Flea problem

[$Catmom123$]

Hello. Thank you for letting me join your site. I have 9 indoor cats (all rescued) I also have 15 cats that I care for in my enclosed yard. Everyone has been fixed and had their shots. I have one cat inside for over two years who will not let us touch her. She will let us put our finger to her nose but runs if we try to pet her. She gets very scared. My problem is fleas. We comb our inside cats twice a day. They had Frontline on them (I do not like putting this on them) they still have fleas because I cannot treat the one cat. I am losing my mind because I do not know what to do about her. I cannot get rid of the fleas because I cannot treat her. Just trying to take good care of all the cats in trying but I do not know what to do to get rid of these fleas. Does anyone have a suggestion to get rid of fleas on her? Thank you for any help you can give me.

 

[Babypaws]

Oh boy, sounds like my house. I have 11 indoor cats….rescues from being born in our shed. I’m going thru the flea problem also. I have a feral cat who has been inside the house now for a few years. But when I first brought her inside I kept her on our enclosed porch….she was very frightened and it took me 4 months of her being on the porch before she started to let me pet her. What I did was very time I went on the porch I would announce myself to get her use to hearing my voice and I would talk to her…after awhile when she was a little less frightened but still wouldn’t let me touch her I taped a toothbrush on the end of a stick (about 2feet) and I let her smell it and then I gradually started to touch her with it.
She got used to it and I was able to comb her with it and she liked it ((still not able to touch her with my hand) but after awhile I slowly was able to pet her. As far as the flea treatment I squeezed the liquid from the little tube into the top of a milk container and dipped the toothbrush into it and was able to put it on the back of her neck. I can’t swear that she got it all but it was better than nothing.
I’ve been using Advantage II on my cats and I also comb them twice a day. I also use a flea spray when I’m able to. But I’m thinking the Advantage doesn’t seem to be working that well.
I’d like to also mention since none of my cats go outside since the day I’ve bought each one inside and I’m sure the reason I originally got the fleas was because my husband and I work a lot in our yard and must have brought them in on our clothes .
Good luck to both of us since I’m feeling the same as you…..seems hopeless getting rid of the little xxxx

 

[FeebysOwner]

Do you think you could give her Capstar? It is a pill for killing adult fleas that could be crushed into a bite of food or a lickable treat. It is only effective for 24 hours, so it would technically have to be given daily, or as close to that as possible. I know, it is like all the other flea treatments that some cats can have a reaction to, but it has been out since 2000, so it apparently must not have too bad of a track record. It does enter the bloodstream, but so do most all flea products besides Frontline Plus and Advantage II, both of which are spread through the sebaceous glands.

As mentioned above, Advantage II is very similar to Frontline Plus, and each has been found to be less effective in certain areas/regions due to flea immunity build up, so you might switch to Adv II and see if that works better in your area.

As is the case with any flea infestation, especially with so many cats, the house needs to be treated too, as well as the outdoor yard/areas. One member on this site started using nematodes in the outdoor areas and seems to be having great success with them. They are harmless to animals and to the environment. Beneficial Nematodes for Flea Control | Gardens Alive!

Maybe this web site might be of help to you in finding things to do to try to get rid of the fleas.
FleaScience

 

[heatherwillard0614]

https://www.petcarerx.com/article/combining-flea-treatments-what-you-need-to-know/140

Combinations to Know: Oral Flea Treatments:
Came directly from the above link. I would contact your vet to discuss the best course of action.

Combinations to Know: Oral Flea Treatments
Either Capstar or Comfortis can be combined individually with a variety of other flea and tick medications including one of the following: K9 Advantix II, Frontline Plus for Dogs, Advantage II for Dogs, Revolution for dogs, Pet Armor for Dogs, Advantage Multi, Frontline Top Spot for Dogs, Sentinel, or Farnam Bio Spot for Dogs. Capstar will knock out a flea infestation quickly and is over the counter. Comfortis requires a prescription and works to kill adult fleas for a month

Guide to Flea and Tick Prevention for Cats | PetMD

Compare the best flea and tick prevention and treatment medicines for cats.

www.petmd.com

.

 

[Antonio65]

There are pills you can add to her meal. They works as the spot-on products, and a pill can be effective up to a month, but you can ask your vet if you can shorten the interval if needed.
Here in Europe this product is sold by the name Credelio. It needs a vet prescription.

 

[Babypaws]

I’m still dealing with fleas and am losing my mind trying to get rid of them. I have 11 indoor cats and I comb them twice a day, I’ve been giving the Advantage II and trying to vacuum as often as I can, also use a flea spray but I can’t seem to get rid of them None of them go outside. It seems like there are 3 of them that suffer more with fleas than the others. There are times I can comb and get 10-12 from one cat…I’ve been thinking of switching over to frontline but when I look it up I’m seeing the package says for cats over 1.5 pounds…am I missing something? How effect could it be? I have a few cats that well over 15 pounds…
I can not afford to get a RX from vet for all of them…need help/advice please…
As far as trying the oral treatment that’s out of the question…wouldn't be able to
give it

 

[FeebysOwner]

It can take months to get fleas under control. When my fleas were the worst, I was vacuuming every other day, and certainly no less than 3 times a week. And I was only dealing with one cat. I was also washing any bedding, towels, blankets that my cat came in contact with. Items that could not be washed were put in the dryer on the hottest setting for at least 60 minutes. I used Precor 2000 to spray carpeting and rugs, as well as underneath furniture, at first every other week, and then later I was able to reduce it to every couple of months. Now, I use it more in line with its instructions which is about every 6-7 months. I also would spray Adams Flea & Tick spray on the entry rugs every time I vacuumed to help with the possibility we were bringing them in the house on our shoes/clothing. I also sprayed my yard, especially around the patio that Feeby hangs out on.

Some people leave a tray of DE outside their entry doors and set their shoes in them to help avoid bringing fleas in the house. I know of others that would spray the legs of their pants with Adams, or any of the other similar pesticides before coming in the house.

I thought you were using Frontline Plus before you switched to Advantage II? I cannot explain why Frontline doesn't have multiple products for different sized cats, but apparently, they don't see the need for it. I wouldn't discount it just because of that. I do use Advantage II on Feeby, and it is not 100% effective, but at least seems to keep the fleas down to a minimum. Advantage II is safe to apply more than once a month when trying to get rid of infestation. I did give Feeby an application every two weeks for a month or so, then backed it off to every 3rd week, and finally went back to monthly.

Why can't you try an oral treatment for the one cat who you cannot apply topicals to? As I said before, Capstar can be crushed and hidden in a bite or two of food or a lickable treat. It doesn't kill flea eggs/larvae like Adv or Frontline but can be given daily to kill adult fleas. I suspect that once you see you are making some headway with the fleas, you might be able to give this cat Capstar less frequently.

EDIT: Btw, the three cats you mentioned that seemed to be bothered the most could be allergic to flea bites. If there were the case, you could talk to your vet about giving them an antihistamine to help interfere with the allergy.

 

[Babypaws]

It can take months to get fleas under control. When my fleas were the worst, I was vacuuming every other day, and certainly no less than 3 times a week. And I was only dealing with one cat. I was also washing any bedding, towels, blankets that my cat came in contact with. Items that could not be washed were put in the dryer on the hottest setting for at least 60 minutes. I used Precor 2000 to spray carpeting and rugs, as well as underneath furniture, at first every other week, and then later I was able to reduce it to every couple of months. Now, I use it more in line with its instructions which is about every 6-7 months. I also would spray Adams Flea & Tick spray on the entry rugs every time I vacuumed to help with the possibility we were bringing them in the house on our shoes/clothing. I also sprayed my yard, especially around the patio that Feeby hangs out on.

Some people leave a tray of DE outside their entry doors and set their shoes in them to help avoid bringing fleas in the house. I know of others that would spray the legs of their pants with Adams, or any of the other similar pesticides before coming in the house.

I thought you were using Frontline Plus before you switched to Advantage II? I cannot explain why Frontline doesn't have multiple products for different sized cats, but apparently, they don't see the need for it. I wouldn't discount it just because of that. I do use Advantage II on Feeby, and it is not 100% effective, but at least seems to keep the fleas down to a minimum. Advantage II is safe to apply more than once a month when trying to get rid of infestation. I did give Feeby an application every two weeks for a month or so, then backed it off to every 3rd week, and finally went back to monthly.

Why can't you try an oral treatment for the one cat who you cannot apply topicals to? As I said before, Capstar can be crushed and hidden in a bite or two of food or a lickable treat. It doesn't kill flea eggs/larvae like Adv or Frontline but can be given daily to kill adult fleas. I suspect that once you see you are making some headway with the fleas, you might be able to give this cat Capstar less frequently.

EDIT: Btw, the three cats you mentioned that seemed to be bothered the most could be allergic to flea bites. If there were the case, you could talk to your vet about giving them an antihistamine to help interfere with the allergy.

No, I’ve always used Advantage II and I gave it to the cats most affected within 3 weeks. I looked up ingredients for both Precor2000 and the spray I’ve used, Vet-kem and they were the same.
i just saw something on YouTube about using salt, baking soda combined and sprinkled on rugs and furniture and baseboards wood floors that was said actually killed the fleas.
Wondering if you could use Capster along with Advantage?
I think I’m going to try the salt/baking soda for a few tImed. I don’t recall how often this could be done…she did say to leave it over night and vacuum, I’m so desperate I’ll try it a couple times a week

 

[FeebysOwner]

You can try Frontline Plus and see if it is more effective than Advantage II - both are well-established, older products and there have been folks who have reported one or the other is no longer as effective in their area/region.

Wondering if you could use Capster along with Advantage?

Yes, Capstar can be used with several different products, including Advantage II and/or Frontline Plus. I personally wouldn't be inclined to give both to the cats for long, but starting with Capstar and then applying Adv or Frontline thereafter should be just fine. And, then use Capstar on your one cat that you cannot apply a topical to.
Capstar for Cats: Dosage, Safety & Side Effects - Cats.com

I think I’m going to try the salt/baking soda for a few tImed.

Just make sure you do vacuum it up as soon as allowed. The salt can attract moisture, increasing the odds of mold/mildew. Maybe not as a big deal where you are located, but it wouldn't be good for my area! The link I gave you to the FleaScience site ( FleaScience ) might talk about this combo, as well as offer some other 'home remedies' too.

 

[iPappy]

Way back in the day we used to spread 20 mule team borax on rugs and carpeting, keep the cats off of it for a few hours, then vacuum it up well (meaning, go over the same area 3-4 times, use the attachment along the baseboards, etc.)
Babypaws hang in there. Fleas are maddening but if you're diligent you will get rid of them, but it can take time.
For the cats that are itching badly, could you comb them an extra time or two per day to remove as many as possible?

 

[LokiWolf]

Ugh. I'm dealing with fleas right now. I bought a new vacuum and gonna get flea meds for my kitties. The hardest thing is washing everything. I have an in unit washer and dryer (installed in March) but the washer doesn't fill with water and the dryer is really noisy. The vendors who installed it are dragging their feet and the apartment can't touch them due to warranty. So I have to take things to the laundry room but it's $2 for a load. And I don't have that right now. So everything is stuck on the patio and it sucks. I could wash it in my tub but that takes too long and hurts my back.

 

[Babypaws]

Thanks everyone for your advice etc. I’m kinda nervous after reading some of the side effects of Capstar but I’m not happy with Advantage, I comb them twice a day and try to vacuum at least every other day. There has been so many things going on in my life. I really haven’t had a good opportunity to spray the rooms. I was able to do one room which nobody uses and I’ve just kept the door closed so the cats don’t go in there hoping at least I have one room, flea free…
i’m also getting rid of my rug in the living room so downstairs will have no rugs except one small one in the bathroom. It’s maddening trying to get rid of those little monsters. This is at least the second round of fleas. I’ve had this past spring. I actually had a of couple months that I found no fleas at all but what I did prior to that is I washed all their bedding and I stored it away in a plastic storage bin and I haven’t taken them out yet And probably won’t until the fleas are gone if that will ever happen.
i did read while ago about using the borax on the rug but I’d have to sit and guard it so the cats would stay off of it. The YouTube that I saw about using baking soda and salt said it was safe to sprinkle it around and leave it overnight and then vacuum it up. Right now it’s time for me to do their nightly combing. They actually look forward to it.
thanks again

 

[iPappy]

Thanks everyone for your advice etc. I’m kinda nervous after reading some of the side effects of Capstar but I’m not happy with Advantage, I comb them twice a day and try to vacuum at least every other day. There has been so many things going on in my life. I really haven’t had a good opportunity to spray the rooms. I was able to do one room which nobody uses and I’ve just kept the door closed so the cats don’t go in there hoping at least I have one room, flea free…
i’m also getting rid of my rug in the living room so downstairs will have no rugs except one small one in the bathroom. It’s maddening trying to get rid of those little monsters. This is at least the second round of fleas. I’ve had this past spring. I actually had a of couple months that I found no fleas at all but what I did prior to that is I washed all their bedding and I stored it away in a plastic storage bin and I haven’t taken them out yet And probably won’t until the fleas are gone if that will ever happen.
i did read while ago about using the borax on the rug but I’d have to sit and guard it so the cats would stay off of it. The YouTube that I saw about using baking soda and salt said it was safe to sprinkle it around and leave it overnight and then vacuum it up. Right now it’s time for me to do their nightly combing. They actually look forward to it.
thanks again

It's very good that they actually look forward to their nightly combing. That's so much better than having it be a battle twice a day!
I'm not sure what kind of vacuum you have, but when you dump the canister, make sure to do it outside into a bag, tie it up, and put it in the garbage outside the house, just to make sure a random flea or two doesn't jump back into the environment.

 

[Babypaws]

Every time I vacuum I spray inside the bag with flea spray and also put a blast into the hose when I close the cover and then plug the end of the hose so they have a hard time getting out (if they try) lol
then when the bag is full, I take it out, put it in a plastic bag, spray some more flea spray in it, tie it up tight and put it outside till garbage day.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I do something similar with my bagless vacuum - empty bin in a plastic bag and spray the contents with flea spray, then leave it in the garage until trash day. Not sure when using a vacuum with the bag if you should be disposing of it each time or not, but I understand from a cost standpoint why you wouldn't want to.

 

[iPappy]

When I was finally getting a handle on the flea situation years ago, it was January or so. I was finding little to nothing but decided not to let my guard down and was still vacuuming once or twice a day. I got done vacuuming upstairs and went to dump the canister into the bag. In the hair, I saw one single flea struggling to jump out. I threw the window open and threw the entire canister outside. It must have worked because after that, I didn't see a single flea.

 

[Babypaws]

Yea, those little buggers can drive you crazy!!

 

[iPappy]

Yea, those little buggers can drive you crazy!!

I thought of something else Babypaws , when I was a kid my Mom would set "flea traps", a shallow container of water and dawn dishsoap set in a dark room with a lamp or light left on right over it. The fleas are attracted to the light, jump in and drown. I don't recall ever keeping the cats away from these, but they seemed to work and help you see how many you're dealing with in the environment.

 

[Babypaws]

Hello. Thank you for letting me join your site. I have 9 indoor cats (all rescued) I also have 15 cats that I care for in my enclosed yard. Everyone has been fixed and had their shots. I have one cat inside for over two years who will not let us touch her. She will let us put our finger to her nose but runs if we try to pet her. She gets very scared. My problem is fleas. We comb our inside cats twice a day. They had Frontline on them (I do not like putting this on them) they still have fleas because I cannot treat the one cat. I am losing my mind because I do not know what to do about her. I cannot get rid of the fleas because I cannot treat her. Just trying to take good care of all the cats in trying but I do not know what to do to get rid of these fleas. Does anyone have a suggestion to get rid of fleas on her? Thank you for any help you can give me.

I was looking thru some old messages and saw yours. I had brought in a feral cat about 2 years ago after she was trapped and spayed, I had asked for her to be returned to me because I would take care of her. I was feeding her every day, and I gradually would bring her food dish closer and closer to the house and then I was able to get her to come on the porch for the food and as soon as she was inside I closed the door and she has been inside ever since but I kept her on our enclosed porch for several months before I let her inside the house with my other cats. When she was on the porch, it literally took me four months before she would allow me to touch her. every time I went on the porch I would talk to her so she’d get familiar with my voice. So I taped a toothbrush (new) onto a long stick and when she would come out from hiding I’d sit with her and let her sniff the toothbrush till she got familiar with it and then I started to brush it along the back of her neck, i did that for several days til she was familiar with it, and wasn’t afraid of it, that’s when I dipped the toothbrush into the treatment that I had put in a milk bottle cover and I brushed it on her neck. She might’ve not got the whole thing, but I figured it was better than nothing. You need to squeeze the treatment into something small enough that would fit the toothbrush so you’d have a better chance of getting more of the treatment on the brush.

 

[Babypaws]

I thought of something else Babypaws , when I was a kid my Mom would set "flea traps", a shallow container of water and dawn dishsoap set in a dark room with a lamp or light left on right over it. The fleas are attracted to the light, jump in and drown. I don't recall ever keeping the cats away from these, but they seemed to work and help you see how many you're dealing with in the environment.

Thanks.. Sometimes when I’m combing the cats, I put water in the bathroom sink and I’ve tried the Dawn soap but I find if I put apple cider vinegar in the water it kills the fleas better. Those darn things are even hard to drown. I’ve seen them in just plain water sometimes with soap thinking they’re gonna drown and they come swimming out., unbelievable how tough those little buggers are. I wonder if I put the vinegar in the water instead of the soap
thanks again