My little 16 month old boy has an allergy to fleas, so much so he has licked his leg bald. Yes we have been to the vets - got the anti biotics for secondary infection and he is currently coned up so he cant lick it.

I have always kept him up to date with flea treatment - Advocate currently. I spray the house every 2 weeks. But he is getting fleas from next door who recently had an infestation and he visits them often by going through their flap when they are not in (luckily they dont mind)

Anyway, doing all I can to keep the flea population at 0 in our house but I read that if I help boost his immune system then he will cope better if they bite him. I know some people give their dogs garlic, and i used to give garlic to my horse to keep the flies off/boost his immune system, but I read it can be harmful for cats?

Pets at home do a garlic tablet for cats and dogs, wondered if its worth getting something like this and how often he should get a tablet?

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<3 'Leggy' Luke & Solo 'Simple Cat' <3

TBH, I would look into something like

- evening primrose oil to help him with the itch - it contains special fatty acids that are naturally helping anyone (human or pet) with an allergic skin reaction. Just a drop or two a day added to his food (start off with just a drop so that he gets used to the taste)

- instead of garlic I would look into using brewer's yeast (a small sprinkle of it daily on the food if he takes it and he is not known to have any kidney issues) as a natural way to prevent fleas.



Edit: Are you sure it is a reaction to fleas? Did you see evidence of fleas? Does he itch anywhere else or is it localised to his leg?

PS: Did he get a cortison shot at all to help him with the allergy?

HOBBSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! You're back!!!!!

Were your ears burning because another PF member & I have JUST THIS MINUTE been saying how much you were missed!!!!!!

Lovely to see one of your informative posts again. I hope there are many more to come.

Welcome back hun!!!!

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Initially the vet said stress, but seriously, if you could imagine the least stressed cat in the world you would be imagining him. The second visit to the vets (as it got worse) the vet said flea allergy and I am thinking this is more likely.

After his return from the vet I groomed him all over (to his displeasure) and got 6 fleas off him. Not found one since and have been grooming every day, but the damage is already done on his leg I guess. There are three hard lumps on his side, opposite to the leg hes been licking, a friend who has a flea allergy cat said his cat also gets these hard lumps when hes having a reaction to the fleas.

Also, I wonder if the fleas live in his legs when he has them as the hair is different in density compared to the rest of him. I mainly got them off his shoulders, back and legs when I groomed him. He had started over grooming theo ther leg too but nothing like the poorly one.

He had an anti inflammatory shot and is on 2 weeks of anti biotics atm. Hes also shut indoors with his cone on the poor lad.

He previously had a bad reaction to a tick bite after i got the tick out and that took 10 weeks to heal up once we stopped him pulling the cone off and making it worse! So I guess this is why I am going with flea/parasite allergy.

thanks for the info, I will try some of these things - definitely not garlic though?

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<3 'Leggy' Luke & Solo 'Simple Cat' <3

MB , so that is why my ears were hot while the rest of me is bloody freezing! Though now I am also deaf with that shouting!


Wings, your poor wee man! There are a few people on here I know that feed garlic tablets to their cats to help prevent fleas. Would I personally do it? No. Largely because I cannot be arsed to sit down and work out whether the dosage that manufacturers think is safe when they use one for cats and dogs actually is. So, I would play it safe and use products that are known to be ok with cats.

If I personally had to use something my first port of call would be EPO. I am sure some other peeps will be along soon with some more ideas!

Hobbs, thank you for your help. I will definitely get him some EPO as I used to take it myself and its such a lovely supplement. He is really foody so will probably not even notice it on his food tbh!!

I feel so bad for him, he loves being outside and is going a little squiffy being kept in!!! The more I can do to get him right again the better.

He is a sickly boy though, always getting himself in trouble and infected somehow or other.

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<3 'Leggy' Luke & Solo 'Simple Cat' <3

He is a sickly wee man? What are you feeding him? People like Paddypaws and Ianthi will know what you could give him to up his immune system a little - in addition to a good diet. If I were you I would send them a VM if they don't find this thread.

Yes, indeed welcome back Hobbs! Honestly, I though I was having a 'retro' moment there as opposed to a 'senior' one given my age, when I saw your name!

He is very sickly, the slightest thing throws off his digestive system and gives him the most awful tummy. His anti bs are currently making his tummy poorly.

I have tried many sensitive tummy foods, then found that he is allergic to chicken or white fish flavour foods and even cooked white fish and chicken.

He cant have just wet meat as he gets severe diarrhoea, so after trial and error he is now on JWB duck or lamb morning and afternoon (split so he doesnt stuff himself and make himself poorly), then half a pouch of felix and some more JWB in the evening.

I know Felix isnt great but i tried all the decent foods, I became a bit obsessed with trying to get him eating 'proper' food. But he would eat that and then stuff his face with my other cats felix when i wasnt looking (other cat will ONLY eat felix, trust me I have tried!) and go in other peoples houses and eat their felix!! So he was getting a mixture which was upsetting him even more!

Sorry for rambling on! Just want to show that I really have tried.

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<3 'Leggy' Luke & Solo 'Simple Cat' <3

Oh! He also had a virus when we brough him home from the cat home, he projectile vomited for about 4 days. Hes had the 10 week neck infection after the tick incident. A cauliflower ear after being bitten by my other cat during a play fight that got out of hand. Need I go on?

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<3 'Leggy' Luke & Solo 'Simple Cat' <3