fleas

[wilmadawn]

Hello!
We have 3 feral kitties living in our home that we took in a while back. I wouldn't consider them extremely feral but we can't touch or pet them. The problem is we had a flea outbreak so we need to treat all the cats. One cat we were able to get frontline on while she was sleeping but it seems like the other 2 almost sleep with one eye open. I did some digging around on this site and one person recommended sucking the frontline out of the container with a syringe and using trying to shoot it on them quickly while they are sleeping. Does anyone else have any recommendations? We have to get all the cats treated to get rid of the fleas and we have quite a few cats so this may take months and consistent treatments.

 

[Devia Morgenstern]

I'd try using holistic remedies.
You can mix less then a teaspoon full of cumin in with your cats food, or using flea-treats [vitamin B-repellent], or adding a small amount [one teaspoon or less] of Apple-Cider vinegar into their water. However, controlling the flea population on your cats is one half of the struggle. They love to nest in blankets, in-between floorboards, essentially any nook and cranny they can hide in around your house. There are flea-traps available for that, or you can use a combination of baking soda x salt and apply it to the affected area of the house [just be sure to leave it there for at least an hour before vaccuming/and or sweeping it up]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! As is the case with all topical flea treatments the goal is to apply it directly to the skin via a hair part - or as close to a hair part as one can get - on the back of the neck area. Applying it to that area helps to prevent the cat from licking the treatment before it has a chance to be absorbed into the skin and dry. Tbh, I am not sure I understand how using an oral syringe instead of the applicator is going to work any more than just squeezing the liquid out from the applicator itself. I suppose if the oral syringe is small enough that it might reach the skin better, but it would also likely take longer to apply it.

There are oral flea treatments, when given daily (such as in a bite of food, pill pocket, or a lickable treat) can kill fleas, but not the flea eggs/larvea - hence the reason they are a daily treatment (e.g.; Capstar). Perhaps, you could use this approach until such time that you are better able to handle these cats, and then they too could have the Frontline applied to them.

But, as said above, treating the environment also has to take place - daily vacuuming and cleaning of all other surfaces that the cats come in contact with is necessary too. Using flea sprays made for the home, and for the yard are also usually needed as well.

Depending on where you live, the 'natural' treatments mentioned above might work, but I know they are not successful in many places like FL or areas where the weather is warmer year-round.
FleaScience

 

[poolcat]

If they're adult cats, Credelio should work as well as most topical treatments. It's sold by prescription and given monthly. I break the tablet into 4 pieces and put it on top of my feral cat's wet food. Another cat that won't let me near him and doesn't eat canned food reliably, gets his crushed and mixed into a little tuna juice.

I agree with all the other cleaning advice here... launder everything you can, and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum!