fleas again

dtolle

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Hi, as most of you know I had found a few fleas on the kittens I have several weeks ago. Well, I managed to get rid of them and haven't seen any at all in about 2 weeks. ( There weren't that many to begin with, I had only seen about 10 ).
So, tonight I found ONE in my daughters bed!!! I about freaked out. The cat or the kittens are never in there first of all ( Well the mom cat will walk in there, but she doesn't go on the bed or on the furniture). And when I searched her bed I didn't find any more.
My question is, is it possible that that one is the only one?? I don't see any in any other place in the house. And I haven't seen any on any of the kittens. I don't want them to start multiplying, and I surely don't want them in my daughters bed!!! Can anyone help me out?? I'd like to know if I should just keep my eyes out for them, or should I go and buy something to kill them? I don't even know where to spray because I don't see them anywhere! Please help.
 

sandie

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Well, one flea usually means more to come. Once you have had fleas in the house, they multiply. My guess is that mom cat went into your daughters room and jumped off of her. If I were in the same situation, I would treat the house. I like a product called Knockout area treatment. I believe Virbec makes it. It gets sprayed around the baseboards, bedding and anywhere fleas fgravitate twards. It only takes an hour to dry and then it works on adult fleas and larvea for 4 months. When possible I would treat all animals with a 1 month topical as well. Itis getting into winter, but I would re treat the house when it starts to warm up again next May.
 
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dtolle

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Thanks Sandie, I think I'll go buy some tomorrow and treat. Can you tell me if its only sold at Pet stores, or can I find it at Walmart or someplace like that??
Also, you said it goes on the baseboards and stuff. Will it kill them all?? Or is there something else I have to use for the carpets, bedding????
Ooooh, I am freaked out!!!
 

sandie

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https://www.gccinternet.net/internetvets/shop.asp

This is a link where I know you can get it. You can't find it at the stores, but some veterinarians will carry it. It really does work the best for control. It will kill them once they come into contact with it. They tend to hang out around heat sources and baseboards along with the bottoms of curtains.
With the bedding and such. I would pick a day where you can spend a good deal doing laundry. If it can be washed, then wash it. If it can't I would treat it. I had a bad infestation about 5 years ago. I took the day and washed all the regular bedding along with the pet bedding. I also treated the cat tree, rugs, vaccumed and sprayed the couch etc. I dont think you are at that point yet. I would just wash regular bedding and treat the perimeter of the rooms.
 

scout

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Two years ago, my cat had fleas. What a nightmare it was! What finally worked (and I tried EVERYTHING--even eucalyptis oil) was the flea bomber (I can't remember the exact name) I got it at Petco, though. I had to flea bomb the whole apartment, and wash my cat with flea shampoo. I then had to leave the apartment for 12 hours. It worked! I've been flea free since! Good luck!
 

simon's mommy

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I am also having a flea problem. I bought Zodiac FleaTrol shampoo from PetSmart. It kills the adults and works well but then I find fleas on the cats in a week. I have not seen any fleas in the house just on the cats. I know they must be in the house to be on the cats. I am going to have to try something else. Thanks Sandie for the link.
 
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dtolle

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I also used Zodiac, and like I said I haven't seen any fleas on the actual cats. But I am concerned that they may be in the house, so I am going to buy the knockout and try it out! Thanks to Sandie for all the great info she always provides!!
 

sandie

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Just to insert my oppinion and some experience. Fleas are probably the worst pest in the world. Once you have them, you have to be aggressive or you can deal with these darn things every year.
My take on the flea shampoos..fine as long as it is on a 6 month or older cat and it is done before it comes into a house that is free of fleas. It is very short term and if you have to bathe them every week you are drying thier skin out.
Pet store flea and tick topicals. Fine and dandy but they have not been tested as well as the products you can buy through a vet such as advantage or frontline. I had used a petsmart brand and my cat was very close to death by poison (never again).
The foggers or bombs. Can be effective but it only kills the adult fleas in most cases. You are also dealing with a mist that does not reach all the key areas in the house. Most of the stuff ends up on the walls and ceilings. Plus, I dont like the idea of having to cover everything up and think about this stuff on my food or dishes.
Key things for me in the battle were using the spray that I could control where it went. I also made sure it killed adults as well as any larvea. I also washed all the warm cozy bedding that they oh so much love to sleep in and on. Then above all else I had used advantage which is one of the topical monthly applications. It kills any flea that DARE jump on the cats and kills them right away.
 

simon's mommy

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Sandie I was wondering if Knockout area treatment and Advantage are safe for use around kids? I do not like flea bombs either because I have small kids. I would like to try the stuff you suggested but I want to make sure it is safe for my kids.
 

sandie

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With the knockout, I have read the labeling as well as the MSDS(material safety data sheet) It is safe once it has dried. It takes about an hour to dry.
If you are worried about the advantage or frontline. Once it has absorbed and dried, it is fine. You would just have to worry about them touching it while wet. If it still worries you, I would look into the revolution for the fleas. It dries much faster, but then is absorbed into the blood stream. I have used all of these products starting from when my daughter was 3 and have never had any problems. She always was told not to touch the cats and dog until the next day after I applied it. I hope that helps a little.
 
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dtolle

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Thanks for that bit of information Sandie. I also have two small kids, so spraying anything is always a concern for me. I am going to order the knockout and the revolution just in case! Thank you so much for the link, its the only place that sells the revolution so far that I've found. I put it in my favorites!
 
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