Fleas!!!! Help Me

[maddieomx]

So my kitten is 5 months old, very playful, loveable and happy. We got him in October, and on Jan 20th i discovered a flea on him, then i saw more crawling accross his face so panicked went straight to get the strongest flea treatment from the local pet shop, house treatment, flea comb etc. Applied straight away to our kitten & I treated the whole flat - carpets, skirting boards, kitchen lino, bathroom, bed, UNDERneath the sofa and cabinets, under sofa cushions, you name it i sprayed the house treatment everywhere. Also been hoovering everyday, hoovered the sofa, under it, the cushions, kitchen... Ive been combing our kitten with hot soapy water everyday in a bowl to kill fleas.. and he STILL has fleas :’( I just combed him and counted 11 in the bowl, some are dead but most are alive, im at the end of my tether ... I really dont know where they are coming from & why i find live ones on him everyday when i am doing everything to keep them out the flat & off of him! Please van someone help It seems never ending and almost like i am finding more on him recently THANK YOU

X

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. What kind of flea treatment did you get? Depending on what you bought, it may just be that the product is not effective. Most effective are products like Frontline, Advantage II, Sentry...there are others as well. Does he go outside?

Try walking around your house in a pair of white socks and see if you pick up any that way.

 

[maddieomx]

Hi there

No hes an indoor cat. So im really lost as to how this is still going on.... I might try the white sock idea, can i treat him again with something else?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am not sure, it would depend on what you treated him with the first time.

 

[daftcat75]

It took forever to get rid of fleas when we (me and the cat) had them. I don't remember exactly how long but long enough that this desperate cat dad shaved his legs to take away a transfer target. I washed every blanket, towel, article of clothing, pillowcase, removable upholstery, everything that could be removed from the apartment and stuffed into laundry room machines, I washed it all at once. Anything that I didn't absolutely need for a couple of weeks, I sealed it up, stored it above flea-jumping height (4 feet), or moved it to the trunk of my car. I used a cat safe carpet treatment, multiple times a day. I don't remember what I treated the cat with. But it took a lot of diligence and a long time to get rid of them because of their lifecycle. You can kill the live fleas today but the eggs they laid will become next week's infestation. That's why I stripped everything and removed as much as I could to make the cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning easier to do, provide fewer crevices and hiding places for eggs, and reduce the transfer targets for jumping fleas. Good luck!

And always empty the vacuum cannister outside the home after every use until the fleas are finally gone.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm itching just thinking about it...

 

[Q2U]

This worked well for us...

 

[LTS3]

One dose of flea medicine won't completely kill the fleas and their eggs. Follow the instructions on the package for proper dosing. A few doses total may needed. OTC flea treatments often don't work well enough so you may need to get a prescription product from the vet.

Flea eggs are sticky so vacuuming might not get all of the eggs. Use the washing machine for everything that can fit inside.

You can find homemade flea treatment options for the cat and your home here: Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats

 

[ArchyCat]

What part of the country do you live? I live near the Texas gulf coast. Here , you can bring fleas into the house just by walking across a lawn. I know I did in early January. And I have a very small yard.

Neither of my cats have been outside in over ten years, other than to go to the veterinarian. But now they have fleas.

I have a question. I visited the Chewy site for anti-flea products. I noticed several flea collars. All expensive. One cat flea collar, good for 8 months was $55.00. Anyone with experience with these?

 

[mightyboosh]

It took us weeks to get rid. It does depend on what treatment you get. I used Advocate spot on and RIP spray for the house. It looks like you've done all the right things but, as mentioned above, it depends on the brand.
I neglected to spray a fabric rocking horse we have and when I treated that, it seemed to get better. It's easy to forget certain things.

 

[Kflowers]

google any flea product before you use it. Some are rather hard on very young, or elderly cats. If your cats have been indoors for 10 years they come under the sensitive to flea products group. BE very cautious using products with Spinetorana in them on older cats and kittens.

Remember that if you put a flea collar on your cat and he has a reaction that makes him freak you will be chasing him, and attempting to remove the collar as he fights you.

We use Advantage for cats. The vet did put Revolution on Sweet Gum once and it didn't kill her.

 

[GGG]

Try the treatment from the vet ( vet applied it to mine) it worked well. I did a good vacuuming to the house ( all corners and trims too) washed all of her bedding. I think the treatment was advantage II .

Good luck

 

[Kflowers]

be sure to throw away the vacuum bag outside after each vacuuming. Or empty the collection cup outside and rinse it and the plastic part of the filter if your vacuum has one.

 

[ArchyCat]

I have read that if you are vacuuming an area with fleas, you might want to vacuuming up some moth balls, which will kill any fleas the vacuum picks up!

 

[basscat]

Flea treatment the cat as per the directions that came with.
And continue to flea treatment every nook and cranny in your house once a week.
Vacuum as you feel the need.
6 to 8 weeks from now you'll be flea free.

 

[2 cat house]

Anyone have any experience with diatomacious (sp) earth? I have heard that putting it on the carpet will help get rid of fleas.

 

[2 cat house]

Hi. What kind of flea treatment did you get? Depending on what you bought, it may just be that the product is not effective. Most effective are products like Frontline, Advantage II, Sentry...there are others as well. Does he go outside?

Try walking around your house in a pair of white socks and see if you pick up any that way.

I want to try the advantage, but it's so expensive. I buy the pet Armor. It seems to work OK. Not so many fleas on them. But I still have problems with them in the carpet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Anyone have any experience with diatomacious (sp) earth? I have heard that putting it on the carpet will help get rid of fleas.

I have heard a lot about it on this site, but have no experience with it. Here is an article on it, in case it would help you decide if it is an option for you.

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): Bug Killer You Can Eat!

 

[2 cat house]

I have heard a lot about it on this site, but have no experience with it. Here is an article on it, in case it would help you decide if it is an option for you.

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): Bug Killer You Can Eat!

Thanks. The info was interesting and informative. But I am still interested in any actual experience anyone has with it. Did it work? How long did it take? How often would you need to do it? But the article did relieve any fears I had about it's safety for me and my girls.

 

[jen]

I would love to know what brand the OP used on the cat in the first place. Many from pet stores are toxic and should not ever be used. Also one dose is nothing, you have to do it at least a few months in a row to kill all the life stages of the fleas. The adults may die but eggs and larvae can lay dormant in your home for a shockingly long time. Keep treating the cat with a name brand product from the vet, not from the pet store. Also throw a cut up flea collar in the vacuum bag or canister to kill anything that may be sucked up by the vacuum.