Cat Care Fleas/peeing/support

[authorbg]

hi! I'm new and just need some general cat flea support from fellow cat lovers.
One month ago my indoor cats got fleas. We know how it came into the house and we were really mad about it. We are treating/cleaning/ and all the fun stuff but I'm really struggling with my cats. One cat we have had since May and the other for three years. They are miserable, I'm miserable, and I don't know what to do anymore. My 9 year old is highly allergic to all bug bites and has costed us hundreds in doctor visits and medications. He is the only one getting badly bit, and developed infections across his body. He is bit up from scalp to toe. My other two kids aren't being bitten so bad. We have bombed the house, used borax, salt, flea drops, flea house sprays, flea baths, sprays, washed everything weekly and vacuumed so much my oreck is breaking!!! I know it takes time but we will go days without seeing them then see tons, and I feel bad for my son and the cats to the point where I told a friend if it doesn't go away, for the sake of my son, the cats will have to go ( and now I have guilt about that) it isn't a huge infestation, but enough to make me cry.
On top of it all, my older cat is peeing on our shoes. I know she is doing it because of the fleas, but it is awful and I can't get the smells out.
I've used up all of my Xmas funds for my kids on doctors and treatments and missing work by staying home with my sick son.

Rant over, please give me some advice on the peeing or just a simple...this too shall pass. I want to try the seresto collars soon too, when I can afford it.
Thank you.

 

[maggiedemi]

What brand of flea drops did you try?

 

[authorbg]

What brand of flea drops did you try?

I ended up buying the pet armor I believe it was called. I had a vet tech friend look at it and she said it had the same ingredient as frontline plus and it works in our area. She even weighed my cats for the exact dosage amount and we put s little extra. I found dead fleas for a few days after I put them on but not sure it did much after that.

 

[maggiedemi]

I think it can take up to 3 months for Frontline to kill an infestation.

 

[nansiludie]

Frontline doesn't work as well as it used to. Fleas are building immunity to it. I use Advantage and it works well enough, for three weeks. And then I re-apply the dosage. Fleas are hard to get rid of once they are established. I will tell you, if you keep on doing what you're doing, you'll get rid of them. I too have an flea allergic kitty and one bite sends her into a frenzy of itching and sores. Did your Vet recommend any medication to treat the allergic reactions for your cat?

 

[foxxycat]

look up DE food grade-it's all natural and won't hurt you, the kids nor your pets. It kills bugs by suffocating them. One can sprinkle this around cracks/crevices where fleas come in from outside. You can sprinkle around the foundation of your home=very important to do this-otherwise you are fighting an never ending battle. AND you can dip your hands in the powder and run it through the fur of the cat with the fleas-it is dusty so wear a dust mask and don't make it cloudy near your pet's head. Farmers have been using this for many decades=they add this right into the grain silo to keep bugs out of their food. Cows/horses eat it to kill internal parasites. I am sure it works for us and pets too. I never had to feed it to the animals-I just sprinkled around the lawn, foundation and shady damp areas where it looks like they would grow.

You can get it at a horse feed store or order it online.

also that pet armour is ok but revolution or Advantage 2 works much better-but you have to wait another month before adding that on your animals.

you can sprinkle the DE in your son's bed/carpet areas where you think the buggers are living-it will kill them then vacuum it up. After each vacuuming are you throwing away the filter in a closed bag? You can also stick some DE inside the bag-it too will help kill off sucked up fleas.

The downside is DE is very dusty=BUT it is effective and WORKS.

I found it on chewy.com too!
DiatomaceousEarth Food Grade Powder

 

[authorbg]

Update! Thank you guys for the suggestions! Last Monday, I decided to do one last furious sweep through. I needed to go overboard or I'd lose my mind and my son was on the verge of having to leave our home if he kept getting bit. I flea bathed my cats again to get rid of everything including flea dirt. While drying, I sprayed them down with Adams flea spray. I covered my carpets in salt and scrubbed it in. My cats felt instantly better and we cuddled the rest of the night. I waited two days then used the regular flea drops on my cats and bough a natural flea spray ( peppermint oil and clove) and have doused my house with it. I'll even spray my cats behinds with it if they scratch. All the places I couldn't spray. I have done this daily along with vacuuming and I haven't seen a flea since Tuesday. My son has also stopped getting bit. Maybe I was at the tail end of the flea cycle (one and a half month) or maybe it was all this stuff, but I am confident it is gone. Thank you again for the kind words.