I cannot seem to get rid of the fleas on my kitten. Every time I take her to the vet they tell me she has fleas (different vets too). And every time I buy the medication they recommend and apply it exactly as the instructions say. Nothing helps. I have tried the collars, dips, the stuff on the back of the neck. I never see her scratch and I have never seen a flea on anything else (carpet, sofa, etc.) so I don’t think she has a lot, but every now and then I will see one crawling on her. She has super think fur. Could that be the reason they are hard to get rid of? Any suggestions on what I can do to finally get rid of them?
Flea infestations are very hard to get rid of. Vacuum your home at least once daily, and ask your vet to put her on a once-monthly anti-flea medication. You may need to bathe her a couple times before the fleas are gone, but you need to get them out of the house first. Also, do not let her outside. Every time she goes out, she will just bring in more fleas.
The Once and for all ” part is the toughest. If the cat goes out, the back of the neck stuff will eventually kill all the fleas that are on the cat. These fleas need cat blood to reproduce and can’t do it if the cat has been treated.It does take a while for fleas to die. Bomb areas like the basement if there are fleas there. Once you get infested, it can take up to 3 years to kill all the eggs and the fleas that can sit and wait for up to 3 years for something warm blooded to walk by. Remember though, they can bite, but can only reproduce with cat blood.
The fleas do not actually live on the cat, they live in the upholstery and carpet of your house. I used regular Mortons table salt. Sprinkle it liberally on the carpet, wait 15 minutes and vacuum. Vacuum the chairs and sofa, too. The salt works on the fleas like it works on snails, makes them shrivel up and die.
If you have carpeting in your house, you might want to try diatomaceous earth (DE). It consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used for many things…including a highly effective, long-lasting…and safe…flea control.
DE is great for fleas (and other pest) control because it absorbs the waxy outer layer of insects’ exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency.
Basically, you clean your carpet thoroughly then sprinkle DE over the whole thing. You “rake” it into the nap and then clean as usual. If memory serves me, DE last for about 6 months if you don’t shampoo the carpet (that’s why the thorough cleaning BEFORE you put it down). It doesn’t hurt the carpet.
You can buy this stuff yourself and do it, but SOME pest control companies can also do it for you…but not all do it.
You have to treat your house as well as your cat(s). I would suggest following the other advice, vacuuming, etc. You can try fuming, and/or call in professionals while you have your cats out of the house. I have had the best success with Advantage (the stuff you put on the back of their necks).
If you see little black specks on your furniture or elsewhere in your home, that is a sign of fleas (I’ve been told it’s flea feces but I don’t know if that’s true), even if you don’t see any actual fleas.
the stuff the vet recommends is usually the best front line but you can also buy it on ebay a lot cheaper !
Maybe you should have her shaved to prevent a huge infestation and keep her in for a while she is getting them from somewhere my guesse is a stray cat she has made friends with.Brush her and bath her this way you have an idea of how many there are. and one day maybe follow her when she goes out to see where she goes then you can see where she gets them from maybe there is a patch where they breed alot hope this helps.
If you have cats your unfortunately going to have fleas. I have used various products over the years – flea bombs, frontline, sprays, drops you name it. Thing is cats catch all sorts of creatures that carry fleas when they go out, and the flea itself has a lifecycle that makes it almost immune to effective removal.
You have to make sure you treat the environment around you at the same time as you treat your cat. You may not be able to see it but the eggs and larvae can nestle down all over your home, just waiting for the opportunity to spring on to your cat.
This site : http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasite… has more info on flea control.