Friend's Cats Have Fleas. Should I Be Concerned About Getting An Infestation At My House?

[shawnp720]

Sorry if this isn't the right place to post, but I need peace of mind. I went to visit a friend yesterday (lives about 45 miles away) and I hung out at his house for about 20 minutes. I pet briefly pet one of his cats and asked where her collar was, to which he replied they took it off to bathe the cats since they had fleas. I honestly wish he told me that before I even visited, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped by. When I got home, I immediately took my clothes off (in the garage) and put them in a trash bag to be washed later. I took a shower as well, sprinkled borax in my car, and vacuumed the seat. I realize this is a bit overly cautious, but the last thing I want is to deal with an infestation in my house with my 5 cats. I already had a bout of ringworm that has left me paranoid about infecting my cats. What should I do in terms of cleaning my car (that is the most probable place any flea would have gotten to since I sat on my friend's couch)? Am I most likely in the clear and am panicking for no reason?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You are probably panicking for no reason. Probably. Your chances for an infestation are slim, but there. And do remember, while no fun at all, flea infestations are far, far easier to manage than ringworm! Do you treat your cats with a good flea deterent on a regular basis? If not, you really should. Fleas are bitty opportunists, and will hitchhike in from outdoors on clothing. If you do, the fleas won't stick around. Their prefered food source is animal.

HOWEVER, in the event that you see them hopping, I personally have had excellent results with Precor 2000 for the home. I isolate my cat in one room, use the spray as directed on the rest of the house, wait two hours, let her out, and do the room she was in. I've never had to repeat. Do be sure to spray a bit of the Precor 2000 in your vacuum bag or dirt catcher, in case you vacuum up eggs. I also use Comfortis, an oral flea medication from my vet for my cat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Man, I think you've got it covered!!! I have been interacting with a stray cat my neighbor has been trying to build trust with, petted her, fed her, carried her, and have NEVER done anything you've done before I went back into my own house with my cat. And, she is NOT on flea treatment of any kind.

Since you've done all you have, maybe you could use on your car the Precor 2000, or something like it, that Mamanyt1953 suggested? That would be about it, at least from perspective.

 

[shawnp720]

You are probably panicking for no reason. Probably. Your chances for an infestation are slim, but there. And do remember, while no fun at all, flea infestations are far, far easier to manage than ringworm! Do you treat your cats with a good flea deterent on a regular basis? If not, you really should. Fleas are bitty opportunists, and will hitchhike in from outdoors on clothing. If you do, the fleas won't stick around. Their prefered food source is animal.

HOWEVER, in the event that you see them hopping, I personally have had excellent results with Precor 2000 for the home. I isolate my cat in one room, use the spray as directed on the rest of the house, wait two hours, let her out, and do the room she was in. I've never had to repeat. Do be sure to spray a bit of the Precor 2000 in your vacuum bag or dirt catcher, in case you vacuum up eggs. I also use Comfortis, an oral flea medication from my vet for my cat.

Yeah, ringworm was a nightmare (have nerve damage on my left index finger because of it) and I think you replied to one of my threads a while back about dealing with it! I did vacuum my car once more today, so hopefully that reduces any likelihood of [possible] hitchhikers.

Hi. Man, I think you've got it covered!!! I have been interacting with a stray cat my neighbor has been trying to build trust with, petted her, fed her, carried her, and have NEVER done anything you've done before I went back into my own house with my cat. And, she is NOT on flea treatment of any kind.

Since you've done all you have, maybe you could use on your car the Precor 2000, or something like it, that Mamanyt1953 suggested? That would be about it, at least from perspective.

Thanks! That gives me a bit more relief. I will put some diatomaceous earth in my car and vacuum it and will get it professionally steam cleaned for good measure because I'm going to visit another friend and I'd rather not give his cat and dog anything by not being careful enough. I'll buy some Precor 2000 as well and spray my car.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

There are several sources for the Precor 2000. I generally order from Amazon, but some people prefer not to use them.

 

[Kflowers]

I used Adams flea spray on the house, not the cats, and vacuum the next day. You'll need to repeat the treatment once a week for a couple of weeks. (Okay, I did it every day until the fleas were gone and then two more days just to be sure.)

Same for the car. You'll need to check the car windows to see if they fog up. I didn't do the car when I got rid of the fleas. I'm surprised I didn't think of it, but, apparently, none of the fleas leapt off me into it.

 

[shawnp720]

I used Adams flea spray on the house, not the cats, and vacuum the next day. You'll need to repeat the treatment once a week for a couple of weeks. (Okay, I did it every day until the fleas were gone and then two more days just to be sure.)

Same for the car. You'll need to check the car windows to see if they fog up. I didn't do the car when I got rid of the fleas. I'm surprised I didn't think of it, but, apparently, none of the fleas leapt off me into it.

Thanks for the tips! I called my friend (an exterminator) who said to try spraying Windex first, as the ammonia should be able to kill the fleas. Then, he suggested placing glue boards in my car overnight to see if any fleas hop on and get stuck. I checked today and didn't see anything and have probably been overly careful about nothing, but better safe than sorry!

 

[Kflowers]

Wait! Cats mistake the smell of Ammonia for another cat's territorial marking. They will put their own marking down against the invader in their territory. Seriously.

 

[shawnp720]

Wait! Cats mistake the smell of Ammonia for another cat's territorial marking. They will put their own marking down against the invader in their territory. Seriously.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm not really worried about any fleas in my house because I took a lot of precaution, so I won't be spraying in there. But I'm only concerned about an infestation in my car and getting hitchhikers on my clothes and then transporting it to my cats or other people. But thanks for letting me know about the territorial marking confusion! Never knew about that!

 

[Kflowers]

According to my vet you can pick up fleas walking through grass, on dirt, and concrete. Of course, he was pushing flea meds for my indoor only cat.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

According to my vet you can pick up fleas walking through grass, on dirt, and concrete. Of course, he was pushing flea meds for my indoor only cat.

He may have been pushing the flea meds, but he's right. The WORST infestation I ever had was during a period of time when we didn't have ANY pets. It was so bad that I sent my husband and kids to my mother's house, and DOUSED my house with malathion, including the yard, which was HOPPING with fleas. I never, ever want to have to do something like that again! We were camping at Mom's for 3 days until the house was safe to be in again.

 

[Kflowers]

Three days at mom's is serious. But I know, I've gone in a basement and returned minutes later with enough flea bites on my legs to look mosquito bites on a summer evening in FL.

 

[shawnp720]

It's been 5 days since I visited my friend and I haven't had a single bite nor do I see any fleas on my white socks, I have gotten 3 car washes (vacuuming my car's carpet), placed glue boards in my seat and on the floor (no signs of any bugs)sprayed flea spray, put my clothes in a bag before entering the house before showering, and had a professional come steam clean and shampoo my car. Excessive? Definitely...But my anxiety still has me wondering "what if"? Surely you all would imagine that I'm in the clear if I were to even have had any fleas. But I want to visit another friend this Friday and was wondering if I should bother warning him of fleas? I know his response would be "no worries!" or "you worry too much, just come over". If you were in my shoes, what would you do? I wish I wasn't a germaphobe/hypochondriac

 

[Kflowers]

Be careful how you throw the glue boards away. If they reach the dump open and all trash goes to a dump, some small creature or cat or dog living there may get stuck on it. Once caught they can't get loose. Some chew their stuck leg off, some starve.

 

[shawnp720]

Be careful how you throw the glue boards away. If they reach the dump open and all trash goes to a dump, some small creature or cat or dog living there may get stuck on it. Once caught they can't get loose. Some chew their stuck leg off, some starve.

I didn't even think about that. I did double bag it and wrapped it in a disposable shoe cover though, so hopefully that's enough.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You're good...on both disposal and the flea situation. Try to relax. All is well.