ACK! FLEAS! someone help!!

[brittany brown]

so my cats have never contracted fleas before. i have two indoor only cats. but my mom's cat got out a couple of weeks ago and has them now, and they must have come home with me from her house because now both my babies are itching and scratching and licking themselves and i can see fleas on them. what is the best method to treat for fleas that isn't too expensive? would it be better to use the stuff you just squirt down their backs? or should i give them full on flea baths? can anyone recommend a product? and is there anything else i should do? 

bonding.jpg

• brittany brown
• Nov 10, 2012

 

[ritz]

Sorry fleas are bugging your cats.

DO NOT USE OVER THE COUNTER FLEA medication; some cats have adverse reactions.  By adverse I mean:  they die.

Use Frontline or Advantage; they are available at PetCo/PetSmart.  They should be applied monthly around the back of their neck area.

You can give them a flea bath using something like Dawn liquid detergent NOT THE STUFF YOU GET in the stores and use a flea comb to get the fleas out.

You'll have to treat the whole house to, especially their bedding area.  For a relatively cheap substance, look for diatomaceous earth (food grade only).  Sprinkle that around, including the carpets.  You can also put a little in their food, as well as brewer's yeast.  A tiny tiny bit of garlic can be added to their food, too.  These remedies are if you absolutetly cannot afford Frontline or Advantage; they may or may not work, depending on if your cats will eat the stuff and how bad the infestation is.  If you can see the fleas, it's pretty bad.

You can "bomb" the house, but you'll have to remove the cats to do that (obviously not back at your mother's house).  Then vacuum vacuum vacuum.

If you suspect your cats are allergic to flea dandruff, you'll need to take them to the vets.  (Allergic reaction can be:  itching so much they bled.)

Good luck:  Ritz is an indoor cat but for the first time, last year she got fleas.  The fleas came in through the screen windows or on me.