a question about fleas

[blueraven95]

okay, so somehow my three indoor cats have managed to get the worst case of fleas that I have ever seen. We tried using Advantage....and one of them got an allergic reaction, so we switched to Frontline, which sort of seems to be working. There are certainly fewer fleas on the poor cats, but they are not gone. The real problem is that the fleas are everywhere in the house...I can even see them crawling around on our floors. (And fleas don't just bite cats....they definately like humans too) We are vaccuuming every day and trying to keep things as clean as possible. My question is, does anyone know any good way to get rid of the fleas without calling an exterminator? Is there some great spray or something? Or am I just stuck?

[oregonjen]

1. There are bug bombs you can buy

Set them off in the house and leave with the cats for many hours (follow the directions as to how long to leave the house). Then, when you get home, vaccuum again and that should take care of it. They are constantly laying eggs, so I don't think you can ever get a handle on it without using pesticides.

Maybe someone else has a more natural solution.

Good luck!

[regnaD kciN]

2. The problem with bombs...

...is that you not only have to leave the premises with cats in tow, but you also have to open every closet, drawer, and cupboard before setting it off, then washing every plate, utensil, etc., when you get back. Not to mention dumping virtually every food item that isn't sealed in the refrigerator. At least that was my experience when we used to have flea infestations in Everett (pretty much a regular summer occurrence).

They also had a flea spray for carpets and furniture, which wasn't quite as extreme a solution, didn't require all the extra work of a bomb, and (IMHO) did just as good a job at eradicating fleas. I don't know if sprays like that are still available, though.

[Mutley]

3. There are several brands of spray available.

I like Zodiac the best. It's not too expensive and it works well. You can find it at a pet supply store.

[RebelOne]

4. Check out these sprays. There is a huge assortment here.

http://lambriarvet.com/Insecticides.php

[radfringe]

5. my experience with flea infestation

for the critters - try using BIO-Spot instead of frontline or advantage - I find it works better because it kills the adult fleas/ticks all the way down to egg stage

in the meantime - you have those pesky fleas hopping around your house

Many years ago I lived in an apartment that became flea infested -- landlord wouldn't take care of the problem (long story there that I won't get into)...

I mixed flea dip with some water and mopped the floors with it, damp mopped/sprayed the rugs/furniture with flea dip/water solution. I would do this everyday for two weeks. (I had no pets at the time flea treatment on critters wasn't an issue.)

after two weeks I just mopped/sprayed once a week for another month - it got rid of the fleas

[Eurobabe]

6. you are making me scratch in sympathy

my aunt lived in Tampa and I visited her at the height of flea season decades ago, she had a poodle, and the whole damn house was infested. They bit me so bad I couldn't sleep at night. It was horrendous.

I've heard nothing short of bombs can get rid of them because of their cycle. You have to vacuum, throw away the bags every time because the newbies eat the dander, etc. in the bag and reproduce.

I wish you well in ridding yourself of those evil creatures!!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

7. Just a reminder

Remove the vacuuming bag from the house after every cleaning. My cat started with seizures at 2 yrs old. When I had a flea infestation the vet required me to use a special less lethal spray (he was afraid the commercial products would seriously harm her). I got it from the vet 12yrs ago for $80.00.

The pain was doing the extermination myself. Good luck.

[China_cat]

8. Capstar

Absolutely wonderful stuff. You need Advantage or Frontline after you use it but the Capstar will end an infestation in minutes and you can use it as often as once a day if needed to get rid of newly hatching fleas before they breed.

http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~1776

[kestrel91316]

9. Cat vet here ................

never have seen an "allergic reaction" to Advantage..........what happened to make you think this?

Frontline is just fine, but be sure to keep using it monthly. For your home a good product (DO NOT USE BOMBS) is Siphotrol Area Treatment. It is made by Vet Kem and sold thru vets. The same company markets their products as Zodiac thru pet stores, BTW. It is a carpet-furniture spray that should help until your Frontline gets things under control. It may take some time this time of year, but keep it up.These products WILL solve your problem if used appropriately.

[blueraven95]

11. yes, I agree its strange.

She broke out in little red bumps, and started scratching herself until she was bleeding. It was quite horrible. I didn't know what it was, so I took her to the vet and he told me it was an allergy. Apparently its really rare.

To be honest though, I don't really like my vet...so I am hesitant to go back for more advice about fleas. I don't have a real reason not to like him, I just don't. I'm in the process of finding another one.

[Beaverhausen]

13. That could have been a flea allergy

some animals (and people) are allergic to the flea bites and will break out in those red bumps.

[blueraven95]

16. ordinarily I would agree

but she'd had the fleas for at least a couple of weeks before the Advantage. We didn't notice right away, because she is longhaired, and the other two have amazingly thick dark fur.

[Flaxbee]

15. I just put Advantage on our cat (who can't tolerate Frontline) and

she started to blow spit bubbles and froth at the mouth (she's weird, can't tolerate much of ANYTHING, has a very hard time with shots, etc.) and so we just dunked her in water for the last 10 minutes, scrubbed the Advantage off, and she seems to be OK now. Maybe she licked some of it, though I swore I got it somewhere she couldn't reach (back of neck/head).

But my girl is being EATEN ALIVE by fleas, and I need some sort of "natural" product to help her out. Any suggestions? PLEASE?

[oregonjen]

17. Have only heard, but have not tried, garlic

Try feeding your kitty garlic. Have you tried Googling for help?

[kestrel91316]

19. Cat vet says NO GARLIC, EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never give a dog OR cat anything containing garlic or onions. These members of the allium family both contain a sulfur-containing compound (the name of which escapes me) which is KNOWN to cause oxidative damage to red blood cells in dogs and cats. This damage is usually subclinical (doesn't by itself make them noticeably sick), but if you give garlic/onions and some other thing comes along to also harm the red blood cells, you are in trouble a LOT quicker. One source of BIG trouble in this regard is FLEAS - they suck blood and so between the garlic doing its damage and shortening RBC livespan, and fleas draining RBCs from the cat or dog, they get a double whammy. Also, actual poisoning from onions has been documented in dogs (don't recall if fatal).

NEVER give a dog or cat anything containig any garlic or onions whatsoever. You are playing with fire if you do.

This, from your friendly neighborhood cat vet.

[kestrel91316]

20. And garlic does nothing to fleas anyway, they just laugh at it.

[kestrel91316]

18. Cat vet again ............

sounds like she got a TASTE of the Advantage, lol, not a fun experience at all, but no lasting harm. DO NOT be afraid to use Advantage - it is the safest and most effective flea control in existence. Which is why we vets LOVE it. BE SURE you put it where she cannot lick it at all. Put it on the back of her head - draw a line between the backs of her ears, and in the middle you will feel a bump called the occipital knob. You want to put it there, not on the shoulder blades or the neck.

[Mutley]

25. Brewers Yeast

While not a scientifically proven method of killing fleas, many have noticed that it can help kill fleas. My parents tried it on one of their kitties that can't tolerate meds either, and it seemed to work. It took nearly a month, but it worked.

[China_cat]

23. We had a Himalayan that

reacted badly to Frontline. Had really loose, horrible smelling bowels, leaking all over the place. Six baths and a shave down to get the stuff off him and it went away. No reaction to Advantage.

Tried him a second time on Frontline and it all started again.

Guess it comes down to every cat is different. I had one die from anaphalaxis due to antirobe after the vet told me there was no way his respiratory symptoms were from the antibiotic and to keep giving it to him.

[uppityperson]

10. Borax (from grocery store by laundry additives) sprinkled into carpets

Buy borax and sprinkle it onto carpets then walk all over to get the stuff down into and below the carpet. Wash any bedding or places the cats sleep with borax in water. Wear white socks around, can see the fleas to pick off and flush. Wash your hands if you squish fleas because they can carry tapeworm eggs in their guts. Put vacuum bag into a sealed plastic bag after vacuuming because if you just vacuum and store the fleas in the vacuum bag, they can wiggle and crawl back out.

Getting rid of carpets is best, because fleas live down in and under them, emerging to feast and hide again. sprinkling borax (yes, from the grocery store in the laundry detergent additive area) is a good help in getting rid of them.

[fudge stripe cookays]

12. Triple prong attack.

We used to have indoor/outdoor animals here in Texas, and this became a regular summer hazard.

On the same day, we'd make an appointment at the vet to have both animals dipped, set off flea bombs in the house, and spray our backyard for them.

This was the only way we could get rid of them. Once the bombs ended and we came back, we vacuumed the whole house and got rid of the bag.

This really did work. Because if you only do one area (ie pet), you still have to worry about re-infestations from bedding, furniture etc.

This way you're treating all the sources.
FSC

[superconnected]

14. back in the 90's I used 4 flea bombs - I used them a week apart

After the 2nd one, for several years mosquitoes would fly into my apartment land on a wall and drop dead. Seriously. I loved it.

I know my apartment was toxic - heck ants would walk in and instantly die, but I didn't care. My cat didn't seem to care.

I'm living in a new apartment and I'm planing to do the same thing again. I really liked it.

I did not open my clothing drawers etc. I did not wash dishes that were behind close cupboard doors. I did take care to wash off the kitchen counters and what was on them and the table. Yep, I'm pretty sure that was my whole clean up.

I lived, the fleas didn't. I'm doing it again probably next week. I'm looking for the "years" affect.

[demnan]

21. I had a cat once who was allergic to fleas

this was before the wonderful treatments we have now for them. I used to bathe Howard using a flea soap I purchased from my vet. If you can bathe your cat and then use the Frontline on her I would suggest that. Bathing in warm water will help to keep the scratches from becoming infected. You may need another person the cat trusts to assist you, but I found that Howard felt so miserable he let me bathe him quite easily.

[IndyOp]

22. I once bathed a flea-bitten cat who was not my cat -

I was house-sitting and the two dogs and cat all came down with a horrible infestation. The cat was white, but I could see the red bite spots and dried blood on her skin through her fur. So, I took a deep breath, filled the tub, poured in flea-control shampoo, dipped her, rubbed in the shampoo for 5-minutes, and rinsed. I got a few scratches, but nothing bad.

When the owners returned, and I told them what I done their eyes got really, really huge - the cat *hates* all strangers and the one and only time they had tried to give her a bath she bit several times hard and they gave up before she was even fully wet. She must have been really, really miserable when I tried - so miserable that anything - even water - felt better than the fleas that were eating her alive. She looked greatly relieved after the bath (when she had dried and her dignity had returned). She wasn't friendly toward me, but she didn't run away or hiss either.

[Samurai_Writer]

24. Also for vacuuming...

put a flea collar in the bag or container. It will kill the fleas you vacuum up. Works especially well if you have a bagless vacuum.