# Flea treatment and trust



## Bug861 (Apr 17, 2021)

I have been feeding the mom cat and three kittens (3 months old). The mom has been coming into my yard for the past year. I have been feeding the kittens for one month now. On a schedule, same time in the morning and evening. I have earned the trust of one of the kittens. I spend an hour in the morning and and evening with them outside. The kitten will brush up against me for pets and play with me. I brushed him with a flea comb and it was sad and completely disgusting to see the number of fleas. Besides a bath (since they are ferals I can’t pick the one up yet) is there any thing I can do to help get rid of fleas. The other 2 kittens won’t come off the fence, one will turn to run and the other hisses at me while backing up. I would like to accept them into my family and care for them (if possible). But I can’t do that with 2 of them. Any suggestions? I know they are all ferals and people keep telling me they can’t be tamed.


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## Mosi (May 17, 2021)

Somehow your post got overlooked, so sorry for the late reply.

first, feral cats can definitely be tamed. It is just a matter of to what degree, and that depends entirely on the individual cat. I have known adult ferals who came into the house and once they were petted the very first time, they were tame from then on. I have known others who will come every day for food for years and never let the person feeding them touch them. So you never know.

fleas on a feral is a very difficult thing. If you don't treat them all, it will make no difference if you treat one of them because it will only get them from the others again.

Do you have a catch-neuter-release program where you live? Ask the local shelters. sometimes they can help you to humanely trap the cats, whereupon they can all be taken in to be spayed and neutered and treated for fleas all at once, then released back in your yard. But again, if you don't get the whole family or tribe at once, or if fleas are infesting your property, then the flea treatment won't do any good. You'd have to get them all at once and while they were gone, treat your property to kill any fleas that are there.


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## Morzh (Nov 4, 2021)

Mosi said:


> Somehow your post got overlooked, so sorry for the late reply.
> 
> first, feral cats can definitely be tamed. It is just a matter of to what degree, and that depends entirely on the individual cat. I have known adult ferals who came into the house and once they were petted the very first time, they were tame from then on. I have known others who will come every day for food for years and never let the person feeding them touch them. So you never know.
> 
> ...


I think, on the outside cats it is an uphill battle bordering a lost cause to treat fleas. Even if you treat the whole clowder. Even if you treat your property. Cats are going to wander off and go to other properties. And likely to socialize with other cats. And a simple bite of a moskito or chewing on a flea - and there is your heart worm back again. So, as I said in another post, by TNR-ing you are doing a good deed, and by taking care of the colony, feeding it etc you are helping them survive as good as any outside cat would, but do not expect you could keep them as clean and safe, as you would your inside cats.


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