Huge Dilemma... Need Advice

[DaniJer]

Hello there. As I'm sure you can see, I'm new to this forum. I signed up because I need the advice of fellow cat owners. You see, I had a very good job for quite some time. We had to budget, yes, but we were finally done with the struggle, for the most part. That was until I lost my job.

We are both in our 20s, so there's plenty of time to bounce back and recover. But this isn't a forum about us, it's about the babies. Our babies that we adopted due to not being able to produce children of our own. Well, our babies are hurting and I don't know what to do.

It all seemed to happen overnight. Thousands, if not millions, of fleas. We always clean regularly, treat our cats right, feed them properly, etc. We are far from dirty people or bad cat owners. But now, while I work a dead end job trying to make ends meet until I can get back into my normal field and while she continues job hunting (we both lost our jobs, see) we have almost no money, and everything is hard.

Again, this isn't about our struggle. It's about the struggle our cats are currently going through. These fleas are tearing us and them apart. They're losing their hair. They're going to get worms from eating them if they haven't already. I don't know what to do any more.

Oh, and the best part? One of our cats, our oldest, is allergic to any flea medications. Like, all of them. When we had money to play around with we had a vet figure out which ones she was allergic to and it was all of them. Every one. Plus my 6 cats all like to sleep in a damn huddle so even if I could afford it now I can't put flea medicine on the non-allergic cats because they rub up on her. We've seen it already.

We bathed the cats in Dawn. We've rubbed diatomaceous earth on them. We have laid down a 1/4" thick layer of DE on the floor. We've tried salt and baking soda. We've mopped with Dawn, bleach, etc. We tried apple cider vinegar. We have 2 electric flea traps and a large soap-water pan with a desk lamp attracting fleas in the basement. Nothing we do is even making a dent. We kill 100 and 300 are back in the morning.

I don't know what to do any more. I can't stand seeing my babies suffer and I can't afford to go to a vet or call an exterminator. I just don't have the money. We are heartbreakingly considering letting our babies go and seeing if we can find others to care for them in ways we financially cannot right now. I mean, don't get me wrong, we feed them and everything just fine. We just don't have the hundreds of dollars it is going to take to professionally get rid of the fleas.

I'm sitting here in tears because my babies are so miserable. I can't let them live like this and I can't see my life without them in it. (Yes, I understand they'll be gone eventually due to old age, but that's not the point. They're babies.)Does anybody have any suggestions, other than: DE, Apple cider vinegar, baking soda, salt,flea traps, and Dawn? I feel like I've tried everything.

P.S. the DE is absolutely worthless. Brand new dry bag of DE and I have watched the fleas burrow into it and just crawl around like it is nothing.

What can I do?

 

[talkingpeanut]

@Sarthur2
Can you walk them through your protocol?

 

[denice]

Don't feel ashamed about the nasty fleas being in your home. It has nothing to do with you being 'dirty' or 'negligent'. All of us can bring them in on our clothes, they attach to our cats and reproduce like crazy. I don't know what can be done with one of your kitties being allergic to the topical treatments. Advantage does sell a spray for carpets and furniture as well as a treatment for the area outside around your home. It is $40.00 for both. How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home - 1800PetMeds® Changing the bag in your vacuum everytime you vacuum helps, take the vacuum outside to remove the bag or empty the canister. Some people cut up flea collars and put pieces of the collars in the bag or canister.

It still comes down to treating the cats and I really don't know what the answer is for your kitty that is allergic.

 

[maggiedemi]

Ask your vet about Frontline Plus. Have you tried that one? My brother's cats all had reactions to Advantage, so he recommended Frontline to me, so that's what I've always used.

 

[verna davies]

Fleas can be a huge problem and although there are plenty of sites with home remedies it sounds like you have tried several. If I were on your position I would contact RSPCA or Cat Protection. I live in the UK but there are plenty of shelters etc in most countries.They must have come across similar problems. Ask for advice, it's worth a try.

 

[posiepurrs]

For some reason the links I am trying to include will not work. I searched on Amazon and found 3 products for under $50 to treat. Capstar - $21.00, Hotshot foggers $10.00, and Precor for $9.00. Controlling fleas as you have found takes a multi pronged approach - animal and environment both must be treated. Precor will not kill adult fleas but will keep the next generation from hatching. The Hot Sh otspray involves removing the cats and yourself from the house - a major pain, but is short lived - usually about 3-4 hours. Capstar will kill the fleas on the cats but it only lasts for a day. If the house is treated then you can give the capstar for immediate relief. I know this involves spending money but I did try to find the least expensive items. If your cats are short haired and you have the time you can try a flea comb for now, but that is only a temporary fix. Good luck both on treating the fleas and your job search! I have been there at one point in my life.

 

[DaniJer]

Thank you all for your many replies. Here is what I have been doing:

1. I hose down the basement. It's a dirt floor basement that has a reverse french drain, so it is just a wide open area with nothing being stored there. I spray it down with a hose and, since the cats do not and cannot get into the basement, I scrub the floors and walls with either Dawn or bleach.

2. I come upstairs and I scrub every surface in every room. Stovetop, everything. I include door jams, windows, even the ceiling.

3. I put a hefty amount of DE (or the baking soda/salt, which I have tried) into all of my furniture, wait a couple of hours, and vacuum them out.

4. I Scrub and mop the floors, wait for them to completely dry, and place a hefty layer of DE on the ground everywhere but the bathroom.

5. I bathe all of the cats with Dawn (making sure to leave it on them for a minimum of 10 mins)

6. DE on bathroom floor.

It kills thousands of fleas. I do empty the vacuum outside. I see literally thousands of dead fleas every single day when I do this, and as soon as I wake up in the morning, those thousand have been replaced by 3000 more.

I've tried the frontline, yes. The capstar causes allergic reactions in most of my cats, actually.

The hotshot fogger didn't work. I failed to mention but I tried that 4 different times.

I'm just so horribly upset for my babies and they have such gigantic bald spots. I thank you all for your suggestions so far, but I must ask, does anybody know of anything else? The shelters only told me to try what I already have

 

[verna davies]

There is only one thing I can think of. If you could find a friend or relative , possibly more than one, bathe each cat and treat the ones you are able to and check the fleas are gone. Rehome them for maybe a week with friends etc and then tackle your home. I know it may be upsetting for you and the cats but I cant see any other way to get rid of the fleas as you seem to have tried so many ways but with no luck.

 

[posiepurrs]

The only suggestion I have is to try a different fogger. I would also invest in the precor. While it won't kill the adult fleas you have now, it will stop the reproduction. It is an insect growth regulator not an insecticide.

 

[foxxycat]

you may have fleas residing in the ground in the basement-keep treating the basement-my sister used to live in this country home with dirt cellar and we were plagued with fleas. it was bad. We did the flea dips. scrubbing. cleaning. it has nothing at all to do with you. Is it possible to have a friend come over who is knowledgable about fleas/cellars and do some kind of spray around the foundation? Vinegar may help?

Usually when I use the DE it kills them DEAD. it's a long process-wash the cats weekly, as eggs hatch from 7 to 45 days I have heard.

Get yourself a good flea comb, a short glass, some Dawn and sit and comb the buggers out.

Put hot water in the glass with dawn=dip the comb in it for every time you comb the cat-when you dip the comb in it will kill the fleas. This Is the best way to get them without too much hassle. otherwise bathing is another option-best would be to keep the cat submerged in dawn dish soapy water for 5 to 10 min to drown the B out. but then they crawl on the head-this is when the flea comb comes in hand.

Also don't forget we can bring fleas from outside.

How big is your lawn? On a quiet sunny day-broadcast the DE on your property especially around the foundation of the house...do this in the basement as well- don't add water. just dust it and leave it. Try that instead of mopping the floors.

 

[foxxycat]

where did you buy the DE? is it food grade? I get mine at Blue Seals which is a horse feed/farm store.

 

[DaniJer]

Yes, we have been looking for a place to take the cats lately. Unfortunately, everybody seems to be too busy to be bothered by the situation.

The lawn is tiny, but putting DE outside may not be a bad idea. I already have a very thick layer of DE on the floor upstairs, and how they're getting through it is beyond me. I can't put DE on the basement floor because it gets wet down there and it'll just render itself useless. We just finished bathing the cats in Dawn again. I've been thinking of spraying Sevin dust in the basement since, like I said, the cats can't go down there anyway.

 

[DaniJer]

I got it from Tractor Supply, and yes it is food grade.

 

[foxxycat]

do you have a wet/dry shop vacuum? then go ahead and spread the DE-that's probably where they are coming from. you can vacuum up in a few days-then Go outside and spread it around the foundation/cracks/ground.

 

[DaniJer]

https://www.ruralking.com/diatomace...MX2XHizRrggag7TWZJxw-gOMLIDUZdBYXEaAl9R8P8HAQ

 

[DaniJer]

I can't post links (awaiting approval) but if you go to rural king . com and look for sku 21218012 that is what I am using.

I'm going to go put some DE outside right now. Thank you.

 

[foxxycat]

looks like it's not 100% DE. that could be why it's not working-it is a mixture of two things...

 

[foxxycat]

but it should work-I poked around and looks like it's legit-and not a bad price for 40lbs!

 

[DaniJer]

I hadn't even considered that maybe the brand of DE was bad. I know it's not the bag because I bought 3 different ones at 3 different occasions trying to take care of this, but could it be that brand just sucks?

 

[foxxycat]

It's possible=I was just reading the ingredients of that one you listed=hard to say!!! Or they are superfleas!! Super impossible to kill!!!