Fleas 2018

[weemomma]

I am so discouraged.

After a particularly nasty flea infestation that was caused by the dog, it seems that fleas are back in our lives again. Despite Capstar and regular flea prevention, all three cats have them AGAIN. I have paid hundreds of dollars to have my house professionally treated. I have done everything I can think of. I've seriously considered selling this house just to give my babies some relief.

I honestly don't know what else to do to get rid of the fleas barring stripping out this entire house, fogging the hell out of it, and scrubbing everything down. I was told by the exterminator that my backyard is just a flea heaven with moist soil and lots of shaded, hot areas where they like to hang out. There's little I can do about that.

What has worked for you? At this point, I will try anything.

 

[maggiedemi]

What flea topicals have you tried? Capstar didn't work for me, but Frontline Plus did.

 

[MikeyB036]

I know this isn't popular with many cat people, but I must swear by it!
I have not had fleas AT ALL in my home since I started using 20 Mule Team Borax. It is SOAP. Laundry soap. I sprinkle it on all the "cloth" surfaces, like furniture, bedding, places where the cats sleep, etc. Then dust it off a day or so later. If i've sprinkled it on the carpets (we don't have any, but friends do), then vacuum it up after a couple of days.
I also sprinkle it on the cats themselves - their "nether regions," neck and under arms...places where fleas like to gather.
I swear - NO FLEAS, and NO side effects!
I almost killed two of my cats using the crap that you buy and put between their shoulder blades. They licked it off each other....vet time & big bills!
The reason it isn't popular is many say it is poison. IDK. Have never had an issue, so a warning is necessary, I suppose. But that is how I manage fleas, weemomma.
Once we took in two feral kitties. They had fleas BIG TIME, and all the other cats and my whole house got infested - this after having ZERO fleas for years due to Borax. Out came the Borax, everybody got "dusted," and within a few days no fleas. And have never had any again.
Now, my cats DO NOT EVER go outside, so if yours are in/out cats, I doubt it would work that effectively.

 

[cat1967]

I use Frontline on my cat and dog and although two of them are indoor/outdoor I have never had any fleas inside the house. Two of my cats (the indoor/outdoor cats) wear collars for fleas and the one I spray with Frontline. My other four cats I don't even spray with Frontline. And they have never had fleas.

 

[cheesycats]

If you have dogs going outside to a yard full of fleas they’re going to be coming in no matter what you do. It sounds like you’re in one of those situations where you have no other option but to make sure you are flea treating the yard at least monthly, vacuuming constantly, and keeping all of your animals on a preventative constantly. Doing it for a couple months then stopping won’t help in this situation.
For my dog I use bravecto and advantage/revolution for cats.
Make sure your cutting your grass often as well. High unkept grass with attract bugs as well. Maybe cut back some branches on any trees you have in the yard.
Not going to be cheap. But some places are just cursed with flea troubles and it becomes a constant struggle. Also if you have neighbors who aren’t doing the same exact thing as you and they have pets then you’re just kinda outta luck.
I would ask your vet about bravecto for the dog and revolution/comfortis for the cats.
One more thing, if you live in a humid hot area with mosquitos make sure your animals are also getting a heart worm preventative monthly so if they get stung by a mosquito they don’t contract heart worm which can be an expensive pain to treat.
Good luck

 

[weemomma]

I’ve been using Capstar to get the fleas off immediately and then Advantage II for monthly treatment.

Ive used organic powder all over the house for the last two years with moderate results. Even the professional exterminators haven’t solved the problem.

I was told not to put the flea collars on the cats so I haven’t done that in ages. I’m about to start going room by room and just tearing everything apart. I’m at my wit’s end with this.

 

[cheesycats]

I wouldn’t bother with flea powders. The best thing to do is make sure your moving furniture to vacuum under, vacuuming your furniture, and washing any bedding types stuff your animals get on. Atleast weekly. And cleaning the vacuum out away from the house.

Flea collars are useless unless you’re using seresto flea collars. I’ve heard great things about them.

Fleas are bastards. Hope you figure something out.

 

[cat1967]

Maybe my area doesn't have a lot of fleas. I have been using flea collars as I said and now that I remember my outdoor cat used to have one which I changed of course so as to have one year round and for the 8 years that she lived she never had any fleas. But as I said maybe we don't have that many in our area although I have lawn and a back yard with trees and earth.

 

[ArchyCat]

I quite using flea collars when I saw a neighbor's cat (indoor/outdoor) where the flesh under the flea collar was eaten through the skin and down to muscle. I took off the collar and told the neighbor what I found. She said that the collar had been on the cat just three days.

 

[cat1967]

OMG that was awful. I had a reaction with a collar on my dog. He lost hair where the collar was in a few days as well and I threw it away. I have been spraying him every month with Frontline. He is indoor too but goes out once a day for his exercise around the garden and back every morning for a few minutes so he needs it.

 

[silkenpaw]

I live in South Florida, AKA Flea Heaven. When we first moved here, my indoor-outdoor cats brought home fleas. We had fleas everywhere, including in my car. I had bruises all over my body from scratching so much and one of my cats scratched all the hair from her rear end and required steroids.

I had the carpets pulled up, sprayed the house repeatedly with something not toxic to cats (sorry, I can’t remember what, it’s been over 20 years) and treated the cats with Advantage. No flea problems since.

I now live near a large park and the cats are indoor-only. The dogs go outside to do their business. I haven’t had major flea problems in a while and the cats are not treated on a regular basis, just when one of them gets fleas. That happens maybe once every two years. We did have a tick problem until we started getting the yard treated every other month. The dogs get Bravecto. Everyone gets Ivermectin monthly for heartworm prevention.

I hope you get your flea problem under control. Fleas are the worst.

 

[10009891]

Fleas are a satanic plague. I cannot stand or tolerate them!!! So far I have them under control since I applied Frontline on my cats. I have also powdered my carpets with "20 Mule Team Laundry Powder" and have been vacuuming every 4 days. I want to take my cats a bath with Blue Dawn Dish Washing Liquid because of the left over "flea dust" on their coats but they're too afraid of water. They go crazy. I am not sure how to train my Ragdolls not to be so apprehensive with water.

 

[Jcatbird]

If all else fails then I resort to combing my cats with a comb dipped in dishwater made with Dawn liquid. I use the foam to work into the fur. If you can’t bathe them this will help run them off. I finish them with a clean water wet towels to remove soap residue. I removed carpets and I vacuum followed by Clorox mopping. ( cats out of the room) I do the mop thing every few days. The fleas this year are the worst I have ever seen. They nearly killed a kitten who had Capstar and flea treatment of Advantage and next time it was due I switched to Frontline. I hear that Frontline spray that is sprayed on a cloth used to rub down cats works but everywhere seems to be sold out. This is the year of the flea! Good luck! Just keep battling! Also I have the Victor flea light traps. They help! They catch what the mop, pills, sprays etc. miss. I also wash my fabrics constantly. Anywhere a cat lays, I clean. Still fight them constantly. Devon dust is another weapon in the atsenal. Some strengths say safe for pet use but use it in your yard too for keeping the fleas from hitching a ride in on you. Nasty little critters!

 

[Jcatbird]

The above post should have read Sevin dust and not Devon dust! Sorry folks. Make sure you read the labels carefully on that stuff.

 

[sevenwarlox]

I do the mop thing every few days. The fleas this year are the worst I have ever seen.

I'm pretty sure I know the sort of creatures you are up against, and want to concur that this is really new and different from the fleas I've known before. I warn that washing and drying is no guarantee with these guys. Only if I use bleach or dry small loads 10 times on high heat can I be sure I'm egg free.

 

[10009891]

Fleas are a satanic plaque. Almost impossible to get rid of them.

 

[MikeyB036]

I have a problem....I have several cats who seem to have WORMS! I thought they were tapeworms, but we have NO FLEAS. NO FLEAS.

And before anybody questions me, YES! NO FLEAS!

So can they NOT be tapeworms, but some other worms (but what other worms will "crawl around the anus" like tapeworms?)

And more importantly, how can i get rid of them? Please don't say "Go to the vet." There's too much going on here right now. In fact, AFTER the a/c went out the early part of the week, today, while I'm cooking dinner - THE STOVE TOP CRACKED!!!

Life here is pretty nutz, but I DON'T WANT MY BABIES to have worms!