Hello,
I have two cats, and they as well as my house are infested with fleas. It’s gotten worse this week as it’s been really hot and humid here and I think the fleas are reproducing in the carpets, upholstered furniture… We’ve been vacuuming. We’ve given the cats flea baths, and the gel stuff that you put on the back of their neck, and it’s supposed to last a month. Neither has worked at all it seems.
I’ve heard that vacuuming with salt helps?
What should I do to get them out? Are flea collars the best for cats?
It does take time to work. I gave Poppy Advantage about 2 weeks ago, and up until Monday I was still seeing the occasional flea. Yesterday there was nothing.
Don’t bother with flea collars.
1. Treat the cat. Go to your vet and get either Advantage or Frontline Plus (I went with Advantage).
2. Get yourself a “flea comb” and comb your cat at least once per day. Have a bucket with dish soap in it handy to dunk the comb in and to collect the hair. Fleas can’t jump out of the slippery soap. No point in combing them out only to have them jump back on your cat. Flush this down the toilet, pour it down the sink, or dispose of it away from your house.
3. Treat your house. Options are a borate powder product or something that uses diatomaceous earth. Fleabusters (BP), Fleago Natural Flea Control (BP) or Flea Away Natural Flea Powder (DE). Put about a tablespoon of this in your vacuum cleaner bag (or you can cut up a flea collar to put in there. Just follow the directions which will vary by product, but in general you’ll sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum up and also sprinkle into cracks and crevices. (I chose Fleago because it’s less expensive than Fleabusters. I may also try Flea Away in time).
4. Vacuum as often as possible. Before vacuuming, stomp around the house. This will bring the fleas to life because they’ll think there’s a tasty morsel out there. Then vacuum those little bastards up. Be sure to use your attachments to vacuum as many cracks and crevices as you can – they love to hide out there.
5. Wash any pet bedding in hot water, and you’ll want to be particularly diligent about vacuuming/treating areas where your cat hangs out.
6. Treat your yard. Even if your cat doesn’t go outside, fleas may enter your home if they exist in your yard. There’s a small chance that you or others may bring fleas in the house with you (although this is unlikely). Get hold of some nematodes to spray in your yard. I believe you only have to do this once per year. These little creatures will eat the flea larva. As one website put it, these critters are too small to hug, but they deserve it! (I had to order this online; I wasn’t able to find a place that sells them in my area and didn’t feel like calling every place in the phonebook).
Things not to do: Don’t use any essential oils on your cat, particularly anything with pennyroyal or eucalyptus. They’re toxic to cats. Don’t use flea collars. Don’t give your cat any garlic/yeast formulations. Don’t give your cat lemon baths.
You’re going to want to continue treating your home as directed, whether that be sprinkling once per week or once a month. Continue treating throughout flea season (when it’s warm). You can stop during the winter months, but start up again in the spring. You’ll nip them in the bud!
The key is to treat the environment, not the cat. If you do that, you may never have to apply another flea product directly on them again.
You will have to flea bomb your house and wash your cats with flee shampoo. you will need a place for you and your cats to go for the day in order to bomb you house. Also after you have flea shampooed get flea collars to prevent re-infestation.
Wow, that’s not good. Get your cats some flea collars, that works really well. Then, for your house, get a bug bomb and let it off when there are no animals or people in the house. Good luck. Stupid fleas…
get your cats flea collors… or you can burn them bu tthat is gross! ( not the cats! the fleas)
There is a company called FleaBusters that came to my house. They put this non-poisonous stuff down into the carpet that erodes the fleas’ eggs. They saved my life cuz after a while, you could see the fleas jumping in the air and they were biting ME! You will have to use flea bombs tho. I put one upstairs and one downstairs. I got it from the vet. Then you vacuum and make sure to toss out the bag. You have to do it again 6 weeks later because that’s when the new fleas emerge from those eggs. Continue bathing your animals as shampoo and water drown the fleas. What I did with my fish and cats was put them outside in the shade (on my deck) while I bombed. VERY IMPORTANT! Shut the windows when you bomb and at the designated number of hours later, OPEN ALL WINDOWS WIDE! Humans cannot be in the house either when you bomb. Stopping the cycle of reproduction is very important. If your cats are outdoor cats, once this is all done I would make them indoor cats. Fleas bring alot of disease and I have one cat that is allergic to fleas (it’s a very real thing and the animal suffers fiercely).
Hi,
I have went through a very similiar infestation with fleas. I have a dog and two cats. I remember I tried everything, including putting borax into my carpets! Flea collars, powders and OTC flea remedies dont work at all! The ONLY thing that worked for me was a product called Advantage. You can get it from 1800petmeds.com or Ebay. I bought mine from Ebay at half the cost! I applied it one time to my pets and I havent had a problem since then and that was last year!. It wiped out the entire flea infestation on my pets and the house. Good Luck!
okay whatever u do do not use a flea collar they never work!!! advantage is the best it is safe and it works excelent!!!!! i highly reccomend it! also there is a flea powder at walmart that u put on your rug before vacuuming and that also works!
Flea collars are useless. You need to use the Advantage or frontline drops on your cats. Vacuum daily and throw the bag immediately out the door..
I have 4 dogs, 4 cats and NO fleas. I use and have for 10 plus years frontline plus ONLY, other products don’t work well. You have to remember that for the dogs frontline works for 3 months for flea control and one for ticks, the cats you do need to apply every month. I use it every 6 weeks and no problems. 3 days before and after no bath, and also when a bath is needed use regular pet shampoo not flea and tick. Also regular vacuuming works with a fresh bag, it sounds like you are really infested you may need to get a flea and tick killer for the home remember to get under beds, couch’s, curtains, hardwood floors, cement, they will hide everywhere. I recommend a product that’s a spray with a nylar system which stays in you home for 3 months so when eggs hatch they will die. Hope this helps, just remember next year to apply about May and you should have no problems next season. It will take a while to get rid of a infestation.
hello my name is Lisa. there is a flea coller or you can give your cat a flea bath to get rid of the fleas i have a dog that had flea intill i game him a flea bath. or you can ask the vet about how to get rid of fleas.
I had the same problem I got my cat a flea coller for her and prevented the nasty fleas and giving them a bath should be fine unless your cats don’t like water my cats don’t so that’s why I got a flea coller for her.