Fleas

Status
Not open for further replies.
arozeboom

arozeboom

Member Since 2011
I think we might have a flea problem. Our girls are indoor only, with no direct access to other animals, other than a vet visit about 10 days ago. Over the weekend the husband and I both started getting bitten by something. Last night, what looks like a flea hopped from the sofa to my arm.

I have a load of questions...
1) What is my best plan of attack?
2) Do I treat the girls first, then start a deep cleaning on the house?
3) what is the best way to treat them?
4) Do I need to worry about any treatments messing with Ruby's glucose levels (she's OTJ)?
5) Once treated, can they get fleas again, anytime soon?
6) Is washing all of the bedding and vacuuming the bajeezus out of the carpet and sofas enough?
7) How do I use diatomaceous earth? Should I put some between the mattress and fitted sheet?
8) Should I put some DE on the outside of the entry doors or is that a waste?
9) Could these little monsters have hitched a ride in from the family of bunnies who live under our front porch (they've been there for at least 7 years)?
10) WHEN DOES THE ITCHING STOP!? :shock:

I've had cats for 25 years and have never had fleas before.

I appreciate any help and suggestions!
Thanks!
Amy & Ruby
 
The eggs may lie dormant in any soft furnishings for months. Vibrations from a vacuum may trigger them to hatch.

For the furniture/carpet, there are spray products at most pet stores. Vigilant vacuuming with a flea collar in the bat, diatomaceous earth, and powdered borax (where the cats cannot reach it) are some mildly helpful tactics. Layering several mild approaches together may be effective. Flea bombs work, but food, water, and everything living has to be out of the room, there cannot be anything stacked in the way of papers or clothes, and a residue is left on everything

For the cats, there are new long lasting collars, Capstar (daily kill tablets which help for fast relief or resistance to the preventatives), and monthly preventative/treatment spot ons (Frontline Plus no longer works in my area of Columbus, OH; having better luck with Advantage II) and flea sprays and baths.

What my shelter does on intake is Capstar, plus the Frontline Plus. They give a dewormer too, as fleas carry tapeworms. FDA-approved praziquantal for tapeworms is available over the counter now, as tape worm tabs (check our shopping partner, Amazon). The 'treat' version is not FDA approved.
 
arozeboom said:
I think we might have a flea problem. Our girls are indoor only, with no direct access to other animals, other than a vet visit about 10 days ago. Over the weekend the husband and I both started getting bitten by something. Last night, what looks like a flea hopped from the sofa to my arm.

I have a load of questions... I will try to help :smile:
1) What is my best plan of attack? [b]For 'starters' I always used Capstar. It is a small pill and within a half hour, dead fleas will be 'falling off' of your kittehs. They will be acting a little goofy....meowing/running around/etc.....no worry...it is called the 'tickle effect'...fleas falling off of them. I have 7 kittehs....I find it kind of funny to watch. I use it on my sugarcat Rumpelteazer with no problems....but ECID you know.[/b]
2) Do I treat the girls first, then start a deep cleaning on the house? I would treat your girls and then get right to work on the house. FIRST thing....VACCUUM....Vaccuum.....Vaccuum. Empty bag/canister into trash bag (outside if possible) and immediately tie it up. Some people put a flea collar in the bag/canister as they are vacuuming. I have had good results using Raid Flea Spray before vacuuming. Never had any problems with my kittehs around it.
3) what is the best way to treat them?
4) Do I need to worry about any treatments messing with Ruby's glucose levels (she's OTJ)? I use Capstar like I mentioned above + monthly dose of Advantage II for cats (make sure you get the correct dose for weight of your kittehs) and I have not had any problems at all. Rumpelteazer was diagnosed in February and I use Advantage II on her every month.
5) Once treated, can they get fleas again, anytime soon? After using Capstar....just dose them with a monthly flea preventative (like Advantage II). I dose my kittehs every month all year round. They are all indoor-only and I could not for the life of me figure out how they got fleas. I had the whole house Terminixed inside & out a few years ago.....well.....low & behold.....I WAS THE ONE BRINGING THE LITTLE BUGGERS IN !!!!!!!!!!! My job requires that I walk through grass/other people's lawns.....the fleas were getting on my jeans and I was bringing them home. :roll:
6) Is washing all of the bedding and vacuuming the bajeezus out of the carpet and sofas enough? Washing bedding good idea + VACCUUM mattress/box spring/carpet/sofa/etc. I have found that once I 'capstar'd' + Advantage II'd + vacuumed everything .... AND ..... kept up with a monthly Advantage II dose.....everything was kept under control. It is important to use the monthly dose EVERY month.
7) How do I use diatomaceous earth? Should I put some between the mattress and fitted sheet? I tried this once years ago and found it to be sooooo messy and labor intensive.....won't ever use it again. I dumped what I had left outside around the perimeter of my house.
8) Should I put some DE on the outside of the entry doors or is that a waste? It would be a good thing to use OUTSIDE, but I found it too messy to use indoors.
9) Could these little monsters have hitched a ride in from the family of bunnies who live under our front porch (they've been there for at least 7 years)? See my response to #5 above. If you and/or anyone in the family is out in yard(s)/woods/etc. they could hitch a ride to your home.
10) WHEN DOES THE ITCHING STOP!? :shock: I am not sure about this one. Some humans are not bitten by fleas (if I remember correctly...something about carbon dioxide or something in the human's body....I would have to research the answer again). Luckily, I am one of those humans....never had a flea bite me at all. I suggest you treat any itchiness like you would have from a mosquito.

I've had cats for 25 years and have never had fleas before. I don't know where you live, but some years are very bad when it comes to fleas. I live in PA, and I remember a few years ago.....it was real bad...people that didn't even have animals had to deal with flea bites and some in their homes. Like I mentioned before, the little devils will hitch a ride on your pants/shoes/etc. when you are outside in the grass.

I appreciate any help and suggestions!
Thanks!
Amy & Ruby
Click to expand...

Hope I helped you out. BTW...you can get Capstar from your vet....I buy my Capstar (no prescription needed) + Advantage II online from Drs' Foster&Ssmith. They have good prices. But looks like you can't wait for items to be shipped, so check with your vet for Capstar. For years I used Frontline+ from my vet for monthly doses, but I found that Advantage II works better. Wishing you much luck. VACCUUM>>>>VACCUM>>>>VACCUUM !!!! :roll: :smile:
 
Thanks! I'm going to call the vet as soon as they open and see what they recommend as well. I'm going to start the obsessive vacuuming as soon as I get home tonight. I want to avoid as many noxious chemicals as I can, but I also want the little monsters out of my house. Neither of them tolerate wearing collars, so that idea probably won't work.

How long does this "ticket effect" last? It sounds awful. I also worry about allergic reactions to the treatments. How can you tell if its allergic or tickle?
 
Has anyone had experience with KnockOut Spray?

Our vet is recommending treating them with Advantage Multi today, vacuuming the heck out of the house, washing everything that can be washed, then spraying down the sofas, carpet, & curtains with KnockOut. They said to then not vacuum for another week, in order to give the KnockOut a chance to work.
 
arozeboom said:
Thanks! I'm going to call the vet as soon as they open and see what they recommend as well. I'm going to start the obsessive vacuuming as soon as I get home tonight. I want to avoid as many noxious chemicals as I can, but I also want the little monsters out of my house. Neither of them tolerate wearing collars, so that idea probably won't work.

How long does this "ticket effect" last? It sounds awful. I also worry about allergic reactions to the treatments. How can you tell if its allergic or tickle?
Click to expand...


The 'tickle effect' only lasts about 1/2 hour. It is just the Capstar killing ALL ADULT fleas that are on your kittehs at once and them 'falling off'. It isn't as awful as it sounds....I imagine they 'feel' the movement of the fleas dying/falling off. If you didn't know about it, you would really panic thinking that kitteh was going crazy or something. :smile: It is safe to use on a daily basis if necessary, since it only kills adult fleas that are ON the animal. It is best to start the Advantage II or Frontline+ type monthly treatment right after the Capstar. Capstar can be used at the same time as the monthly treatments, so you can dose with the Advantage II/Frontline+ (whatever brand you are going to use) right away because these types kill the adult fleas + eggs + larve.

IMHO....I found that Advantage II works best when applied monthly because it actually KILLS any fleas that may jump back on your pet + any eggs/larve that the fleas lay.

I am sure your vet will be able to give you the best advice regarding any allergic/medical type issues with Capstar. I have been using it for many many years at various times on my kittehs without any problems.

I hear ya about wearing flea collars. :lol: They don't seem to work very well anyway.

Best of luck....I hope I helped. :smile:
 
I haven't been able to find any of the little buggers on the cats, just the one on me last night. The husband and I both have bites, though.
Our vet is recommending monthly treatment with Advantage Multi and treating the carpet & furniture with something called KnockOut.
 
Do you have a flea comb to run through the cats fur, to comb out any evidence of flea eggs? Do you see any flea dirt on the cats?
 
Deb & Wink said:
Do you have a flea comb to run through the cats fur, to comb out any evidence of flea eggs? Do you see any flea dirt on the cats?
Click to expand...

I'm going to pick up a comb when I pick up the rest of the stuff today and will comb them both before I go crazy with the treatments.

I did notice, before the bites showed up on me & the hubs, that both of them were scratching a bit more than normal.
 
Long ago, in another life, I had a flea infestation in my house. I used some soft of Insect growth inhibitor spray made to prevent the flea larvae from growing into adults. The Knockout sounds like it is something similar.

When you comb through the fur with the flea comb, have a cup of water with a little drop of dish detergent in it nearby. Drop any fur, with possible flea eggs, teensy tiny whitish rounds, into the water. The detergent breaks the surface tension of the water and will sink the eggs to the bottom of the container where they will drown. You'll probably want to use some sort of disposable container for this, maybe an old plastic or glass jar.
 
I know what you are going through. I had a bad infestation last year. I agree don't use the DE indoors. It is too messy. Shampooing the carpets before treating also helps. What the vacumm does not pick up, the rug shampooer can get. Also look for flea spray or powder that prevents eggs from hatching. Or in a few weeks you will have to treat everything again.
 
We've been talking about replacing the carpet. Maybe I can use this as a way to convince him that it's time! :lol:
 
We're lucky that the fleas haven't hit us yet, but I can already tell by the weather that this will be a flea season for sure. :sad:

Has anyone heard of Revolution? That's the Frontline/Advantage-type product my vet shills. Comparable, better, worse?

My brother has also been asking me about using nematodes in our garden. Anyone ever use these? How about food-grade Diatomaceous Earth?
 
lots of fleas now are resistant to Frontline and Advantage. My friends cat is severely flea bite allergic and is giving her cats Confortis now. its a crumbly big pill, like a wafer almost.

Flea collars only use is in vacuum bags/canisters. Dump vacuum as soon as done.

The benefit of Revolution is that it is also a heartworm preventive if you live in an area where it is likely.
 
I bought some food grade diatomaceous earth to put outside of our entry doors. The vet said to not bother with it indoors because its so messy.
 
Diatomaceous earth is the exoskeleton of diatoms, small sea creatures. Its like silica - slices through the flea skeleton. It is very powder like, less is more, there are applicators to lightly puff it where you want it (ex. places without a lot of foot traffic)

It will kill earthworms, so be careful where you put it with respect to plants needing aerated soil.

Other outside aids - marigolds and other members of the mum family contain natural pyrethrins which act as a deterent. Many pesticides use concentrated pyrethrins.
 
I've confirmed that Ruby definitely does have some. I couldn't't tell on Midgie but assume she does.

I've applied the Advantage Multi and started cleaning.

Next question is, now that the Advantage has been applied, how long will there be fleas on her? Do I need to keep her off of the bed while they jump ship? She always sleeps with me. I know what they're off of her, they won't get back on for a while but do I need to worry about them getting back in the bed, after I've changed out the bedding?
 
I use Revolution. It's a good product.

In addition to giving a flea treatment - which ever one your vet suggests.

You need to get drontal tablets - which is a pill that you give twice - it will kill any internal worms resulting from ingesting flea and flea larvae.

Also, I suggest you shampoo the cats. Yes, you heard me. Shampoo them. You can use a flea shampoo such as Adams -

Directions: Thoroughly soak animal with warm water taking 2-3 minutes to wet hair. Apply on head and ears and lather, and then repeat procedure with neck, chest, middle and hindquarters, finishing legs last. Let animal stand 3-5 minutes (this is an important part of the grooming procedure), then rinse animal thoroughly. For extremely dirty or scaly animals, the above procedure may be repeated.

Topical treatments can take up to 24 hours to dry. Refraining from bathing your pet during this time is recommended. If you do choose to bathe your animal prior to adding topical products, wait until your pet is completely dry to apply the product.

The way I did it, was to go into the shower with my cats (one at a time), I have a door to my shower so they can't get out, then I followed the above directions and while they cat was "standing" I used a flea comb and got lots of fleas that were jumping off the cat and smashed them.

If you don't want to buy flea shampoo, you can do this instead:

Wash him instantly with Dawn dish soap. Oils in Dawn suffocate fleas. Suds up the neck first to keep the fleas from reaching your dog's face.

Once the entire dog's body is covered in suds, let the dog sit for five minutes before rinsing. During this time, you can use a flea comb or blunt tweezers to remove any fleas that managed to reach the dog's ears, nose or eyes.

Once the dog is rinsed, towel dry him and use the flea comb to remove fleas, if there are any, that survived the shampoo. Dawn is very effective on cats and dogs and even if it is accidentally ingested, it's not toxic. Indigestion is the worst case scenario.

There are also homemade flea recipes, but they seem like a lot of work. Using Dawn and your own shampoo or body (or even baby shampoo) is an effective and easy to way to handle this. Of course, bathing the cat can be dangerous to you! ;-)

They loved the after part, drying, brushing and using the hair dryer - yes Maui loves the hair dryer!

Luckily I only needed to shampoo them once, as we got all the buggers. But if not, you can repeat the shampoo process.....if you dare.
 
Thanks to everyone for all of the great information! It's been very helpful.

Another question...now that we got them leaving the cats, how do we keep them from migrating to me & the husband? Will the homemade sprays made with things like lavender or peppermint oils work? I don't want to go with the commercial bug repellents (like "Off" or other stuff you take on camping trips). Also, can I spray this on our bed to discourage them from setting up camp there? I don't want to spray the "KnockOut" on it.

Thanks again,
Amy
 
Well, what I did was spray one of those disposable bed pads with the kill spray, then set it sprayed side down on the bed (so the cats could lie on it but not be directly exposed) until I wanted to go to sleep. Then I'd set it aside while using the bed.
 
My indoor only kitties somehow managed to get fleas back in 2007. I freaked out, of course. I absolutely hate to use chemicals, especially around the cats.

But I didn't have to resort to sprays, shampoos, etc. If you choose to use these products, please be very careful, a mixture of too many flea products can be toxic to your cats. Actually I think they tell you NOT to use other flea products or shampoos on your cat if you use a topical treatment like Advantage or Frontline.

Here is what worked for me-
I immediately put Advantage on both cats. You could see the dead fleas start to drop off shortly after application. Then I thoroughly vacuumed every inch of the house, including furniture, and washed what I could. That's it (it was a lot of work actually). The Advantage will continue any fleas you miss. No shampoos, or sprays needed.
 
From what I have read....the Advantage Multi also does a number on any worms that may be inside of your kitty. Fleas can cause worms to develop. However, I don't believe it kills the flea eggs/larve like Advantage II does. Advantage II also keeps the fleas+eggs+larve off your kitty during it's dose period...one month.

If the eggs/larve are not 'killed' adult fleas will continue to be around.
 
I applied the Advantage yesterday and don't plan on spraying or bathing them unless advised by our vet. The KnockOut spray I mentioned is for the furniture and carpet.

Just for fun I put a couple of drops of pure peppermint oil on my ankles and wrists. I'm hoping that might keep any creepers off of me while I go onto Phase 2 of the deep clean today.

I still haven't found any actual fleas (live or dead) on the girls themselves. Just their dirt (it streaked red when I put it in water). The was one live one on me two nights ago, the husband had one last night, and then 4 live ones on our bed (eeks!).
 
uh, I am very very surprised you are finding live ones on your bed. They bite people sure, but they die without a host, and people don't have much hair to live in.

I am sure you know what a flea looks like, but make sure the ones near your bed are fleas and not bedbugs. Bedbugs bite too. and Bedbugs do not mean you are "dirty". You can pick them up at movie theaters, airplanes, hotels, stores...if someone who has them in their home sat in the same place you did. They also live on hosts blood.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation
http://www.bedbugnewyorkcity.com/images/bed-bugs-life-cycle.jpg
 
Ru spends a good chunk of her days camped out on the bed. I only found them after I applied the Advantage, while she was laying right there. And they are definitely fleas. They weren't under the covers or on the mattress, just on top of the sheet she was lying on, right next to her.
 
And it looked like fleas not bed bugs? Just to be sure you know....eradicating bed bugs is a lot more work than eradicating fleas....been there done both! :YMSIGH:
 
Yup. I'm 100% sure they are fleas. I watched the first one I saw jump about 8 inches from the arm of the sofa onto my arm. Bed bugs don't jump. And I know what they both look like.
 
ok, that's a relief!
My coworker had to deal with bedbugs and he had to throw everything away that was wood (eggs can be in wood) and computer (can lay eggs in computer) mainly because he was going to live with friend after infested apt. Didn't help that building management knew and hadn't done anything about it and didn't want to give him his deposit back.
In honor of the battle he got a bedbug tattoo ;)
 
Lisa and Merlyn (GA) said:
I am sure you know what a flea looks like, but make sure the ones near your bed are fleas and not bedbugs. Bedbugs bite too. and Bedbugs do not mean you are "dirty". You can pick them up at movie theaters, airplanes, hotels, stores...if someone who has them in their home sat in the same place you did. They also live on hosts blood.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation
http://www.bedbugnewyorkcity.com/images/bed-bugs-life-cycle.jpg
Click to expand...

Ugh! When I used to travel all the time for work, I used to have to keep my suitcase in a plastic bag in the garage and kept basically two of everything else: one for home and one for the road. All so I wouldn't accidentally pick up some unwanted hitch-hikers!
 
So far it looks like things might be under control (at least for now). I'm letting my guard down though.

Another question:
Can flea bites make arthritis symptoms worse in cats?
 
Perhaps the extra contorting to lick and bite at the fleas and bites is aggravating the arthritis?
 
It's probably a complete fluke. I noticed yesterday, when she first gets up from napping on the bed, she's got a bit of a limp. It works itself out pretty quickly. She's been on Dasaquan since November, but I can't say I've seen any improvement. She's an overgroomer (has been for years) so she's often contorted into wacky positions.

I've had a box next to the bed that she uses to hop up and down there, but I'm going to look into a ramp. Before long I'm going to have to seriously think about adding another litterbox so she doesn't need to go to the basement.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top