cat fleas - what to do?

[lupinfarm]

Ok so it seems we have cat fleas here, and not just on the kitties =\ two things I was curious about, how do we go about getting rid of them from our furniture, and softgoods and how do we get rid of them off the cats? (There are 3 cats for sure we can't catch!). Mum wants to know if we can use ivermec on the kitties ? (Injectable or drench). I dri-killed two of the cats but I'm not sure if that'll do anything =\ help?

We're vacuuming everything and doing laundry like mad but obviously the infestation is enough that they're attacking us too, what can we do about fleas on US? and does anyone know if you can move back into your house right away after having it fogged/sprayed/whatever (with 5 dogs its going to be hard to find a hotel...).

Of course this being a Sunday nothing is open, and the cost of products like Revolution is astronomical for all the cats we need to treat, i'm thinking of going to NY today... does anyone know if stores like PetSmart carry those products in stock?

 

[ksalvagno]

It is my understanding that Ivomec is not safe for cats. PetSmart does sell flea products but it won't be the exact kind that you need a prescription for. Search on banana peels. I thought there was something about putting banana peels around the house and the fleas don't like it. Also moth balls sometimes work but you would have to be very careful that the dogs and cats can't get to them.

I think the flea bombs you only have to be out of the house for a few hours. I don't recall needing to be out for overnight or anything.

Supposedly this is a very bad flea year along with a very bad bedbug year. My sister said that there are several people she knows who don't even own pets are having flea problems in their home.

 

[patandchickens]

The fleas on the cats are not really a big deal (in the greater scheme of things). Use a good flea comb to go over the cats as often as possible, ideally a coupla times a day, if the cats are miserable or you are in a hurry to get rid of fleas. Have a little dish of soapy water to remove the fleas-and-cathair off the comb into.

If you want something chemical to apply to the cats, get one of the spot-on treatments FROM YOUR VET (not the ones sold at open retail) and ask first how much resistance to it there is in your area. I will not recommend a particular one, because while I have had good luck with several, it varies from place to place now. No, I do not believe Revolution is carried OTC. If you want to use it, then it costs whatever it costs (you do not *necessarily* need more than 1-2 months' dose for everyone); if you don't want to spend that much, then don't, just recognize it will take longer and more work to get rid of the fleas.

Unless you have an intractable infestation in your lawn too, the main focus of energy should not be the animals, it should be the house. You have to do it ALL AT ONCE, like on the same day or weekend, and yes if it is a good-sized house it is a good-sized job. Take out and launder EVERY SINGLE THING that flea eggs/larvae could be on -- bedding, laundry that the cats have sat on, all bedding, throw pillows, afghans, dog bedding, etc etc etc. Wash it hot and use the dryer set on hot, for all items that will permit it. Stack the clean stuff in the garage or somewhere safe like that while you work on the rest of the house:

Then vacuum very thoroughly, clean any crud out of between floorboards. Big time seriously -- move all furniture to vacuum underneath it, or do your best with the vacuum's crevice tool on furniture that is not moveable.

Then use a premises spray containing an insect growth regulator (IGR) on EVERY THING. I have used Precor with success in a number of different apartments; there may be other good brands too, I dunno. Spray EVERY THING that didn't go thru the laundry. This includes nonwashable rugs, carpeting, all parts of upholstered furniture including the inside parts and under/on the cushions, the lower half of nonwashable draperies, bare wood/tile/laminate floors, and most especially the crevices where baseboard and other trim meets the floors. Those are the places that flea eggs fall and develop into larvae. If you do not get rid of all the larvae and prevent further development of future larvae, you can't get rid of the flea problem. Mind, nothing really kills fleas in the cocoon stage (when metamorphosing from a larvae to an adult flea) so you need to use one of these IGR premise sprays that has residual action, and repeat after a couple months if the problem is not thoroughly licked. Note that you want to leave the windows open and maybe a fan on and let things dry/air thoroughly before you and the animals return to the living space... for which reason it is best IME to do one room at a time in an apartment, or one floor at a time in a house.

If you seriously SERIOUSLY clean the house -- including all the furballs under the fridge, the drifts of dust and cat toys that have lodged under bookcases, etc etc, really EVERY THING -- and use an IGR spray, the problem will pretty rapidly taper off IME. You may or may not need to do this all again in a month or three, just play it by ear, it just depends on the depth of your original problem and the depth of your original cleaning/spraying/laundering

I have moved into a lot of houses/apartments with fleas, and had them multiply up on my cats to a significant problem, and gotten rid of them 100% with these methods. (With dogs or cats that go outside, you may never achieve permanent 100% eradication but you can at least prevent them from multiplying in your home). You just have to do it very very seriously and thoroughly, and use the IGR-containing premise spray if you want lasting results. (I have tried DE and borax as a substitute and IME they do not do much good, compared to Precor)

Good luck, "have fun",

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

Yikes, Hmm, Pat thanks for the advice. I think we're going to have to go to the Laundromat because we have no where other than in the house to put the clean laundered stuff (no useable garage) =/ This is huge, and our house has MANY crevices being old. We only just noticed this week the fleas, so they might not be at a large stage yet... and the cats only started scratching a few weeks to a month ago maybe. Unfortunately its not at all practical to do the combing of every cat, we have 3 totally feral cats that we won't be able to catch and treat at all. I can wash and treat the kittens including Fluffy's kittens and her as well as Accio, Fang and Cruickshanks but I'd have to wait for thme to come back to the house.

I've been told to wash them in soapy water, would just something like Dawn work or should I get a flea shampoo for cats?

We're having the house Flea Bombed tomorrow morning, so it looks like everything is getting vacuumed tonight.

 

[ksalvagno]

Dawn should work.

 

[lupinfarm]

Okay well I just got back from Belleville, we've got some flea spray stuff that has the Precor in it. It only came in a tiny bottle sadly and they only had one left but I got it for the truck because the windows were left open the other day and I reckon at least one flea-ee cat has been in there, I'll also spray mum's mattress with it as mine has a cover that comes off for washing. Bought flea shampoo for the cats, and flea collars because It seemed like a good idea haha and they were cheap.

We're going to section off the laundry room as our bug free zone for doing laundry and the sprayer guys are coming tomorrow morning to spray the house =] Cats are all disowned to the outdoors for now, but I have to catch Accio, Fluffy, Fang and Cruickshanks to give them bathes and put their collars on plus I need to catch all of Fluffy's kittens (theres only 4) and bathe them too.

 

[ORChick]

Lupin, I haven't ever heard good things about flea collars actually doing the job, but, as you have them, you might as well give them a try. Two caveats though - if the collars do not have a "break-away" feature they can be extremely dangerous, especially if your cats go outside. But even inside kitties have been strangled by getting their collar caught on something, and no one noticing until too late. Also, flea collars often tend to cause bald spots about the neck - though I can't say if that is the collar itself, or the chemicals. I fancy it is the latter as I have only heard about it in connection with flea collars, and not collars in general. Personally I would never use them for my cats.

 

[i_am2bz]

I'll add my two cents, altho everyone else has advised you very thoroughly...

When I got my first two cats (as kittens), they were covered with fleas. The vet gave me Frontline in a spray bottle (which I still have, some 10 years later). She told me that you spray it on & rub it in the cat's fur; as the cats shed, the hair (with Frontline still on it), falls onto the floor, furniture, etc. & that kills any fleas or emerging fleas.

When I've mentioned this to other people, they've all looked at me like I was crazy. All I can say is it worked fabulously; I only used it once, the fleas never came back & I never found any in the carpet or furniture. I stayed with a friend once who had fleas in his house, & you KNOW when you have fleas. (My cats are all indoors-only, but I did use to walk my original two on leashes outside - still no fleas.)

Good luck!

 

[lupinfarm]

Lupin, I haven't ever heard good things about flea collars actually doing the job, but, as you have them, you might as well give them a try. Two caveats though - if the collars do not have a "break-away" feature they can be extremely dangerous, especially if your cats go outside. But even inside kitties have been strangled by getting their collar caught on something, and no one noticing until too late. Also, flea collars often tend to cause bald spots about the neck - though I can't say if that is the collar itself, or the chemicals. I fancy it is the latter as I have only heard about it in connection with flea collars, and not collars in general. Personally I would never use them for my cats.

Accio wears a collar anyway which isn't break away and I've never had a problem, but he's not a climber either lol. Like at all. Fang and Cruick don't normally wear collars, these flea collars have a slip so if you pull they'll just come undone. So I guess quick release.

 

[ORChick]

I just came acros this article, which may have some tips you can use:

http://www.richsoil.com/flea-control.jsp