StMongo]

take your cats to the vet and get flea prevention from them. as well as spray for your house. you only ever see fleas on an animal when they are feeding. the rest of the time they (the fleas) live in your house. if you don't spray your house, you'll never get them off your cats.
as far as cats and beardies, your cats should know who/what the beardie is and that he/she is NOT to be chased/batted at/eaten. cats aren't stupid...you can train them like dogs if you're persistant. supervised sniffs only, never leave them alone with the beadie, and if the cats ever show any aggression towards the beardie, a tap on the nose and a sharp "NO!" should do it.

 

[reddragon1]

thanks for the replies guys!! this site is really helpful for everything i think lol! but yeah the cats & the dragon dont show too much interest in eachother so far so good ive just gotta get rid of these fleas! i am gonna take em to the vet eventually to get shots & just be checked out.. all this is just happening sooner than i planned. things are so tight right now since ive been layed off twice not too many good full time jobs in my area, but when it comes to all animals i have a weakness lol so i know i'll get everything worked out. btw, does anyone know if the premium worm site has a code for discounts on worms like repti does?