Best Plan for Flea Eradication

[leafwhisper]

I need some serious advice on how to get rid of these fleas. Two months ago I found fleas on our cat, plus I was getting bitten a lot. I was on low budget so I purchased Bio Spot spot on treatment for her and bombed the house with Bengal Fogger. Didn't do a thing. I called Farnam (who make Bio Spot) and they sent me some Bio Spot carpet spray. I steam cleaned my carpets and upholstery, put another treatment on the cat (it was time for another treatment, one month later), then sprayed the carpet spray on and under everything. It has been two weeks and in that time I thoroughly vacuum my entire house and upholstery twice a day, I wash all bedding in hot water every other day, and I comb my cat with the flea comb twice a day. I am still getting an average of 50-75 fleas off of her, every single day. Plus I have found flea eggs and larvae on the desk where she sleeps. I called Farnam again and now they are sending Bio Spot spray and more carpet spray. I am losing my faith in them, however, and am ready to try something different. I should also mention that she is an indoor only cat and our only cat (I want a second but won't bring another one in until we get rid of these fleas).

So... has anyone had a similar problem and what did you find worked best for eliminating these pests. I am reluctant to use a spray directly on my cat as then she will be ingesting it when she grooms and I just can't see how that would be good for her. The choices that I am looking at for her are one of the better spot treatments like FrontLine, Revolution or Advantage, or to use something like Capstar or Program. And then what is the best thing for the house? Should I invest in more foggers or sprays and which brands seem to have the best results? I am currently spending 2-3 hours a day vacuuming and cleaning, so I will try absolutely ANYTHING but prefer whatever will be the least harmful to my cat and my kids. Thanks!

 

[luvmyparker]

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/all...a-control.html

I haven't tried it personally, but I have seen many references to it. It is completely natural and safe for humans and pets. It is also fairly inexpensive.

As stated in the link, do NOT get the stuff for pools. That would not be good.

Definitely go to your vet and get a topical flea treatment for the cats themselves. Over the counter flea treatments can be deadly. Good luck!

 

[rosieposie]

Oh gosh last year Mr Cheese bought fleas into our home last year and took us a good 2 months to get rid of them.

We used Frontline and Flea Bombed the house twice a week and sprayed the furniture in between the bombing days.

Bomb the house 24 hrs after they have been Frontlined.

And then you have to use the frontline every month just so the fleas dont come back.

Oh and dont vaccum after you have used the bombs. Leave it on or your basically sucking up the flea poision. Thats what we were told and it worked for us and we have not had a single flea since.

 

[nerdrock]

Putting an over the counter flea collar in the bag or canister of your vacuum is also supposed to help quite a bit.

We use the DE on our pets and our home. We rare treat topically and our pets don't seem to get fleas unless one is sick. Sadie would get fleas in the summer for the last two years because of her bladder problems, while Fynn would never have one on him. This summer we haven't had a single flea problem, Sadie had surgery on her bladder in October and has been fine since so I think there is some sort of correlation there.

This is our protocol when we do find a flea or fleas. Sprinkle DE over all of the pets, leave it on for a bit and then brush off. Then everyone gets thrown into the bathtub for a bath in Dawn original (blue) dish soap. It paralyzes the fleas temporarily so after you rinse it off you can take a flea comb and get them all. I put them into a glass of water and then dump it in the toilet after I'm done. I give it a few days and if there are still fleas we use Advantage for a month.

For the house we sprinkle DE ALL OVER and leave it for a few hours, then vacuum up. We do that for a couple of days and it seems to kill everything. If you can't get DE you can always advantage your cat and then use Borax all over your home. It must also be left on for a few hours and since it's toxic you need to have somewhere else for your cat to go. You just vacuum as usual then.

 

[yosemite]

The DE will do the same thing as Borax and is much safer.

 

[leafwhisper]

I looked into the DE and it looks pretty good, but I am wondering if the dust from it would bother my asthma.

 

[luvmyparker]

That could definitely be a problem. You'd have to wear a mask while using it. A bit unorthodox wearing a mask for a few days but if it's safe for kids and pets as well as effective, it may be worth it.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Leafwhisper

I looked into the DE and it looks pretty good, but I am wondering if the dust from it would bother my asthma.

It is suggested you use a mask while putting it down so as to not breathe in the dust (it won't hurt one but can irritate). After it is down and you have brushed it down into the carpet fibres, there will no longer be dust unless you are laying down on the carpet, thumping it and breathing the dust in.

I have COPD which is probably as bad as your asthma or worse and I have no problems with DE.

 

[leafwhisper]

ok, I'm going to try the mask and see how it works. I'm so sick of all of these chemicals so it sounds like the best idea. Now as far as for treating the fleas that are on Annie, what is best? Can I get good results using baths, combing, or adding Brewers Yeast with Garlic to her diet? Is there something better? Or do I need to suck it up and get Frontline?

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Leafwhisper

ok, I'm going to try the mask and see how it works. I'm so sick of all of these chemicals so it sounds like the best idea. Now as far as for treating the fleas that are on Annie, what is best? Can I get good results using baths, combing, or adding Brewers Yeast with Garlic to her diet? Is there something better? Or do I need to suck it up and get Frontline?

You can also rub some DE into their fur if you like but I would really recommend you get some Revolution or Advantage from your vet. It may cost you a little more than over-the-counter flea treatments but it is so much safer. I don't personally believe the garlic and yeast thing really works.

If you have a bad infestation you can bathe them with dawn (original) dishwashing soap which stuns the fleas, then comb through with a flea comb. Have a container with soapy water nearby and drop the fleas into this as you comb them off.

The fleas won't be gone overnight but fairly quickly.

 

[leafwhisper]

I'm pretty patient, so I can handle slow treatment as long as it will be effective in the end. I'm going to try the Dawn and combing first; I groomed animals years ago so I am quite familiar with bathing cats and it doesn't bother me. I will try that with the DE for a few weeks and if I don't see an improvement then I will get the Advantage/Revolution. I am reluctant to use the spot on treatments again because she had such issue with it.

I've been combing her twice a day with the flea comb and dipping/cleaning the comb with soapy water. Yesterday, since I was out of dish soap, I experimented by using water mixed with apple cider vinegar. I would dip the comb in it and then comb out the fleas. (I've been drinking some every day myself because I heard it repels fleas and I've had a rapid drop in flea bites since doing so, so I thought I'd try it with her). Today I did the same thing again and noticed there were significantly less fleas (20 compared to the usual 50-75). She also seemed to really like the taste of it and kept trying to drink the water. Maybe I'm onto something here? I'm going to keep doing this and see if it helps.

 

[cat person]

My best suggestion is to get either Capstar (http://www.capstar.novartis.us/) or wash the cat in Dawn dish washing soap. Then the next day put on Frontline, Revolution or any other topical flea medication you choose. Then vacuum the house at least once a day for a month. That should help with the flea issue

.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Cat Person

My best suggestion is to get either Capstar (http://www.capstar.novartis.us/) or wash the cat in Dawn dish washing soap. Then the next day put on Frontline, Revolution or any other topical flea medication you choose. Then vacuum the house at least once a day for a month. That should help with the flea issue

.

If you put down DE, I wouldn't recommend vacuuming for a couple days to give it time to work down into the fibres and ensure any hatching fleas get killed also. After that first period of time, then yes, vacuuming regularly and emptying the vacuum bag OUTSIDE after each vacuuming is recommended.

 

[leafwhisper]

I have a bagless Dyson and not only do I empty it outside after every use, but I also rinse the canister out to make sure that there are no lingering eggs. On a side note, it really amazes me how many fleas we have here. I am extremely obsessive with cleaning and vacuuming, and I only get a few bites a day and my kids and husband don't seem to get any, but we obviously still have a heavy infestation if I'm getting so many off of Annie every day. I just combed her again and took another 30 off of her, this after around 20 this morning. And I am so extremely thorough with combing. I think I'm also going to up her combings to three times a day. She really enjoys it, so it should be no problem.

 

[luvmyparker]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

If you put down DE, I wouldn't recommend vacuuming for a couple days to give it time to work down into the fibres and ensure any hatching fleas get killed also. After that first period of time, then yes, vacuuming regularly and emptying the vacuum bag OUTSIDE after each vacuuming is recommended.

If you put it down and vacuum it up right away, it won't do anything. All sites I checked said to leave it down for 2-3 days, then vacuum, then repeat again as necessary. You can rub it onto your pets as well, so that is a bonus.

 

[cat person]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

If you put down DE, I wouldn't recommend vacuuming for a couple days to give it time to work down into the fibres and ensure any hatching fleas get killed also. After that first period of time, then yes, vacuuming regularly and emptying the vacuum bag OUTSIDE after each vacuuming is recommended.

Sorry I did not mean if you used DE. I also do not have carpets, so I do not think I could use it anyway

.

Originally Posted by LuvMyParker

If you put it down and vacuum it up right away, it won't do anything. All sites I checked said to leave it down for 2-3 days, then vacuum, then repeat again as necessary. You can rub it onto your pets as well, so that is a bonus.

Sorry I did not mean if you used DE. I also do not have carpets, so I do not think I could use it anyway

.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Leafwhisper

I have a bagless Dyson and not only do I empty it outside after every use, but I also rinse the canister out to make sure that there are no lingering eggs. On a side note, it really amazes me how many fleas we have here. I am extremely obsessive with cleaning and vacuuming, and I only get a few bites a day and my kids and husband don't seem to get any, but we obviously still have a heavy infestation if I'm getting so many off of Annie every day. I just combed her again and took another 30 off of her, this after around 20 this morning. And I am so extremely thorough with combing. I think I'm also going to up her combings to three times a day. She really enjoys it, so it should be no problem.

Fleas don't usually stay on the cat. They get a meal and jump off into the carpeting and furniture. Then when they need a meal they hop onto the first warm-blooded thing that walks by.

We had a terrible infestation one summer when it was really hot and humid which apparently the fleas love. This was before I knew about DE so we finally ended up having professional exterminators come in and do the job. The fleas were biting me but didn't touch my mom, husband or daughter. I guess they preferred my blood.

 

[alleygirl]

Originally Posted by Cat Person

My best suggestion is to get either Capstar (http://www.capstar.novartis.us/) or wash the cat in Dawn dish washing soap. Then the next day put on Frontline, Revolution or any other topical flea medication you choose. Then vacuum the house at least once a day for a month. That should help with the flea issue

.

Had a HORRIBLE problem with fleas last year when we stayed at my brother's house for a few months. It took lots of work, lots of time, and lots of effort, but it worked.

For the cats: they received Capstar to kill the immediate fleas on their body, followed by Revolution. (Tried Frontline for months and it did nothing). Capstar can be given more often, every few days if needed.

For the house, DE on the carpets for days. Vacuumed up, reapplied and repeat as long as necessary.

Also used vinegar/water mixture to wipe down ALL hard surfaces as well as sprayed on the furniture.

Hope to never go through that again. It took MONTHS!

 

[leafwhisper]

Yeah, we're still dealing with it, but it is significantly improved and I think the end is in sight. On the positive side, I have done so much research that I am now an expert on the nasty little buggers. I think the three things that have made the most difference have been the daily thorough vacuuming, Frontline, and patience. Based on my daily combing/vacuuming checks, plus the light traps that I've set up, I would say that I have a few more weeks and then we should be flea free.

 

[sillysiberians]

Two thumbs up for Capstar! It's hard on the kitties (they get very frantic and itchy; and the kitten was HYPER) but started working within hours. Easy pill to give, too. I could actually see fleas falling off of them! Followed it up with Advantage a few days later, and I think we're in the clear 2 weeks later.
I am told by a friend/rescuer that Frontline lacks effectiveness, apparently fleas may develop a tolerance? Superfleas be damned, I went with Advantage despite the dent in the wallet ($71 at Petco for 6 month supply... eek!) but I've seen much better prices online since then.