sleeping with fur kids and their.... fleas

[mimitabby]

hey, anyone have some good tips for this??

i have no carpet in my house. I Frontlined my cats right before i went on vacation.
(two weeks ago) - that means i can't give them more for 2 weeks!

I covered my bed with two sheets so the cats could sleep on the bed
while i was gone and not soil the bedding. (ha)

I came home last night; pulled those sheets, threw them in the laundry and went to bed. Woke up with several new flea bites.

This morning, I combed all cats; found no fleas on anyone and only one cat even had evidence of fleas..

I went out and got Program for all of them (which doesn't kill fleas but makes the fleas essentially sterile) and bought some spray junk. Meanwhile, ALL the bedding is going through the washer and dryer again.

any suggestions?

[Blueberry]

mimi-

Was there "flea dirt" on the sheets?? That's usually the best way to tell if there are truly fleas in the house. Looks like dirt - turns red when hit with water - actually flea eggs.

Odd...we've had good luck with frontline. Sorry to hear about it - just wondering whether it could possibly have been something other than a flea that bit you??

CA (owner of 4 fur kids, 2 feline and 2 canine)

[Zen]

can you give them a bath?
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb14/zencentury/LappinGwetcopy.jpg
I also used a product that I got from the vet called Siphotrol Plus II premise spray and another called Zodiac for carpet and upholstery.

That's a lot of chemistry I know, but sometimes that's what you gotta do.

[mimitabby]

I could give the three of them a bath, yes, but that would be traumatic.
The "flea dirt" was found on only one cat.

The sheets were pretty dirty that they slept on. I didn't wet it to test it before I threw it into the laundry. my cats like to roll in dirt.

Those chemicals sound impressive!

tell me about "premise spray"

I hate to spray the mattress i am going to sleep on!

[Brandi]

I could give the three of them a bath, yes, but that would be traumatic.
The "flea dirt" was found on only one cat.

The sheets were pretty dirty that they slept on. I didn't wet it to test it before I threw it into the laundry. my cats like to roll in dirt.

Those chemicals sound impressive!

tell me about "premise spray"

I hate to spray the mattress i am going to sleep on!
aaaahhhhhhh don't spray your mattress. and I would call your vet and ask if you can give them the frontline a little early. I know you can with advantage without hurting them. Were you gining it to them befor you went on your trip? Meaning is it your normal monthly routine to put it on them. Cause maybe there were a lot more fleas then you thought?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Mimi, be careful about putting too much pesticides on the cats- it can poison them. Try not to mix products like Frontline, flea shampoo, flea powder, and spray. If you already Frontlined them, then you don't want to add flea shampoo on them too- besides, then you won't know how much of the Frontline got washed away if you shampoo them.
You might try sprinkling just a LITTLE BIT of flea powder on the surfaces the flea-y cat sleeps on, but not on the cat in addition to the Frontline.

If you vacuum, remember that the eggs will be inside the vacuum bag where they might hatch. :eek: Mopping the floors will help pick up random eggs.

I'm guessing that your cats go outside. You can't avoid occasional fleas if they do.

[mimitabby]

when I told the vet i had frontlined 2 weeks ago, he shrugged his shoulders (meaning, nope, you can't give them more) I also had thought of that; that a shampoo would wash the frontline off.

The cats are VERY clean on their skin; as i mentioned i combed them and only one had a little of the flea cr@p on her. the other two came up VERY clean.

I don't think i have a lot of fleas in the house; RaleighdonSon slept upstairs the whole time we were gone, and he is a flea magnet and got no bites. The fleas were/are in my bed!

Since there's no carpet, there aren't too many places the varmints can hide, thank goodness!

yep, cats go outside. Using Program regularly (up to this year) i had really kept the population down... sigh... i forgot about it this year.

[salsabike]

I know this sounds unpleasant, but I've seen a lot of articles in the last year about the resurgence of bedbugs. You might want to google that to see if the bites bear any resemblance.

[mimitabby]

nope. not bedbugs.
lol. when we went to Rome 4 years ago, one of my sons not only saw a bedbug, but he got bitten by one. I was absolutely totallly freaked out by that, when they got home I confiscated all of their bags and clothing (they slept in a youth hostel) immediately. we were lucky; there were no bedbugs.
I have read everything i can about bedbugs; because you are right, they are coming back, slowly but surely.
we did not stay in any hotels on this trip, which helps to not get them too.

I'm pretty sure they're fleas, as one cat was scratching during the night and i have gotten lots of fleabites over the years..

argh now you have me thinking about bedbugs again.

[salsabike]

Auggh sorry! I'm kind of sorry I remembered the bedbug thing, myself.

Anyway, we use Frontline too. Humph. I thought that was magic four-week protection guaranteed. Oog.

[mimitabby]

and i googled bedbug bites and they DO NOT look like flea bites ... or the bites i am now sporting in various parts of my hide.
re bedbugs; they are starting to publish names of hotels where you SHOULD NEVER EVER STAY

[Python]

mimi-

Was there "flea dirt" on the sheets?? That's usually the best way to tell if there are truly fleas in the house. Looks like dirt - turns red when hit with water - actually flea eggs.

CA (owner of 4 fur kids, 2 feline and 2 canine)

That's actually flea dirt when they've sucked the blood in one end, it comes out the other end as flea dirt so when water goes on it, it turns red.

Frontline is good and here in the UK we can get Frontline Combo which kills fleas wherever the cat or dog goes (on the furniture, carpet etc.)

(Mum to 12 cats, 17 snakes and one dog)

There is also another very good product but I'm not sure if it is available in the USA and that is Stronghold.

Occasionally a stray flea has lodged somewhere and a nice, warm body promising a nice, tasty meal is too much temptation!

[makbike]

Okay, here is the speech I gave to clients when I worked in a small animal clinic.

First, treat all pets in the house. Frontline is good for one month so you need to be religioius about applying it on a monthly basis. Second, it is waterproof but this does not mean you should bathe your pets in flea shampoos and use the Frontline. If the Frontline is properly applied (directly to the skin and on the upper part of the cat's neck to prevent grooming) it should kill any fleas that are on your cats. That said, if you have a flea problem in your house the Frontline may not be able to do its job properly.

Flea eggs roll off your pets and settle into the carpet, the crevices of your floors and baseboards. Any place your pets goes will need to be treated. Flea bombs work great but remember what goes up must come down which means the contents of flea bombs can't get under "stuff" so you will need an area spray to get to those areas. Once you run your sweeper toss the bag and put a fresh on in your sweeper. Finally, once you have treated the house you will need to repeat the whole process 7 - 10 days after the initial treatment. Flea bombs/sprays can penetrate the egg and kill the adults but they can't get through the hard shell of the middle stage of development. These developing fleas will survive the initial chemical warfare and will hatch out the reason for the second application. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it is the only way you are going to break the cycle. One adult flea can easily produce 200+ young fleas and well you can do the math from there.

Finally, if your cats go outside you will need to treat your yard as well for there are fleas lounging in your beautiful lawn. Zodiac makes a good yard spray but be careful about allowing your cats outside too early once you treat the area. Follow the directions on the container and be very careful.

I hope this helps and more importantly I hope you get rid of the fleas which are now making themselves at home in your house.

[mimitabby]

thanks Marcie for all of your useful suggestions.


I am a little concerned about using insecticides in my yard because we have
quite an ecosystem of butterfly and bee welcoming plants.
(snirkle, snort, my beautiful lawn??? - not )

I always wonder if the frontline is going on correctly! I can see it and smell it for a day or two, and then it's "gone"

[makbike]

Mimi - when you apply the Frontline it is very important that it be applied directly to skin or it will not work. Frontline must be absorbed by the skin so it can be "wicked" across the body. If you simply apply it on top of the fur it will not work. It is not unusual for there to be a "gease spot" where it was applied but it should disappear within 24 hours. Make sure you part the fur and apply the entire amount in the tube. Do not bathe your pet 24 hours before you apply it or 24 hours after applying it or it will not be effective.

Hope this helps.

[LBTC]

If you vacuum, remember that the eggs will be inside the vacuum bag where they might hatch. :eek:

I've read the solution to this is to put one of those old fashioned flea collars in the bag. They'll kill the fleas there and prevent the vacuumed up ones from hatching.

Good luck! I don't wish this on anyone!

H&B
~T~

[indigoiis]

We use frontline.
But we don't allow the three cats, or the two dogs, to sleep in our bedrooms.

[redrhodie]

Here's a for-sure cure--don't let your cats outside. Some may think it's cruel to keep them inside, but my 2 indoor cats (15 and 16 years old) have never had a flee, a tick, been in a cat fight, killed a small animal or bird, or been hit by a car. I think they're healthier because they're indoor kitties.

[smilingcat]

Hi mimitabby,

You've applied frontline only two weeks ago and you see flea dirt, right?

Well I am very much involved with rescue groups and with my vet. So I see things and notice things that others may miss. The rescue groups and the vets have been noticing that the Advantage, and Frontline are becoming less effective against fleas. Fleas are developing tolerance to the two products. This DOES NOT allow you to use more Advantage or Frontline. "More is good" doesn not work.

The recommendation from the vets and from the rescue groups is to flea comb your pets more often and switch over to a different product. That is if you have been using Frontline for several years, you should try Advantage. Or if you have been using Advantage then try Frontline. If this does not help, you should try the newest of these drugs called Revolution. Revolution is good for fleas and it also works against heartworms.

As for the house itself with carpets, lot of good suggestion has been made. We don't really care for "toxic" chemicals so we use borax weekly on our carpet. Sprinkle the borax onto the carpet, leave it on for hour or two and vacume up. We empty our vacume canister after we vacume up. And we haven't had flea infestation on our carpet. Borax can be had at a grocery store in the laundry section.

We flea comb our cats minimum of twice per day. easiest way to do is have a bowl, non-tipping kind, filled with hot water with dishwater liquid. And when we pick up the fleas on the comb we just drop the fleas into the bowl. The detergent allows the fleas to sink into the water (less surface tension) and the soap also strips them of their protective waxy coat. And if the comb has cat hair on it, we throw the hair into the bowl of water too. so the whole process is faster. Just don't dunk the comb itself into the water. Our cats have learned that its a good thing and wait in line to be brushed.

I hope this helps.
Smilingcat

[mimitabby]

hi smilingcat, thanks for the informative post.
I do comb cats, but have not found a single flea on a cat this season.

this is what i figured out:

before i went on vacation i changed the sheets (and slept on them the night before we left) then i made the bed and put two more sheets on top.

I think i sealed the nasty little varmints into the bed!! so when i climbed back into the bed after my vacation, they were famished!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

the day after we returned, of course, i washed all the bedding but now there were fleas prob. around the bed.
combed all cats again. (heck, they like it)

I sprayed some Raid for Fleas under the bed but did not want to poison myself or the cats so i stripped the bed again and

i ironed the mattress
then put the bottom sheet on.
ironed it.
put the top sheet on
ironed it
put the blanket on
ironed it.

and last night i slept for 5 hours straight.

even fleas can't survive an iron set on HIGH.

[onimity]

Luckily fleas don't survive through the winter here, but FWIW, I bathe my (two feisty) cats weekly and they mind a lot less than you'd imagine. The key is that *you* stay calm, say things like 'GOOD cat', etc.; mine actually seem to like the warm water, a good deal warmer than I like it.

I sit in the tub with the target cat between my knees, don't hold them down but let them know that I am in charge. I've washed a lot of other people's cats too & have never had one so much as scratch me. Most people are surprised to see that a cat that will attempt to remove your arm upon a belly-scratching actually purring in a bathtub.

Anne

[mimitabby]

Luckily fleas don't survive through the winter here, but FWIW, I bathe my (two feisty) cats weekly and they mind a lot less than you'd imagine. The key is that *you* stay calm, say things like 'GOOD cat', etc.; mine actually seem to like the warm water, a good deal warmer than I like it.

I sit in the tub with the target cat between my knees, don't hold them down but let them know that I am in charge. I've washed a lot of other people's cats too & have never had one so much as scratch me. Most people are surprised to see that a cat that will attempt to remove your arm upon a belly-scratching actually purring in a bathtub.

Anne

You sit in the tub with the cat you are bathing??!?!?!?!?!?!
wow!

[Tuckervill]

We had a flea problem this summer that just exploded. It seemed to center around the dog and one cat. We use Frontline. I've heard on the news and at my vet's to put it on every 3 weeks because it does seem like the fleas are getting used to it. Once a month in winter is fine, though.

I did some research because I really wanted to stop the cycle of fleas. I don't like to use chemicals either, but this was desperate. We went to the feed store and bought a product with Nylar in it, which is an insect growth retardant. It kills the larvae and the eggs. We also used a product called Viper which kills adult fleas. We vacuumed first, then we used the Viper on all parts of the inside of our house. Then we used both the Viper and the Nylar on the yard where the animals mostly go. There was one particular place under the azaleas that the dog and one cat liked to dig a hole and sleep. We sprayed it and then covered it with a lot of mulch that they don't like to dig in.

Then we dipped both cats and the dog in a flea dip that ALSO contained the insect growth retardant, and then they all got Frontlined again. While I was spraying the house, I moved the cats to an outbuilding and sent the dog packing to my Dad's. When the came back, I knew they were flea free and the yard was flea free.

The cats did not suffer from being dipped and having the Frontline reapplied. Well, they THOUGHT they were suffering, judging from the looks on their faces! I dipped them outside in the kiddie pool so they could run away when it was over and not trash the house.

Also, Frontline will eat the finish off of leather upholstery (I found out the hard way on my new leather sofa). A month or two later and we're flea free, but we did apply the chemicals twice in order to catch all the eggs/larvae. (The IGR is supposed to be good for about 7 months.)

Here's the link to the information I found.
http://www.tulsamastergardeners.org/insects/fleas_ticks.shtml
http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-034.html

Karen