FLEAS!

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doombuggy

doombuggy

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UGH! I apparently have fleas. Not Cedric, as he got some Advantage Multi on 7/29. I have some bites around my ankles, a couple farther up my calf and one near my knee. I am so PO'd!!! I don't think this has anything to do with my attempt to rescue Dallas the stray on Friday 7/29, otherwise I would have seen them sooner, right? I just started to notice them on Saturday 8/6. Either early Friday evening or early Saturday morning, I brought in a litter box that a friend loaned me for Dallas. It has been sitting in my trunk for a week since I failed at rescuing him. I took it out of the trunk and put it in my foyer. She has 4 cats and I know she has had flea problems in the past.

Do you think the fleas could have lived in my car all week w/o food and survived? I can't think of anything else to "blame" for these. I have been feeding this stray cat for about a month, and while I have petted him a little (and assume he has fleas), this past Saturday was the first time I saw bites in 30 years on my person. I feed the cat thru the slider, so if I was getting fleas from him, they'd hit my arms.

Needless to say, Cedric will have to come to work with me tomorrow so I can fogg the freaking house! I will save the garage & car for when we get home but as he would say - WTM?! [what the meow?!]

What are your thoughts? I lay in bed itching last night and wondering if they were there with me!
 
Actually the answer to that is YES! Flea Larvae feed off of dead skin cells, and other organic debris in things like carpet, so if your trunk is carpeted it is very possible that is where they came from.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Flea eggs can stay viable for a year. They could have been in your carpet for a year. They could have been on the items from your friend that got introduced into the house.

Lana
 
I changed the sheets Saturday am before my friend and I went to Kennedy Space Center. I looked this morning when I got up and saw nothing, but.....
I have had the car for 3 years, but the house is new construction and the carpets were cleaned in March the day I signed the closing papers. It's pointing to that strange litter box she loaned me. It's in the garage after I sprayed the heck out of it yesterday with some flea spray I bought for the garage.

http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Garde ... ogId=10053

anyone ever try these foggers? Like I said, it's been since the late 70s since we had a flea problem!
 
Sorry to hear Jesse,
Strangely fleas only like certain people....it's true! When I move to Ca from NY I was a prime target. I would be the ONLY person in the house getting biten. I swear the fleas would leave an animal and prefer to dine on me. It was AWFUL! Now that I've been here for 30 years I am yesterdays news and flea's are not so attracted to me.
Funny, all summer long Tom has also been impervious to fleas. Tom is highly alergic to flea bites. I have had to keep him treated year long since I've had him...now, he never gets fleas...they just don't like him anymore!!!!! YAY! that is why i offered you some frontline.

So, I have had your nightmare. I have suffered. I have hid my legs in summer time from the freaky amount of bites.
If you want the frontline I can set you up hon.

Lori
 
hey Lori: when I took Cedric in that Friday to get his Feline Leuk shot, I bought the advantage multi since the BioSpot that I usually use leaves him greasy for a week. this only left him greasy for a day. Since we have mosquitos here, he needs some protection from them, especially after I get this porch screened.

I guess i'll be setting off the foggers when I leave with him tomorrow am, then I will go home mid-day to turn off A/C and open the windows to ventilate. :-x
 
Ugh. I had this problem in my old place--my old roommate refused to treat her cats fleas and by the time I eventually got fed up and just treated them for her we had fleas in our carpet.

I would keep your cat(s) on flea medicine for a while (I like Frontline plus--it kills the eggs, too), and get something to kill the fleas in your carpet. I used Borax (it's in the laundry section at the store). Here's a good website that explains how to do it: http://www.stopdogitching.com/borax-for-fleas.html
 
Thanks for the link, Julia. While i don't have the time or patience for the Boarx in an 1855 sq ft home, I did try to get the Zodiac foggers they recommended. Pet Sumpermarket was out of them, so I reverted to the Hot Spot foggers. I set off 5 of them this am and brought cedric to work with me. I'll go home around 2 to open the place up. I have been debating about putting the car in the garage when I set the last one off, but I think I might just use the spray in the car instead.

the lady at Pet Supermarket said that it is possible that some flea eggs fell off Dallas during my failed resuce attempt, tthey hatched a few days later and will multiply. While I don't hink they are in my bed, I *may* have found one last night on the comforter (got flushed). I did strip the bed, left the comforter on the bed, pillows in their cases, sheets laying over the side of the tub int he ensuite BA.

Keep your fingers crossed that this does the trick. :smile:
 
Good for you for treating your home. So many people think if you treat the pet, fleas should be gone! They live in carpeting and unless you kill the eggs and larvae the problem will continue. They normally don't like humans, so if they're jumping on you, it's because Cedric was treated and no longer tasty! They only get on humans when they are very hungry.

It is hard to say how they travelled. I found a flea on a co-worker the other day! Her mother-in-law has a dog and we suspect it came from her house.

Someone here said a good way to see if you have fleas is set up a large bowl of water under a lamp, leave the lamp on overnight and see if there are any in the water the next morning. Apparently they are attracted to the heat of the bulb, jump and fall in the water!
 
neat trick! When i go home I will be sure to spray the carpet downstairs with the other spray I bought, then vaccume when we get home. Trash day is thursday.
 
Hello all. I haven't posted in ages b/c my baby, Flo (who turned 20 last month!), has been OTJ for several years now, but I'm in flea hell (vet says it's the worst flea season she's ever seen), and at a loss. Only 3-4 live fleas per cat, despite using Frontline Plus monthly. I thought I had them licked after bombing, vacuuming, laundering, bleaching, combing, re-applying FP, replacing 60 pounds of litter, etc.). But, alas, I found a couple live ones (happy and active, as opposed to the miserable, dying ones I'd seen before) on Flo, and the two boys are scratching and I got a bite or two. My vet says Revolution is the most effective product out there, however when I tried it a few years ago, it made one of my younger (6-ish?) cats really sick. Flo and the other boy did fine. I bought Advantage Multi and Revolution, thinking changing things up might do the trick, but I'm worried about using this stuff on Flo. She's pretty fragile now--her kidneys aren't great and gets sub Qs every night, plus Pepcid and Cypro to keep her eating. I tried keeping them all inside after bombing, but after 3 nights of no sleep and one of the boys sprayed a giant bag of freshly laundered linens and towels right in front of me, I gave up and let them out. Again, this isn't a massive infestation--just a couple fleas here and there. The bombs theoretically kill live fleas and screw up the lifecycle of the eggs and larvae, and is supposed to work for 7 months. It's been 1 week. Unfortunately, I have wall to wall carpeting in my place. I've been vacuuming every couple days. I guess my question is does anyone have experience with either Revolution or Advantage Multi on elderly, kidney-compromised cats? I think the anti-flea stuff in Advantage Multi is the same as in the regular Advantage (which didn't work years ago, which is why I switched to F+), but has additional chemicals to treat worms/mites, which she doesn't have, as far as I know. And if she does, it would be tapeworms from the fleas, and neither the Multi nor the Revolution treats tapeworms (which makes no sense to me). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
For non-toxic, environmental control, some folks have found food grade diatomaceous earth a useful deterrent/pesticide. The shells from the diatoms cut the soft areas of the fleas, discouraging or killing them. Placed in soil, it will kill earthworms and beneficial insects, so use judiciously. Breathing in the dust is not recommended - sharpish stuff in the lungs is not good for them, obviously. It can be given in food to reduce GI parasites (used in feral colonies for this).

If you like floweres in the mum family - chrysanthemum, marigold - they contain a form of pyrethrins, an insecticide/deterrent. Plant liberally around the home for a natural barrier effect. Use dried petals like mothballs with stored clothing.
 
Hello and thanks for the reply! I looked into diatomaceous earth, but it looked like I'd have to keep the cats out of the apt. for a few days, which isn't an option. I looked into fleabusters (which I think is similar to Borax), but they don't service my area. I think vacuuming daily or every other day will keep the apt. pretty well controlled. I'm looking for something to use on the cats that actually works, and won't hurt them.
 
Throw out the vacuum cleaner bags!!!

Hi to all with this problem, and, of course, all your precious furries,

Been there. Done that. Feel for anyone going through it!

Fleas can live and procreate in vacuum cleaner bags for weeks. And, thus, find their way out... You must wrap the vacuum bag in a plastic bag tightly sealed and immediately throw it out. Otherwise, they'll keep returning. Yes, it's going to cost you a new bag every time you vacuum for a while; but, if you want them gone, that's what you have to do.

I first moved to NJ in mid-November in the mid 80's with my two civvies, Sasha and her son Miguel. By early January, I noticed Miguel, a big handsome tux, was licking his belly raw. Immediately took him to his vet. Vet immediately said, Flea Bite Response. Immediately started scratching while saying, How can that be?! He's always been an indoor cat! Vet said, Was there a dog in your apartment before you moved in? Replied, I don't know, but will find out. Took Miguel home with some kind of salve for his then white, pink, and partly red tummy.

Went home and asked my upstairs neighbor. Oh yes, she replied, a doberman. Great...

That's how long fleas lived in my apartment.

Made the appointment to have both cats dipped -- they dipped in those days. Bought some foggers from the vet. While they were being dipped did everything he told me to do, which was daunting! Vacuum everything, I'm talking walls, floors, upholstered furniture, mattress, you name it -- and take the vac bag and seal it in a trash bag and throw it out. Strip all bedding (including mattress pad and pillow protectors), curtains, fabric stuff, and put them in plastic bags; and then wash everything. Take all seat cushions off the couch and chair and lean them against both. Take the mattress off the bed and lean it against a wall. Take pillows off the box springs and lean them somewhere else. Leave all closet doors open and all windows closed. Set off the bombs and run like hell.

I really like this vet. He can never retire.

So there I was with a lot of plastic garbage bags filled with linens and curtains and stuff sitting on my front step. Set off the bombs and ran like hell.

Threw the hermetically sealed vac bag in the dumpster. Threw the hermetically sealed laundry in the trunk of my car. Drove to the laundromat and did the laundry. Threw the plastic bags in the trash. Had fresh bags to put the clean laundry in -- very important to remember... Put the clean laundry in the clean bags in the back seat of my car. Drove home and opened the windows while trying to hold my breath... Okay, so sometimes I had to run outside to breathe... Grabbed the laundry and threw it wherever I had energy, which was waning...

Drove to the vet and picked up Sasha and Miguel, who were still a bit damp. Drove home and went in to close the windows. It was like Ice Station Zebra in that apartment. Remember, it was January... Went back out and sat in the car with the cats and the heater on for quite a while waiting for the apartment to warm up. Eventually, got them inside. Washed all their food and water bowls, and, of course, their litter box (forgot to mention that part -- always dump the litter and start fresh post-bombing...), put in fresh litter, fed them, put the cushions and their freshly cleaned blankies back on the couch, remade my bed, and collapsed on it.




Flash forward about three years. I had sadly lost my Miguel about about two years before. Two weeks to the day after I lost my beautiful Sasha, my co-workers decided what my shattered heart needed most was a tiny, 8-week-young, black, sea-green eyed, furry hellion who became Gizmo.

Guess what? Giz came equipped with fleas... Lots and lots of fleas. She actually had to be double-dipped. Vet said he'd never seen so many fleas on any cat, much less a tiny kitten.

But, hey, at least it was June! Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor and irony?



I feel for you all... Eat your Wheaties!

Much love and countless itch-free hugs,
Deb and Nikki (i came clean, didn't i, mommy? Yes, Nikki, you did, and I will forever be grateful for that!) -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...

PS: To Karen and Flo -- Go Flo!!! To Doombuggy and Cedric -- Does Cedric get benefits when he goes to work? You know, like medical and workcat's comp?
 
Deb, you're too adorable! I'll give you a pile of money for your vet. Mine stink (there are a few in the practice). I did pretty much everything you did, except I left the clothes and stuff inside to get bombed, then laundered everything (after which Ollie promptly sprayed the bag-o-clean stuff). Left down comforters and naked pillows out to get bombed, then laundered (well, comforters are still in my trunk waiting to be taken to the laundromat). The vacuum cleaner is a bit of an issue because I have a Dyson. I take it outside, wrap in a bag to empty, seal bag and put in outside garbage. I can wash the canister, but not the inside core thingy to which the canister attaches. I can wipe it off, but can't get it wet. And no matter how much I wipe and knock it against stuff, it's perpetually filled with dust, which, I assume, means flea eggs. I'm hoping they're dead flea eggs b/c of the bombing, but who knows? Anyhoo, I'm just trying to figure out what topical poison to put on the cats. Aargh.

p.s. So sorry about Miguel....
 
I owned a Fleabuster business for over 15 years and we serviced the area around San Francisco and a couple of things pop out.

New house and construction .... digs up fleas and then they move into the new homes :) I would say 1/4 of our business was new houses and people who were doing construction.

If you use flea bombs, you need to redo in 2 weeks because there are 2 stages of the flea that the chemical will not kill but in 2 wks. they will be in a stage you can kill. I would say 99% you got them from the construction, which means they are still in the environment ..... they hop on people as they go in and out.

One thing about using the fleabuster powder is it stays in the carpets and the fleas that are brought in cannot actually live in a house that has been fleabusted. If not serving your area, the powder is online and not that hard to use. One nice thing about the powder is it is totally safe and everyone can stay in the house when applying, just not in the room doing.

Vacuuming will remove the adult fleas (only about 5-10%) BUT once in the bag they are still alive .... and will come back out when you are done. Either change your bag each time or take out and put in a plastic bag until next time, don't put anything in the bag (like powder or something) it will go into the air and you will breathe.

diatomaceous earth is not good to use because it will not stay around long enough and you really don't want to breathe it .... if the jagged edges cut the fleas, think of what they do to you lungs .....

Good luck, fleas are tough because fleas can live almost forever in the egg stage with no food or water. There was a house in SAcramento years ago that was boarded up for 15 years. It was sold and when people went in for the first time ..... fleas jumped on everyone, chasing them out of the house!
 
Re: Throw out the vacuum cleaner bags!!!

Deb415andNikki said:
To Doombuggy and Cedric -- Does Cedric get benefits when he goes to work? You know, like medical and workcat's comp?
Click to expand...

Well.....he really likes hanging out here, but he doesn't get much nap time in. Anytime he has come in for the whole day, he's pretty tuckered out when we get home. There isn't a place that he can really nap here. and only 1 window. One day the neighborhood stray came around and made Cedric so mad! It was a day he was here for a curve and I got some mad, b/c it was about 20 minites before I was going to check his BG!

His best "benefit" was chasing the "skink" that he found here. Our bookkeeper freaked out (it's a type of tiny lizard).
 
Dear Karen, and, of course, you too, wondrous Flo -- and naughty Ollie,

My multi-generations-of-cats, Vet wants to retire; but, he knows I won't let him. We compromised. He plays golf on Wednesdays...

Karen and Flo said:
The vacuum cleaner is a bit of an issue because I have a Dyson. I take it outside, wrap in a bag to empty, seal bag and put in outside garbage. I can wash the canister, but not the inside core thingy to which the canister attaches. I can wipe it off, but can't get it wet. And no matter how much I wipe and knock it against stuff, it's perpetually filled with dust, which, I assume, means flea eggs. I'm hoping they're dead flea eggs b/c of the bombing, but who knows?
Click to expand...
Ahhh, a Dyson. I'm a Kenmore girl...

Here's a thought, okay? Can you use a blow dryer on that inside core thingy? I mean, put it outside near a plug and blast the stuck-on dust into yet another trash bag... Do you think that might work? Or, perhaps use some kind of skinny brush, you know like a bottle brush?



Please tell Flo she's adorable with her blankie -- and that green is definitely her color.

Please tell Ollie, hmmm... Well, I'm guessing you already told him...

Love and hugs for you all,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...

PS: Thank you for your kind words...
 
Re: Throw out the vacuum cleaner bags!!!

Dear Doombuggy, and, of course, you too, Cedric who thinks he's a dog,

doombuggy said:
One day the neighborhood stray came around and made Cedric so mad! It was a day he was here for a curve and I got some mad, b/c it was about 20 minites before I was going to check his BG!
Click to expand...
Of course. Cats... Sheesh...

doombuggy said:
His best "benefit" was chasing the "skink" that he found here. Our bookkeeper freaked out (it's a type of tiny lizard).
Click to expand...
That's definitely a benefit!

Love and silly hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...

PS: Just exactly how tiny?
 
Dear Nancy, and, of course, you too, sweet Payne,

Nancy and Payne said:
Good luck, fleas are tough because fleas can live almost forever in the egg stage with no food or water. There was a house in SAcramento years ago that was boarded up for 15 years. It was sold and when people went in for the first time ..... fleas jumped on everyone, chasing them out of the house!
Click to expand...
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

Love and itchy hugs for you both,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...




PS: I just can't resist... Who Ya Gonna Call, FLEABUSTERS! My apologies...
 
S: I just can't resist... Who Ya Gonna Call, FLEABUSTERS! My apologies..
Click to expand...

fleabusters thanks you for the publicity! in fact that was written on the side of our trucks!! and no apologies needed :) :lol: I loved the business and we had a 99.9% success rate and it was totally natural and safe, in fact that's how I sold it.

The thing about flea eggs is they are encased in a hard outer covering but one that is VERY sensitive to the outside goings on. That is why the house in Sacramento was so bad .... the infestation had built up and then left. When food (humans) started coming in the fleas sensed the food and started hatching. We had two guys in hazmat suits doing the service and they were still covered with bites!

Also, cannot drown fleas. So if anyone puts down the drain, once the water is turned off .... they come right back up! Put some detergent in the drain .... soap DOES kill them!
 
I tried to get Fleabusters to treat my place, but no luck. Doing it myself with wall-to-wall carpeting was just too daunting. As for my Dyson--with the wtw carpeting, 3 cats, and my big/long hair, it seemed the best option. Of course I didn't have fleas in mind when I bought it. I like the hair dryer idea, but frankly, I think thwacking it against the air conditioning unit outside works better. I wish I could take a power-washing hose to it, but no such luck. Vacuuming/laundering again, and hoping for the best. The last thing poor little Flo needs is for fleas to suck out the little blood she has left (her kidney disease makes her anemic). I've washed the cat beds so many times in the last few weeks, that I had to stitch one of them back together!
 
I didn't read through this entire thread, so sorry in advance if someone already suggested Fleabusters. That's the only thing that worked for my mom's house. We tried bombs only to have them come back when the eggs hatched in the next cycle. Fleabusters can be done with people and cats in the home because it's non-toxic. I highly suggest this method.
 
Simple flea remedy: Borax laundry soap - dry. Sprinkle it on the carpet (trunk of your car.) Leave it for a few minutes and vacuum it up. (If in the house, I'd keep kitties out until you vacuum it up.)

The crystals in the Borax disolve the fleas, they can't survive it. I've never had any adverse reaction from my cats from using it on carpets either. If it's a problems in your bed, remove all sheets, mattress pad, etc. Sprinkle on mattress, around bindings, vacuum it up. Fleas gone. I've never had a recurrance after the Borax.
 
Do NOT use Revolution! DANGER!

I just have to jump in, I am completely convinced my beloved Hummer died as a result of Revolution! rb_icon My vet doesn't even carry it anymore. And Pfizer is a huge part of our town! cat(2)_steam

Here is the prescribing info. http://animalhealth.pfizer.com/site...fo or Package Inserts/US_EN_REVOLUTION_PI.pdf

Note it states not to apply to sick, old, debilitated cats. I think it should be removed from the market! :-x

Thank you,
Theresa and Christian, who misses Hummer like I do, and will never come close to Revolution!
 
are you sure it's fleas? Might it possibly be bed bugs? They bite in groups around the body too and you may or may not see evidence of them on your sheets or mattress.

before jumping to conclusions, you may want to get an exterminator (who handles bed bugs) to come out and look and test, just to be sure what you are dealing with.

unless of course, you have seen the fleas biting you, then disregard this post....
 
Well, the kitty gods are smiling upon me, because I DID use Revolution on the two cats (including Flo) who were okay with it a few years ago, and they're both fine. I used Advantage Multi on Ollie, who had the bad reaction to Revolution, and he's fine. I am certain they are fleas. I am still only seeing 3-4 a day per cat, and they're slow moving enough that I can squash them in half with my thumbnail. I'm convinced I'm just gonna have to live with the few the kitties pick up when they go out, and hope the flea treatments kill them before they can lay eggs. I'll continue to vacuum and launder every other day. Anyone know anything about Vectra?

I hugely appreciate all the input.
 
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