cat fleas - what to do?
- Thread starter lupinfarm
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savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
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Sounds like you have got tons of good advice, but I want to add that Frontline plus has worked well for me, even keeping the house free of fleas, despite doing dog rescue and routinely bringing dogs home from the humane society. Using that product on each incoming dog and periodically on my own, I' ve never had a flea infestation in 12 years of fostering dogs. I've also used Advantage and Revolution but Frontline plus seems to work best for me and also works on ticks.
I have taken flea collars off of flea-infested animals. At our veterinary clinic where I work, we use Capstar on animals infested with fleas, which is a pill that the consume that kills 100 percent of the fleas on them. There is another product mentioned already that we used in a prior clinic where we worked on a lot of low income animals infested with fleas, which is the Frontline spray, although that would be hard to get onto the ferals. You might, however, want to treat the ones you can with frontline and do, as others have already described, work on your home primarily. I have never had to buy those products however, just by using the Frontline plus regularly on someone in the house.
I have taken flea collars off of flea-infested animals. At our veterinary clinic where I work, we use Capstar on animals infested with fleas, which is a pill that the consume that kills 100 percent of the fleas on them. There is another product mentioned already that we used in a prior clinic where we worked on a lot of low income animals infested with fleas, which is the Frontline spray, although that would be hard to get onto the ferals. You might, however, want to treat the ones you can with frontline and do, as others have already described, work on your home primarily. I have never had to buy those products however, just by using the Frontline plus regularly on someone in the house.
Shiloh Acres
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Aaaackkk!!!
My apologies. I edited my earlier post. It is actually 1/4 of a large-dog CAPSTAR that my vet told me to give my cats. I've used it on my cats, and on heavily infested dogs fir a 100% kill of existing fleas, many of them within a couple hours and all within a day with a residual effect of about a week.
Sorry, don't know what I was thinking when I typed Comfortis. I've never used it.
My apologies. I edited my earlier post. It is actually 1/4 of a large-dog CAPSTAR that my vet told me to give my cats. I've used it on my cats, and on heavily infested dogs fir a 100% kill of existing fleas, many of them within a couple hours and all within a day with a residual effect of about a week.
Sorry, don't know what I was thinking when I typed Comfortis. I've never used it.
fancy
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Lots of good advice!! But PLEASE get rid of the vacuum cleaner bag, or the fleas will find their way out.
bgelber
Enjoys Recycling
The thing that I use is baby shampoo, fleas hate it. I have eight cats and six dogs with no fleas. I would even use it on our outside dog before she died and she didn't have any fleas.
aggieterpkatie
Swiss Army Wife
I have no luck with Front Line. We only use Advantage now. Plus with regular Advantage (NOT Advantix) you can split up the large dog doses and give to cats. This helps save a ton of $$.
When we had fleas (years ago) we had to flea bomb the house, treat all the animals, and even treat the yard. Luckily we've been flea free for years now.
And I agree...flea collars are a waste of money.
And DON'T EVER buy those cheapy Bio-Spot or other cat flea treatments. They are horrible and have killed pets before. Go with a name brand flea treatment.
When we had fleas (years ago) we had to flea bomb the house, treat all the animals, and even treat the yard. Luckily we've been flea free for years now.
And I agree...flea collars are a waste of money.
And DON'T EVER buy those cheapy Bio-Spot or other cat flea treatments. They are horrible and have killed pets before. Go with a name brand flea treatment.
Emerald
Lovin' The Homestead
My big problem with most of the bombs and sprays and even the little squeeze on stuff is---I am allergic to most of them and then am sick like a dog or can not breath or both.
My attack on fleas was a mix of DE and Borax sprinkled on the carpets in spring and DE sprinkled all over the sandy driveway where all the cats love to roll! I also re sprinkle after heavy rains.
Once you get that DE in the carpet it sinks to the bottom and kinda sticks around all the rest of the year. (ETA:It does take a good week to take effect if you have a bad outbreak of fleas)
Another good thing to try for folks who can't have any of the poisonous stuff around--take your heat lamp for the chickens(or even just a good old incandescent light bulb in the the metal bowl looking holder) and aim it about a foot* up off the carpet in an out of the way place and put a shallow big bowl of lightly soapy water under the light. I use an old scalloped casserole dish it is only about 1 1/2 inches high. The fleas are drawn to the heat(thinking it is an animal or me) and then jump towards that heat and fall into the water and then drown.
I have also taken to giving the cats two brewers yeast tablets a day and putting just a bit of raw apple cider vinegar in the water they drink.
My cats are in and out all day long in the summer but stay indoors mostly in the winter and while the two jet black babies hardly have that many fleas in the summer or winter, my newest calico baby seems to be a flea magnet! I do comb them out often and they just love the attention. The calico baby(Fritzy) will jump into my lap and pester me till I comb her if the fleas are bad-- they seem to congregate on her head and face.
But I don't seem to have big problems with fleas in the carpet or on the furniture any longer.
*If your lamp is too hot move it higher off the floor or just put a 60watt incandescent bulb in it.
My attack on fleas was a mix of DE and Borax sprinkled on the carpets in spring and DE sprinkled all over the sandy driveway where all the cats love to roll! I also re sprinkle after heavy rains.
Once you get that DE in the carpet it sinks to the bottom and kinda sticks around all the rest of the year. (ETA:It does take a good week to take effect if you have a bad outbreak of fleas)
Another good thing to try for folks who can't have any of the poisonous stuff around--take your heat lamp for the chickens(or even just a good old incandescent light bulb in the the metal bowl looking holder) and aim it about a foot* up off the carpet in an out of the way place and put a shallow big bowl of lightly soapy water under the light. I use an old scalloped casserole dish it is only about 1 1/2 inches high. The fleas are drawn to the heat(thinking it is an animal or me) and then jump towards that heat and fall into the water and then drown.
I have also taken to giving the cats two brewers yeast tablets a day and putting just a bit of raw apple cider vinegar in the water they drink.
My cats are in and out all day long in the summer but stay indoors mostly in the winter and while the two jet black babies hardly have that many fleas in the summer or winter, my newest calico baby seems to be a flea magnet! I do comb them out often and they just love the attention. The calico baby(Fritzy) will jump into my lap and pester me till I comb her if the fleas are bad-- they seem to congregate on her head and face.
But I don't seem to have big problems with fleas in the carpet or on the furniture any longer.
*If your lamp is too hot move it higher off the floor or just put a 60watt incandescent bulb in it.
Emerald 
I have two black ones too, as well as a calico "baby" (she is two now, but still looks like a kitten) - and one of the black boys is "Fritz" . They are also indoor/outdoor, though I can't say if any one is more or less bothered by fleas than the others. I just got some DE a couple of weeks ago, and have rubbed it into the carpet; I don't know if it is helping, the little beasts don't go for me much. But DH isn't complaing as much, so maybe they have lessened.
I have two black ones too, as well as a calico "baby" (she is two now, but still looks like a kitten) - and one of the black boys is "Fritz" . They are also indoor/outdoor, though I can't say if any one is more or less bothered by fleas than the others. I just got some DE a couple of weeks ago, and have rubbed it into the carpet; I don't know if it is helping, the little beasts don't go for me much. But DH isn't complaing as much, so maybe they have lessened.
Shiloh Acres
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I forgot the lamp idea. I've used that too, with good success. 
I have wondered about the color issue. I had a white dog and a white cat that were eaten up with fleas. ALL fleas seemed to get on those two, and pretty much leave the black cat and orange cat alone. The white kitten was generally weakest and sickly anyway, and the dog kept going outside and picking up more fleas.
That was the year nothing was working for anyone, and I tried everything!
I have wondered about the color issue. I had a white dog and a white cat that were eaten up with fleas. ALL fleas seemed to get on those two, and pretty much leave the black cat and orange cat alone. The white kitten was generally weakest and sickly anyway, and the dog kept going outside and picking up more fleas.
That was the year nothing was working for anyone, and I tried everything!
