Ugh. The cats have fleas.

[yssie]

Frontline FAILS. Have to wait two more weeks to try something else... looks like we'll be steam cleaning this weekend

Anyone had good luck with Advantage? Other recs?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We went through this earlier this winter. I''m not sure if we used Frontline or Advantage, but it took us bombing the house, putting a flea collar in our vacuum canister (Dyson), constant vacuuming (like every day), and getting back on track with monthly treatment for the furkids before they went away.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/24/2010 7:59:17 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
We went through this earlier this winter. I'm not sure if we used Frontline or Advantage, but it took us bombing the house, putting a flea collar in our vacuum canister (Dyson), constant vacuuming (like every day), and getting back on track with monthly treatment for the furkids before they went away.

Thats great advice. With fleas its a case of going on a crusade to get rid of the horrid little creatures, definitely bomb the house as well as treating the kits and thoroughly vacuum often.

Also make sure the cats are treated for tapeworm as fleas are a host.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I think the key for us was putting the flea collar in the canister and vacuuming regularly, someone here on PS suggested it. We were able to suck up a lot of the fleas, eggs and larvae and then they died in the canister vs it becoming a breeding ground for them. I shudder just thinking about it. Last weekend we had sunny weather in the 70s and the first thing I did was dose all of the animals.

 

[iheartscience]

I would get the flea and egg killing spray for carpets and upholstery, too. Then vacuum it up with a flea collar in the canister like HH suggests. And just be vigilant with the Frontline. (I use Frontline Plus-it seems to work better than regular Frontline.) If you keep current with Frontline and spray and vacuum regularly the fleas should be gone soon enough.

 

[tyty333]

Advantage works well for my cats but I didnt have fleas in the house (just on the cats).

I have had them in the house before from a dog and it took bombing to get rid of them.

 

[lulu]

Just make sure all the products you use are okay for cats. DH put dog flea stuff on the cats once and they had convulsions.

 

[HVVS]

I never use flea bombs b/c they contaminate everything. I used Ortho Home Pest years ago. I think it''s been replaced or renamed now. But it was a spray jug and I could spray everything I wanted to spray without contaminating the house. If you have a huge infestation, you have to treat the house. Don''t use anything by Hartz. They have been responsible for a lot of pet deaths.

Bathing the cat will get a lot of fleas off. Then use the topical flea treatments approved for cats. You have to be careful what you put on a cat. I have never had a cat react badly to Frontline products, although one cat apparently think it smells really bad. She acts like I am peeling skin off when I dab it on. But I (and the vets) see no skin irritation or other symptoms of a reaction.

 

[Arkteia]

I have replaced all carpets with hardwood floors on the first floor and in one room on the second floor. Do you think that replacing all the carpets would prevent fleas?

 

[yssie]

Thanks everyone, will look into the options.



HH - the flea collar in the canister is a brilliant idea!
Lorelei - hmm.. they all went to the vet for checkups/shots this month... do they check for worms at that time? I'll call them to find out, I think
tyty - I'm glad to hear Advantage works for yours. For some reason frontline plus just didn't do anything, our vet recommended trying another brand as it inexplicably just doesn't work sometimes. Very strange, that.
thing - yep, frontline plus

lulu - yikes!!

HVVS - guess what's on today's to-do list? I'm going to get so scratched up bathing them, I just know it.. I really like this spray business instead of the flea bombs, I'll be looking into that, thank you. We don't have anywhere else to put them while the place is decontaminated so bombing is the last step.
crasu - apt! So the carpet is god only knows how old. I can't wait to move into a place with hardwood floors - carpet is such a pain to keep up with!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/24/2010 12:30:00 PM
Author: yssie
Thanks everyone, will look into the options.



HH - the flea collar in the canister is a brilliant idea!
Lorelei - hmm.. they all went to the vet for checkups/shots this month... do they check for worms at that time? I''ll call them to find out, I think
tyty - I''m glad to hear Advantage works for yours. For some reason frontline plus just didn''t do anything, our vet recommended trying another brand as it inexplicably just doesn''t work sometimes. Very strange, that.
thing - yep, frontline plus

lulu - yikes!!

HVVS - guess what''s on today''s to-do list? I''m going to get so scratched up bathing them, I just know it.. I really like this spray business instead of the flea bombs, I''ll be looking into that, thank you. We don''t have anywhere else to put them while the place is decontaminated so bombing is the last step.
crasu - apt! So the carpet is god only knows how old. I can''t wait to move into a place with hardwood floors - carpet is such a pain to keep up with!

They might not have checked Yssie, do you worm them routinely? I would call your vet and mention this to them, you will probably find they will recommend you treat for tapeworm as there are fleas present, the two often go together.

 

[yssie]

I think Mina was given deworming stuff when we caught her, since she was feral, but I don''t know about the other two. I''m definitely going to call in, thanks for the heads up on that!

 

[trillionaire]

I would strongly suggest in investing in some diatomaceous earth to get rid of fleas and pests. It destroys the exo-skeleton of bugs, but it''s safe, non-toxic, even edible by animals and humans. It''s not very expensive, and a little goes a long way. You can put in on carpets, in corners, in couches, on the fur of your pets... it''s great stuff. Also works for bedbugs, ants, roaches, etc. Be careful inhaling the dust though.

Link

 

[doodle]

Even if your pet was checked for tapeworms, since they get them from ingesting infected fleas, your kitty could very likely have gotten worms just since the vet visit. Sounds gross, but check her poo. If it looks like it has little rice grains or sesame seed looking things in it, you have a tapeworm problem. Sometimes you''ll see them on the cat''s rear, too. You can get OTC tapeworm pills at petsmart that have worked great for our cat; I think they''re made by a company called tradewinds. We''ve also done better with advantage than with frontline. Just make sure you pay attention to the weight guidelines, too. My Bentley''s a fatty butt, so we have to buy him the stuff for cats weighing more than 9 pounds. Flea combs are great, too, just for getting them OFF the cat without having to use water, but the comb doesn''t kill them--it just traps them because the teeth are so close together. We got flea shampoo, mixed it with water, and we comb Bentley then dunk the flea comb in the shampoo mix to kill them. Good luck! I know how miserable it is--we live in Georgia, and even with obsessive preventive care, we usually get an infestation a year anyway, and the cat has never even been outside!

 

[yssie]

trillionaire - have you used this stuff? I'm not sure about them breathing the dust..? Though I'm having this image of a very zen FI pottering about sprinkling clay into various nooks and crannies

doodle - that.....will definitely have to wait until FI comes home!!

 

[doodle]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:41:33 PM
Author: yssie
trillionaire - have you used this stuff? I''m not sure about them breathing the dust..? Though I''m having this image of a very zen FI pottering about sprinkling clay into various nooks and crannies

doodle - that.....will definitely have to wait until FI comes home!!

Okay, so I don''t even know why that struck me as so hysterically funny, but yes, I just blew water out of my nose.

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:41:33 PM
Author: yssie
trillionaire - have you used this stuff? I'm not sure about them breathing the dust..? Though I'm having this image of a very zen FI pottering about sprinkling clay into various nooks and crannies

doodle - that.....will definitely have to wait until FI comes home!!

LOL, yes, we had to get it for BED BUGS!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

It's just a fine powder, and sprinkling a small amount is easy peasy. However, if you are treating a room, I'd probably wear a mask, and keep the cats out while the dust settles. you can sprinkle it on the carpet, and leave it for a few days, then vacuum it up, re-treating as necessary. (kills bugs in about 48 hours, they dehydrate and die) It was recommended to us to apply it with a paint brush along baseboards, corners, etc... so we just picked some up from Home Depot. I am not under the impression that the dust is actually harmful, but FI and I both have allergies, so inhaling any dust is low on our fun scale. It's not toxic, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't cause you to cough or sneeze. We went with this product because we have a curious dog that gets into EVERYTHING, and we have parakeets. I didn't want to risk anything with our pets. Ingesting small amounts can actually be good for animals, because it kills intestinal parasites!

I've heard that farmers will put it into chicken feed.

 

[Callisto]

Oh no! That stinks. No advice but best of luck!

I found out recently that fleas LOVE me. Our friends cat had them and the house was infested yet somehow neither SO nor ANY of the people that lived there were getting bit... just met. I had soooo many bites.

Just keep an anti-itch creme in your purse, I forgot to bring mine to work with me a few days and scratched the bites all day and they took forever to heal.

 

[redfaerythinker]

There is a pill that you can get from your vet that will kill any flea located on your cat... Use the pill, give the cat a flea bath, flea bomb the house (we never had a problem with contamination, but then again I don''t go around licking the walls either), and vaccuum and wash EVERYTHING. Worked for me.

 

[yssie]

Just came back from the vet

They''ve got deworming pills, and Gretta was sneezing a bit so I took her in... our cat has mild allergies. I can''t stop laughing!

 

[cnspotts]

Date: 3/24/2010 12:44:30 PM
Author: trillionaire
I would strongly suggest in investing in some diatomaceous earth to get rid of fleas and pests. It destroys the exo-skeleton of bugs, but it''s safe, non-toxic, even edible by animals and humans. It''s not very expensive, and a little goes a long way. You can put in on carpets, in corners, in couches, on the fur of your pets... it''s great stuff. Also works for bedbugs, ants, roaches, etc. Be careful inhaling the dust though.

Link

I use this too!

 

[katamari]

Since they are being discussed, I wanted to warn the PS pet lovers to be cautious with flea collars. My mom was putting two in the canister of her Dyson, as well, and her cat was poisoned this week by it (she is okay now, but was seizing, vomiting, and got chemical burns). The vet said it was my mom overdoing it--since she used Revolution and two collars in the canister--for the size of the cat, who is less than 6 pounds. The vet told my mom to always consult the vet regarding flea medication since this is a risk. Just thought I would pass along the warning!