Flea shampoos that are safe for cats covered in scabs and sores?

[celestia]

I have 2 kitties. They were flea free for years (indoor kitties) until a friend had a flea infestation. We unknowingly brought them home with us. We didn't notice it for awhile. Fluffy obviously isn't happy about it, but it's not bothering him too much. He isn't very sensitive and we can use pretty much all treatments on him. Melanie on the other, is hypersensitive. She is losing her fur, scratching and biting like crazy, and is covered in sores and scabs from scratching so much. We have been trying to vacuum the house to cut down on the fleas, but we don't know how to get rid of the fleas that are on the cats. We can't use a flea comb on her. Every time I try I don't even get any fleas, just scabs. I don't want to put any harsh chemicals on her with all of the open sores, but I don't want her to keep suffering.

Money is super tight right now (our car brought down and its about $3600 to repair D so We would like to avoid going to the vet, at least for a few months. Does anyone have any natural/ safe product suggestions? Are there any gentle home remedies that may help? Or would just having her sit in the bath tub for awhile to drown the fleas help a little?

Thanks so much for the help D:

 

[posiepurrs]

While vacuuming will help, it won't get rid of the fleas in your house, so it will be a never ending battle for the cats. You can give the cat Capstar but it will only rid her of fleas for 24 hours - which would be okay if the house and other cat were clear. It is a pill that you can order on line. I pay around $20 (US) for 6 at a time. I use them before going to shows since I also have a dog who can bring in fleas, aside from using a topical treatment monthly. To be rid of the problem you are going to have to treat the house.

 

[basscat]

The cheapest method I've found is food grade DE.
Treat your house with DE, and I mean EVERYWHERE.  (carpet, baseboards, behind furniture, under furniture, under pillows, and and and.)  And LEAVE IT THERE.    If you vacuum once a week, re-apply the DE once a month.

This will work, but, it will take 4 to 6 months.
It's cheap, it's safe, but it's slow, and it is a mess.

During this time, bathe both cats once a week with dawn or baby shampoo. 

Far more faster, efficient, and effective methods.  But, for cheap...DE.