F L E A S

[Dr Doran]

Fleas. What should I do?
My cats have them. I put a drop of longterm fleakiller on the necks of two of the cats, but my 11 month old daughter plays and wrestles with the third one all the time so I am afraid of putting fleakiller on him lest it get into her eyes or skin. Now my house is full of fleas and I keep getting bitten. I kill 4-5 per day -- the ones I happen to see and catch -- and they bite me 10+ times per day. This has NEVER happened to me before -- it's only because we cannot spray that one cat.

I have washed all my sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and clothing. But they come in from outside. It's ... gross.

It's quite demoralizing. Yes, all the cats are indoor/outdoor -- we cannot deal with litterboxes and we feel they should run around outside as much as possible.

Any advice? I figure if anyone knows what to do, the people here will know.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

For that third cat, use the same $10.00 a dose squeeze-onto-the-back-of-the-cat's-neck type you already have, but apply it after your daughter goes to bed. Apply it under the fur and don't brush it until morning. It'll be dry by then.

Here's what I did when I had carpet: I'd take the cats to the groomer (my sisters shop), and while they were away, I'd powder the carpet with sevin dust, using a broom to get it in deep. Then I'd spray Adams flea killer on the furniture and evacuate for a couple hours.

When I'd come back, I'd vacuum the entire place a few times. Then I'd go get the cats and, while they're clean, apply the back-of-the-neck flea killer. Apply it as often as recommended (usually once a season). A long, drawn-out process, yes, but it works for the entire summer.


Lee

 

[Dr Doran]

Won't the carpet treatment be toxic for the baby?

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Not as toxic as some of the diseases fleas have been known to carry.

But that's why you leave for a while and then vacuum it up. It gives the powder time to do its job, and then you suck the fleas and the powder up.

I lived alone when I used this procedure, so I didn't have anyone to worry about. Also, I don't believe that commercially available chemicals are nearly as toxic as our national worrywarts claim. I grew up using Raid, malathion (sprayed an entire condo complex once a week for almost a year), flea collars and sprays and baths, bleach, drain cleaners, photo chemicals when I did pghotography, and a variety of other commercial toxins, and no one in my family or anyone who came into contact with us has cancer, brain damage or given birth to carnival freaks in any form.

I understand your concern for a newborn, and am not in anyway trying to convince you to use my method of flea control, even though it worked perfectly for me. I'm just explaining the process I used.

Perhaps someone knows of a natural method?


Lee

 

[dostacos]

I told the cats, if they bring home fleas they will stay outside. Since some of the birds in our area think of cats as SLOW rabbits they got the hint lol

Actually my wife refuses to let them out of the house. the male escapes sometimes [like tonight] but she or one of the boys runs him down fast and throws him back in the house. We have 2 cats and two litter boxes, one in the family room and one in the bedroom which we prefer to fleas

 

[Dr Doran]

I told the cats, if they bring home fleas they will stay outside. Since some of the birds in our area think of cats as SLOW rabbits they got the hint lol

Actually my wife refuses to let them out of the house. the male escapes sometimes [like tonight] but she or one of the boys runs him down fast and throws him back in the house. We have 2 cats and two litter boxes, one in the family room and one in the bedroom which we prefer to fleas

These guys have been indoor/outdoor all their lives ... no turning back now. Plus, we hate hate hate litterboxes. Cannot stare down a turd to save my life. It always wins the contest and I look away. Baby diapers are bad enough.

 

[Kishtu]

Doran, this is from the UK Amazon store but I'm sure you could find something similar where you are:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flea-Killer/dp/B000LPC714

One caution re "natural" remedies, I know some people suggest tea tree oil used in shampoo or something similar - research is now showing that it's toxic to cats, it builds up in their livers (I think)

Garlic and/or brewers' yeast for both you and the cats is one option, apparently they make your blood taste nasty to bugs I never found it much use but some people say it's helpful.

The other thing is that if your furry friends are outdoor types as fast as you're de-bugging them they will be bringing them in from outdoors! So not sure if doing the carpets and soft furnishings in one fell swoop will do the necessary - as soon as you've got rid of one lot, the next lot will be imported (such is the way of cats...) All things considered I'd go for whatever the US equivalent of the Amazon gadget thing is.

But then we only have the one cat and his little friends are manageable, so I don't know much!

 

[carter]

I treat the entire yard, front and back, with stuff that is supposed to control fleas. I usually apply it in the spring and midway through the summer.
I moved the cats outside precisely because of the litter box issue. They hang out in the yard and on the deck. As long as they're fed and watered, I don't think they're leaving. But, the only female who wasn't spayed (too young) met an older man and now we have kittens. They're in their box on the deck with mama.

Where were we...FLEAS. The issue with fleas for us was, once we got the yard under control, we still had them in the house. The cats get flea preventative monthly but that only seemed to reduce, rather than eradicate, the problem. Now that the cats are outside, it seems to be much better.

Another suggestion is to contact a pest elimination service and see what they suggest. This could be the quickest solution if not the least expensive.

 

[scotrace]

See the thread on re-emerging diseases, including plague (in the USA), which is carried by fleas.

Vacuum often, mow the yard often, and treat that third cat's neck at bedtime. If you're getting bitten a lot, and your baby is being bitten, I think if I couldn't get rid of the parasites, the cats would have to go. Fleas (yuck) aren't an acceptable nuisance, right?

 

[Micawber]

Agreed. Treat all the animals and their surroundings otherwise the untreated cat is just providing a host and feeding ground.

 

[HamletJSD]

Currently have two indoor/outdoor dogs and two indoor cats ...

We had a pretty bad infestation sneak up on us about six months ago. We tried all of the little remedies natural and chemical (garlic, flea collars, etc.) with no success.
In our experience, nothing works as well as the expensive stuff (right now we use "Advantix" or "Frontline," to me those products are expensive) ... It costs $40-50 per animal every three months, but once we controlled the fleas, they haven't returned. And yes, you HAVE to do every cat. If you cannot keep it away from baby, you might isolate it in a crate or an un-used room for a day or two after each treatment. If you leave one cat untreated, fleas literally use it as a "safe zone" and it will be one miserable creature.

We also powdered the carpets every or every other weekend for six weeks and had to keep everyone off of them for hours at a time. A pain in the neck, but it helps!

 

[PA Dancer]

I would check with your vet. My sister had her dog on some kind of pill and it worked wonders.
Good luck.

 

[scotrace]

We use Frontline as well. never a problem, worth every penny.

 

[ohairas]

Hi Doran~
We had a terrible flea problem a few years ago. Our neighbors were moving out and their house was SO infested with fleas that anyone looking to buy the house had to spray themselves with OFF before entering the home. They had two huge dumpsters hauled to the house to fill up with their junk just about 15 ft. from our house. The fleas came right on over of course!

We have two cats inside. We tried EVERYTHING. Eventually, the only thing that worked was setting off a bug bomb in about every room of the house. We just went to Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend, (had to take cats with us!)
Then, we used Advantage neck drops. The store-bought stuff just isn't the same. (I now buy mine off the Bay.)
If you can, just keep the cats away from the baby for about 48 hours after applying.

Then, as everyone else said, vacuum till you think the carpet is going to lose it's fiber, lol...
I used flea powder, but only where the cats slept.

Treat every cat. Fleas and the deseases can make a cat SOOO miserable, plus you won't get rid of them if you don't treat each one, as others stated.

We haven't seen fleas since, but I do keep treating them with the Advantage.
Best wishes! I feel your pain and aggrivation! Esp. with our son running around.

Another thing, do this ASAP. If you google fleas, you will see HOW FAST the multiply!
Nikki

 

[KittyT]

Garlic and/or brewers' yeast for both you and the cats is one option, apparently they make your blood taste nasty to bugs I never found it much use but some people say it's helpful.

Garlic causes anemia in cats! Check with your vet before giving your pet ANY kind of natural remedy.

 

[Dr Doran]

I put Advantage on the neck of the third cat yesterday and refreshed the other two. I think we will consider all 3 cats outdoor cats for a while, especially at night. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming if you have more.

Now I just have to deal with the SHAME AND SELF-DISGUST of being a fleabitten disgusting-person.

 

[ohairas]

Nothing to be ashamed about!
Except this one gal should've been... I was working in a salon years ago and this woman brought her son in for a haircut. A co-worker started to run clippers thru his hair and fleas started jumping out everywhere, a million of em! And the gal was mad that we didn't finish the cut and couldn't have cared less about her son's infestation!
Nikki

 

[Girl Friday]

Go to the vet, it is the only way. I tried the store bought stuff for my dog, it didn't work, and has Chrysanthemum oil (especially the organic flea replants) which apparently can cause seizures in dogs.

Fleas have been particularly bad this year...so the extra money spent at the vet will be well worth it, my vet lets me buy a dose at a time, so it isn't so bad. I get Advantix a little over $20 per tube or I could get a 6 month supply for $80.

Good luck to you! I know first hand that fleas are no fun.

 

[jamespowers]

The secondary thing you should check for is worms. The fleas carry the eggs and if the cat has ingested them in an attempt to remove them then she has a good chance of getting a tapeworm (fleas are hosts for them).
Look for white rice like segments on the fur of the rear end of the cat. One shot from the vet will nail them out of their system.

Regards,

J

 

[WideBrimm]

I put Advantage on the neck of the third cat yesterday and refreshed the other two. I think we will consider all 3 cats outdoor cats for a while, especially at night. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming if you have more.

Now I just have to deal with the SHAME AND SELF-DISGUST of being a fleabitten disgusting-person.

Shame ? Nonsense! Lots of RCPVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) know what its like to be flea-bitten. I'm one of them. Fleas ? Ouch! :eusa_doh: You're in good company.

Cats can be trained! Just takes a bit of time to change their habits. You could let one of them out at a time, for 5 to ten minutes. Maybe twice a day. Keep a close eye on the cat. Once the cat has done its business and sniffed around a bit and maybe chewed some grass, bring it in. (You might want to keep a litter box just until you're sure they are trained!)

I usually keep the door open when my two cats are outside. Close the door and they come running. When I want them to come in I just get behind them, talking to them and stomping my feet a bit. They usually get the message, although my big cat hisses at me - just to let me know he's unhappy. Its really kind of funny. If the cat doesn't want to come, I just pick it up. They understand.