Help....flea!!!!

[Tink84]

Omg seriously guts my kitty is well again now from his bite (previous posts) and I have just been making my bed and spotted 1 dying flea!!!!!! ok so Garfield has been treated literally just before he recieved his bite and has been kept in since and vet did a little spot check when I took him up over his bite and said he' fine looks clear an no flea dirt etc....well like I say I've just spotted a dying one BUT I stayed in my sister's 2 nights ago and her neighbours house is riddled with fleas.....do you think it' a possibility thatch have transferred one home with me but the nun it' bit my cat he' died and so hopefully I'm covered and don' have anymore in my house an it' not my cat who has them!? I'e not seen any before now in my bed!! Xx

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

oh yes! fleas can 'hitch a ride' on people/their clothing and things, and end up in your home. but now, your Garfield is an indoors-outdoors cat, yes? if so, it's possible he...acquired a hitchhiker while out and about -- and that he'd already had a flea treatment applied recently, that might account for that flea you found in it's 'death throes'. and he had at least one flea treatment.

i tend to err on the side of caution as far as fleas go, or put another way...i'm very proactive. the thing about fleas is that they'll make more fleas, and quickly.

my suggestion is thoroughly vacuum your home and do so every day or two for a while, and make sure to dump the vacuum bag/canister in the trash outdoors immediately. also, wash the bedding on your bed in hot as you can water (and with laundry detergent, in the washing machine), and wash the clothing you had on/brought with you to your sister's in the same.

may i ask -- when was the flea treatment given/applied to your Garfield? i ask because it takes 3 months of flea treatment 'coverage' to 'break' the flea cycle -- to kill the fleas, their eggs, and larvae. you do need to wait for the recent flea treatment coverage period to finish, usually 30 days from the date the flea treatment was applied. however, you can use a flea comb during that period. just gently comb your Garfield, then pop any fleas you may find into a nearby glass of water that has some dish soap in it, (i like to) wipe the comb off on a nearby towel, then resume using the flea comb. make using the flea comb a positive thing, a positive experience for Garfield -- lots of praise, scratchings, petting him, even some cat treats. by using a flea comb, you'll know whether there are any more fleas on your boy.

 

[Tink84]

Hi Thank you so much for your reply. I have checked and checked and can' see any more in my bed or immediate surroundings. I had actually about 2 months ago sprayed around my bedroom and the kitchen and luck groom with the remaining built if rip fleas spray I had from last year and Garfield is 3 weeks into his current flea treatment! I have hovered around and I have checked him in a few different slits around his body (when he' been in the mood to let me) and I can't see any flea dirt or anything and he hasn't been scratching anymore than normal so I'm holding huge hope that it was a hitchhiker and there will be no more as hopefully it' bit him and straight away died so not had chance to expnd the load dont speak I absolutely dispose the critters and I've not slept since seeing it due to paranoia!! Im hoping its been either the spray from the floors or from biting Garfield or both so hopefully no more!!?! I didn' have the heart did tell my sister because it may have been from in the street by her neighbours house but since that I've stripped off after being there an put my stuff straight in the machine my skin crawls thinking about it!!! Think Il book in to get the vet nurse to the next one so I know it' defo on properly an Il have even more piece of mind then too x

 

[10009891]

I noticed my cat having fleas now!!! And he's ONLY an indoor cat. Which affordable brand of flea medication you guys recommended that really works??? I truly appreciate it!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

Hi Thank you so much for your reply. I have checked and checked and can' see any more in my bed or immediate surroundings. I had actually about 2 months ago sprayed around my bedroom and the kitchen and luck groom with the remaining built if rip fleas spray I had from last year and Garfield is 3 weeks into his current flea treatment! I have hovered around and I have checked him in a few different slits around his body (when he' been in the mood to let me) and I can't see any flea dirt or anything and he hasn't been scratching anymore than normal so I'm holding huge hope that it was a hitchhiker and there will be no more as hopefully it' bit him and straight away died so not had chance to expnd the load dont speak I absolutely dispose the critters and I've not slept since seeing it due to paranoia!! Im hoping its been either the spray from the floors or from biting Garfield or both so hopefully no more!!?! I didn' have the heart did tell my sister because it may have been from in the street by her neighbours house but since that I've stripped off after being there an put my stuff straight in the machine my skin crawls thinking about it!!! Think Il book in to get the vet nurse to the next one so I know it' defo on properly an Il have even more piece of mind then too x

that sounds encouraging! it may very well have been a hitchhiker flea. i'd just keep checking maybe once a day, it doesn't hurt to have caution and wash the clothes you wear after being near the neighbor of your sister's home, and that sounds great to have the vet nurse apply the next flea treatment just to make sure it's applied properly. i totally can understand your feeling of making your skin crawl at the thought of fleas, even potential fleas! i think that's a very normal reaction.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

I noticed my cat having fleas now!!! And he's ONLY an indoor cat. Which affordable brand of flea medication you guys recommended that really works??? I truly appreciate it!

uh-oh!!! i usually prefer to buy flea treatments directly from my vet's. this is because there are knock-off's that are very hard to spot as not the real brand. as for a brand of flea treatment that really works, i use Vectra brand and have had very good results with it. i check for Vectra's 'buy 3, get one tube free (by mail)' or 'buy 6, get 3 tubes free (by mail)' offers either at my vet's or at the Vectra website -- https://www.vectrapet.com/cat/ i've also had good results using Advantage II flea treatment.
something to keep in mind is that it takes 3 consecutive months of flea treatments to 'break' the flea cycle -- to kill the fleas, eggs, ad larvae. vacuum your home very often, and always empty the vacuum bag/canister outdoors in the trash can immediately. wash bedding and clothing in hottest water (with detergent too) possible. it's best to go after the fleas immediately and thoroughly, that's the best way to completely rid your cat and your home of fleas.

 

[Tink84]

Troyrag- I too recommend that you get the one from your vet as it really does work! You notice the fleas dying within an hour of putting it on your pet. I would spray and hoover your house too just to save chance of becoming re-infested with the blighters!! I sometimes struggle putting the flea treatment on my cat as he is a longhair so i sometomes ask the veterinary nurse to aply it for mevand it onlt costs what the treatment costs! HTH x

 

[Tink84]

Micksandsnicks- thank u for your replies. I keep checking my cats fur/skin and can't see any dirt or running fleas so fingers crossed!?! X

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

that sounds great!! yes, i'll keep too!

 

[Tink84]

Well I went the vets today and they checked him over and applied a new dose of advocate. He doesn' have any dirt or fleas seen so think it' safe to say it was an odd one and he' now been re-trwated in time too do should defo be all clear! Xxx

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

that's great!!