Somebody talk me out of Cheristin for Fleas

[basscat]

Working on getting a flea problem under control. 
4 month old kitten got Advantage Plus 30 days ago.
Was bathed last week, two days in a row.  (bath water was sudsy Dawn, Shampoo was Advantage, kitten was lathered and scrubbed for 10 minutes, rinsed with the soapy bathwater, and then rinsed again with fresh water).   Toweled him off pretty good, set him down, and SPLASH, back in the bathwater he went!  He loves it!

This was repeated the next day.
Two days after, he was treated with Frontline. (last Sat morning).
Went to the vet to be fixed Tuesday morning.
Got him back today (Wed morning).

I rubbed my thumb between his eyes down to his nose and a flea showed up on his nose.  I killed it and now can rub his little cheeks, bridge of nose, head, etc....and see more than one flea popping around on his nose.  (maybe from the vet? maybe hatched on him?  I don't know)
It's driving him NUTS though!! 
I knew he had fleas, bad.  But, never saw any on his face until today.
If there's one or two on his face, I'm sure that means HUNDREDS elsewhere.

Since I can't bathe him for a couple weeks (just neutered)....and it seems as if the Frontline isn't working at all....I have a dilemma.  
I need to do something before I take him "home".   His room at home, and the rest of the house, has been disinfected, cleaned, sprayed, overdosed.  Seems to be flea free right now, with hopefully lasting IGR treatments.

I tried a little vinegar towel wipe on his body, rubbed his ears a little, when I hit the bridge of his nose I guess he got a whiff.  WOW!!  Running circles scrubbing everything.  Worse than the nose flea crazies!

SO, now I look at this little thing of Cheristin (vet gave me two months ago and I was afraid to use it). 

It's supposed to kill fleas super fast.
But, he was just treated with Frontline?

Maybe half a dose of Cheristin? 

 

[kissthisangel]

Hello! I'm not familiar with Cheristin. If you're wary of applying another type of treatment so soon, you can look at the packet for the active ingredients and call the vet to check what they advise.

you can also try combing the kitten with a flea or nit comb, have a pot of soapy water near by to dip the comb in and clean off the fleas and dirt and then use kitchen roll or an old towel to dry off the comb. They say that the fleas are 5% on the animal and 95% in the home, it's important to treat all the floors and furniture in your house. Also the bedding is a real hot spot for fleas. The best thing to do is vaccum twice daily before applying any sprays to your home, this encourages the larvae and eggs to hatch. Then, apply the spray, this should kill any live fleas.

About a week after you will want to repeat this cycle. and then vaccum twice daily for up to a month at the same time as treating the animal to stop the fleas from using your home as a breeding ground. Flea Larvae can lay dormant for a very long time, they usually hatch in warm weather or if their eggs  are disturbed.

For an added flea killing technique if we have a bad and stubborn problem I also cut up a flea collar to put in the vaccum.

 

[betsygee]

I have no experience with this, but several people have posted about it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323184/do-not-use-cheristin-for-cats

 

[basscat]

6 weeks ago our outside enclosure area was bleached, washed, scrubbed, and then sprayed with some stuff that'll kill any and all bugs. 
4 weeks ago, we treated him with Advantage Plus, and put him in there.  While we did the same to the house, and double to his room.  

White socks, white shirts...have shown no fleas since the 1st home treatment (almost a month now).   And even so, twice a week, we have been spraying and vacuuming more gentle chemicals (advantage brand cat safe stuff).

All the baths and Frontline during the last several days was to get him ready to come back inside.  Flea free to get neutered, and then he could recover in the house.

But, apparently, he's still covered.  And now I can't bathe him for two weeks.  Ugh....

 

[kissthisangel]

  oh dear. Have you got any wild animals that come near the outdoor pen they could have come from, strays, dogs, foxes and rabbits? I'd perhaps isolate him and treat all the other pets in the home if you can.

 I can't think of anything else to suggest if you've done all the home treatments.

dealing with fleas does feel like this sometimes

 

[LTS3]

 
I have no experience with this, but several people have posted about it:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323184/do-not-use-cheristin-for-cats

There's also this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/294358/has-anyone-had-a-bad-reaction-to-cheristin-flea-meds

 

[whatsonemore]

I've read to vacuum a lot with fleas because they are always hatching.  When I took in my three kittens last year, they were covered in fleas.  I bathed them exclusively in Dawn dish soap 2-3x times that first week plus used a flea comb to get rid of them all.   The fleas would literally crawl up their head and get on the kittens' eyelashes to get away from the soap.  Between the baths and frequent flea combings, it took a few weeks to completely get rid of them.  Earthclinic is a website that has natural remedies if you'd like to look into that route.  They recommend apple cider vinegar.  After our first 3-4 weeks, we got rid of the all the fleas and haven't had an issue since, so I can't comment about my personal experience, except that I think one key is to wash and vacuum the house and bedding often.

As far as your flea meds go, I'd google every single one of them for side effects before putting them on your cat.  I had a friend tell me about one the other day that her vet had given her and she'd already administered it before you read that it caused vomiting in 25% of cats and even death in some.  Having lost a dog to side effects from meds a vet gave me to give my dog without warning me, I check all meds for side effects first, to make sure I'm willing to take the chance before giving them to my pets, which is why I like the earthclinic website.

Good luck.

 

[basscat]

When you bathe a cat with lots of fleas, and don't give them a soap collar 1st thing, all the fleas run to the face like WhatsOneMore said.

When I picked him up from the vet, that's what his face reminded me of.

With two baths and frontline just a couple days before....  These might be fleas dying, trying to escape the meds, just hanging on for their last breath? 
AND/OR he might have gotten re-infested during his overnight stay at the vet.   Which, wouldn't surprise me at all.  (I don't know how a vet could possibly keep any place flea free).

If the latter is the case, then those fleas will die soon enough due to his pre-vet treatments.

HOWEVER, after researching Cheristin and it's predecessor.  Speed of kill, Reviews, Raves, Complaints, Etc.  I saw where it says ONE dose is fine for little bity things, and then..... NO more than ONE dose on cat's over 20lbs.
So, I figured half a dose is what I'd try.  May not last a month, but, for a 10lb cat...well, I felt I had to do something.  You could tell he was in agony. Running around all crazy, shaking his head, diving into his blanket and plowing through it rubbing his face.  
As for the reviews: EVERY bad, or even "perceived" bad experience will be posted.  While most folks with a good experience just go about their business and don't post anything at all. 
And for the bad experiences?   Might have been the drug?  Might not?
  
PLUS, if you read enough reviews?  It's the same few people over and over and over and over and over again.  Two or three folks hitting every website out there, many times. 

So, I gave him half a dose.
Seems to be working so far.  

 

[ginny]

I just now saw this. I would be concerned about giving him so many different flea meds within such a short amount of time. I wonder how his liver is handling all that. I hope it goes well for your kitty but keep us updated about how he does. Keep an eye out for neuro symptoms.

 

[basscat]

AND AND AND??

Flea "dirt".  
 His 1st bathwater looked like burgundy wine when finished. 
  Which is why he got another bath the next night.   Couldn't see any flea dirt on him after the 1st scrubbing, but, better safe than sorry.  After his 2nd bath, we found fleas in the bathwater, but, it was clear when finished.

5ish days later (yesterday), I pick him up at the vet, take him to work, see fleas on his nose....(all that info is above).
Anyway, before taking him home yesterday, I decide to sanitize his carrier. 
Get it spotless, put him in it, and 30 minutes later let him out.  (his carrier has considerable flea dirt ALL in the bottom of it). 

Can it re-accumulate THAT FAST??

Seems I'm either not finding the source, or they are hatching on him.  (I just can't believe that they are hatching on him that fast, and in that quantity, after all the stuff he's doused with)  

 

[bellel]

AND AND AND??

Flea "dirt".  

 His 1st bathwater looked like burgundy wine when finished. 

  Which is why he got another bath the next night.   Couldn't see any flea dirt on him after the 1st scrubbing, but, better safe than sorry.  After his 2nd bath, we found fleas in the bathwater, but, it was clear when finished.

5ish days later (yesterday), I pick him up at the vet, take him to work, see fleas on his nose....(all that info is above).

Anyway, before taking him home yesterday, I decide to sanitize his carrier. 

Get it spotless, put him in it, and 30 minutes later let him out.  (his carrier has considerable flea dirt ALL in the bottom of it). 

Can it re-accumulate THAT FAST??

Seems I'm either not finding the source, or they are hatching on him.  (I just can't believe that they are hatching on him that fast, and in that quantity, after all the stuff he's doused with)  

You can get fleas at the vet. I've had that happen several times, so I make sure my cats are up-to-date with their flea meds before taking them in (in other words they are still within that month's dose and not overdue). But unless he was housed in the same cage as another animal that was covered in fleas, he should not have gotten that many just from the vet.

 

[basscat]

You can get fleas at the vet. I've had that happen several times, so I make sure my cats are up-to-date with their flea meds before taking them in (in other words they are still within that month's dose and not overdue). But unless he was housed in the same cage as another animal that was covered in fleas, he should not have gotten that many just from the vet.

This was a last years deal and while I've dealt with extremely bad infestations (vacant homes, rentals, etc).  I think this ordeal was the worst since we were living there.
In an empty house, you just come in once a week and douse the whole place with the strongest stuff made.
When you live there, this isn't an option.   Well, at least not for the 1st six weeks of battle.

Persistence paid off in the long run though.   Isolated the cats in a flea free area away from the house. Bathed them once a week. Advantaged them once every two weeks.
Moved the furniture in the "problem room" outside and sprayed it once a week.
Vacuumed the empty room every day. The rest of the house one a week.
Sprayed that room twice a week with PT Ultracide. The rest of the house once a week.
Six flea traps rotated throughout the house to monitor progress.
Eight weeks later we had probably won the battle.  But, continued Two more weeks just to be sure.
 

 

[red top rescue]

I still recommend dusting your whole place with food grade diotomaceous earth.  Sweep it up afterwards, but it remains in the cracks where fleas hatch.  It remains deep in the carpet (if you have carpet) where fleas hatch.  It is not a poison but it kills fleas and other bugs with an exoskeleton by getting between the plates and causing the insect to lose fluid and dry up. 

 

[jules10]

My cat died because of Cheristin for Cats. If that doesn't change your mind, I don't know what will. This happened in June 2016 and I still cry today as her death was so horrible. This is POISON. Remember that word please, POISON. Your cat is not an insect!

 

[red top rescue]

Fleas become immune to what is being used in the area. While I still think Advantage II is the most effective of the very safe flea treatments, it was only working maybe 2 weeks here and then one would have to redose. I am currently trying Activyl (Merck), which our old spay truck used to sell. It is another one that can be used for both dogs and cats (just the PLAIN Activyl) but the Activyl PLUS (which also kills ticks, is FOR DOGS ONLY. The dose size is not the same, however, and dogs get a little less than cats. 1/2 ml. is good for your average up to 8 lb. cat and also your up to 14 lb dog. (My friend is using 1/2 ml. on her 8 lb. cat and 1/2 ml. on her 14 lb. dog and it's working.)

I ordered a 6-pack of the extra large dog size from Australia and so far there have been no reactions in my population or my friend's cat and dog (she had tried it before). Fleas seem better (but I also use DE in the house) and although they go out and in, there is a whole lotta less scratching going on inside. I do know our spay truck used it for several years with no ill effects.

I trust Advantage II on young kittens but Activyl advises against it. I have no young kittens here right now, so not a problem. Interestingly, Activyl is not all that easy to find in the U.S. market. Often suppliers carry only one size, the medium dog size. WalMart SAYS it carries the 6 pack for extra large dogs, but it is through Countryside Vet, and when you try to order, you have to get some kind of special membership. I gave up and went to the International Pet Supply Megastore in Australia and got my six doses. Shipping is not over-expensive but takes a long time, so plan ahead. Mine took 2 1/2 weeks to get here but it did arrive and appears to be working.
So far, it has only been on for a week. I'll keep you posted.