Fleas - But I Don't Understand.

[gareth]

I saw a flea on my arm last night, so promptly turned the ever-present Mia over and looked at he underside of her neck. Sure enough - riddled with fleas in her fur. Same for Loki.

So both Loki and Mia were promtly treated with Advocate, and the entire house and all soft furnishing etc is being sprayed with it this evening.

What I don't understand is how. Loki and Mia have been living in this house for 4 years. They have zero contact with other cats as they are not allowed out. On principle no other animals are allowed into the house. Mrs G has contact all day long with horses as a vet but not small animals and I haven't stroked another cat for maybe a year.

Where on earth have fleas come from !

 

[mekkababble]

Fleas can literally come from anywhere, I think. I lived with my brother and his dog in the middle of Philadelphia- the dog went on walks on concrete and I didn't have friends with other animals. For whatever reason, the fleas congregated in my room and nowhere else in the apartment. I got bitten but my brother didn't. He didn't even believe that we had fleas until I showed him my ankles covered in bites.

Fleas can jump the human equivalent of a football field- wildlife can drop flea eggs in the yard and the adults transfer their allegiance to your socks, fleas can hitch a ride on your car, you have a friend whose pet has fleas, maybe horses carry fleas (though that seems unlikely but possible).

Glad you found it and treated the cats now though!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Just because horses aren't (normally) a prime 'target' for fleas doesn't mean that the environment in which horses are found (or humans or other animals) is free and clear of fleas! Fleas could have been in the barn(s) or outdoor areas where your wife works or even in the outdoor areas around your house, just waiting to hitch a ride on a hapless (non-horse) host. Some outdoor temperatures cause a spike in flea populations as well.

It just takes one flea to start the horrid cycle of dealing with a flea infestation within your house! Plenty of households that have indoor-only pets can still have fleas tracked into the house from outside, on the humans who go in and out frequently.

 

[nansiludie]

Here in the southern US fleas are awful but worse this year than normal. I'm using Advantage on the cats, k9 advantix on the dogs and flea spraying and washing everything. Considering adding capstar tablets as well as the fleas are slowly losing ground. I've never had this much trouble getting rid of them like I am this year. Hopefully yours isn't a full infestation and that you don't have carpet. Carpet is the perfect place for them to hide.

 

[Royalty]

I saw a flea on my arm last night, so promptly turned the ever-present Mia over and looked at he underside of her neck. Sure enough - riddled with fleas in her fur. Same for Loki.

So both Loki and Mia were promtly treated with Advocate, and the entire house and all soft furnishing etc is being sprayed with it this evening.

What I don't understand is how. Loki and Mia have been living in this house for 4 years. They have zero contact with other cats as they are not allowed out. On principle no other animals are allowed into the house. Mrs G has contact all day long with horses as a vet but not small animals and I haven't stroked another cat for maybe a year.

Where on earth have fleas come from !

I was told by vet that fleas can come into your house on your clothes shoes etc. he said just because your cats are indoor only doesn't make any difference both my cats are strictly indoor cats. So far they haven't had any, but I suppose sooner or later they will

 

[gareth]

Well the guys are feeling pretty sorry for themselves. In the last 48 hours they've had annual vaccinations, flea treatment and have been frightened by the house being sprayed.

I don't have the heart to tell them they are both going in for annual dentals on Monday next week.

I'm watching you daddy...

 

[Tobermory]

Well the guys are feeling pretty sorry for themselves. In the last 48 hours they've had annual vaccinations, flea treatment and have been frightened by the house being sprayed.

I don't have the heart to tell them they are both going in for annual dentals on Monday next week.

I'm watching you daddy...

Whoa. That’s a pretty scary look. I sense a hairball in your future, possibly in one of your slippers.

I lived in Florida many years ago and constantly battled fleas...and my cats were indoor only. I figured the fleas hitched a ride on me because fleas like me almost as much as they like the cats. Once I moved north and then west, the cats and I never had a problem again.

I wonder if there’s a way to prevent them from getting in to begin with. Some kind of flea barrier around the foundation or doors? Strip in your front yard and do a flea check before you enter the house? Or more seriously, possibly some kind of cat safe deterrent you can spray on your legs/socks/shoes when you go out during flea season?

 

[lalagimp]

Last year my boyfriend took an airline flight with a discount carrier. He said he kept feeling like his leg was being bitten the entire length of the flight. Within the week after his return, I found a flea in my home. He said you can't be serious. I'm like look man I grew up in Texas with dogs; that was a flea. We took all the rest of my tortie's Revolution (a precaution if she had any parasites or heartworm even though she tested negative, but had suddenly developed asthma) and gave it to the rest of the cats and then syringed the doses onto my guinea pigs.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

I am SO sorry you went through that! I HATE parasites of any kind, you just feel so violated and unsafe in your own castle! We had this happen after a Halloween party for my son, and I was FURIOUS after learning a friend of friend showed up apparently after her job as a groomer. When someone mentioned I was in a tizzy over fleas (the first EVER in seven years for our ShihTzu) she just casually remarked she probably has fleas on her all the time- no big deal. I was furious, the other person couldn’t believe how little she cared- and actually laughed about it!! She will never cross my threshold again- but it made us realize how thoughtless people can be! My poor dog went through a lot of pain with it (and vet bills) since he had a severe allergy even though we caught it as quickly as possible. This reminds me I should dose everyone tomorrow! See? Gosh listen to me I hate fleas!

 

[weebeasties]

Many years ago I was living in Ohio. We had two indoor only cats and were suddenly inundated with fleas. We treated the cats and then dropped them off at my mother in laws while we used flea foggers throughout the house. We came back home the next day to start cleaning before we brought the cats back. We opened up the windows to air the house out and were horrified to see fleas literally jumping from the ground to the windows and coming through the screens! We sprayed an insecticide in a 10 foot band all around the outside if the house and kept the windows closed for the rest of the summer. It was the worst year for fleas I have ever seen.

 

[nansiludie]

Many years ago I was living in Ohio. We had two indoor only cats and were suddenly inundated with fleas. We treated the cats and then dropped them off at my mother in laws while we used flea foggers throughout the house. We came back home the next day to start cleaning before we brought the cats back. We opened up the windows to air the house out and were horrified to see fleas literally jumping from the ground to the windows and coming through the screens! We sprayed an insecticide in a 10 foot band all around the outside if the house and kept the windows closed for the rest of the summer. It was the worst year for fleas I have ever seen.

That would horrify me if that ever happened here. Maybe just maybe my flea troubles are not as bad as I thought.

 

[Artistwolf]

Do all fleas bite humans? I’ve spotted a couple fleas on the cats (even though I JUST treated them with Advantage), but no one else in the family has been at all affected. The cats spend all day laying on my bed and I’ve even spotted a flea on my stomach but no biting.