Thread: Fleas! Never had them! Need the fastest, most effective way to rid!

Ugh! That is right! This morning, I felt a tickle on my arm and saw what I thought was a flea. I picked up the cat, parted his thick maine-coon fur and saw one skidattle away into the fur forest! I checked the dog, he looks fine (for now!) but recently had his flea/tick applied.

We were gone from the 4th to this past Sunday and the cat stayed inside from Wednesday until Friday morning, when a friend let him out. He is an indoor/outdoor, but prefers his time outside in the summer (except for Thunderstorms). Clearly, if he has adult fleas, they are probably all in the house. I didn't notice anything yesterday, but have a little red dot on my stomach today.. are they in my bed?!

So, I plan on dousing the cat in flea shampoo and applying the strongest flea killer possible (that isn't harmful to the cat) and then gathering up all of my clothes and bedding and camping out in the laundromat. Should I bomb the house? Rent a rug cleaner- since the entire apartment is rug? Just keep on vacuuming and doing laundry? I hate harsh chemicals, but if it rids the house of fleas and I take care of the pets, is it the quickest and most effective way? I don't feel like cleaning and vacuuming dailyfor eternity.

Please please help!

Here's some stuff made from cedar that's supposed to be very effective ...http://www.cedarcidestore.com/catalo...08/5094323.htm . they also sell it on Amazon. But, I know you need to do something right away. I'd give the pets a good brushing, maybe use a flea comb. I know with the lush hair on a Maine Coon that will be difficult.

I'd also be sure to check inside their ears, and wipe them out. I don't have any flea problems where I live, but if it were me I'd just be doing the vacuuming carpets and furniture, and washing sheets and blankets. Hopefully it won't be a never-ending job, lol. If I come across any good suggestions you can do right away, I'll post them here. BTW, welcome to the forum!

Ugh, fleas.
Flea combing the cat may help, the problem is they also get into your furniture and bedding, etc. Vacuum EVERYTHING, even bare floors and furniture, thoroughly - and take the bag to the curb immediately each and every time! Remove and wash all of your bedding, and scrub down whatever you can with soapy water. Quarantine the cat until flea-free. Steam clean the carpet, wait a few weeks for any eggs to hatch (steam cleaning will kill everything BUT eggs) and then do it again.

fleas are horrible !
emm
there s a thing called (uhh i forgot ill post it on friday when i am a my dads ) and it treats not only fleas but LOADS of other things to !
this is just and example you can get it for
cats,kittens,dogs,puppys
its ace ! i mean it umm
our vet charges us like 50 quid !
and our dog hates it but has gotten ill withought it it really is good
or maybe use frontline
http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/pro...s_CN129001.htm
this thing im on about is better than this but is more expenisive
ill post asap the name xx

Thanks for the responses... though I really don't want to spend the next 8 weeks cleaning everyday, I think I will take a break from homework and just go at it this weekend.

I put a flea collar in my vacuum bag and vacuumed already. I searched the cat for about 15 minutes and found only 1 flea, though I am convinced they are all over his belly area, which he wasn't too pleased when I searched there. I brushed him for a little bit and found what I am 75% sure is flea 'dirt'. He definitely is not 'infested' as I think I would have found fleas every time I parted his fur... I hope I caught it early enough. I also searched my bedding, in all the folds and what-not and didn't find a hint of flea. The dog keeps scratching himself, which he always does since he has dry skin, but it freaked me out, so I pinned him down and searched... found nothing (phew). He is due this Friday for his flea/tick... so he will get it tonight.

I got a spray with limonene in it for my furniture/rug. I am thinking of bagging all my bedding, exposed clothes (I hope they don't make it in drawers!) and curtains for the laundromat on Saturday. Then I will spray down the house to sit while I am gone, come back and vacuum again.

Does this sound like a good plan? I grew up with dogs and they never had fleas.. my boyfriend grew up with every type of animal (ducks included) and remembers two cats getting them. Of course he grew up in an old farmhouse with NO carpet, so they treated the cats and never had an issue. I feel like we are doomed because we have rug!!!

I also left a message with the vet... maybe we can shave his crazy fur (if he deems the fleas are bad enough). Is it just me or do they give you the heebie-jeebies?!

I hope you have conquered the flea problem in your home, but here are some tips and facts to help you if it happens again.

First you can take any dog or cat to a groomer and have them what it called flea dipped which is really a flea bath. This will last for a couple days and after about 2 days you can put on a flea color like advantage. Don't use those cheap ones you get in the supermarket, they don't work. Then make sure you vacuum all upholstered furniture and surfaces in your house. Of course, clean your bedding and vacuum the mattress especially around seams.

Also if you put diamatius earth (spelling wrong) into your rugs and just sweep it in that helps to. It dries out the fleas. Fleas need something to live off of to survive. So if you get your animals flea dipped and then give them collars that will help a lot. The rest of the fleas after the cleaning should actually disappear.

I will tell you though that the eggs of fleas can go dormant. That usually only happens with a house that has been left vacant. But they can go dormant and then when they feel vibration from feet or other such thing they will hatch and play havoc again. But I don't think you will have this as you live in your home.

Also when you look at your cat and pull apart their fur if they look dirty by their skin, it is flea poop. Cats are very clean animals and if their is dirt in their fur it is flea poop. So I hope this helped you. I am a clean freak so I found all this our out when I found a flea on my cat a couple years ago. Also not only are fleas bad for you they play havoc on your cats health as they make them anemic and can make them weak and give them all sorts of health problems. So good luck and hope this info helped you.

hi, i certainly do hope you have the flea problem under control by now but i thought i'd go ahead and stick my 2 cents here too anywho typically if a pet already has adult fleas, i usually suggest the use of capstar flea tablets that your pet can ingest...the reason for that is b/c topical treatments such as advantage, frontline, and even flea shampoos/dips are ineffective (or provide temporary relief)...we use capstar on our kennel animals we get from the SPCA that are untreated and it works wonderfully! one tablet starts working in 30 min. and kills most adult fleas in about 4 hours...If your pet gets re-infested with fleas, you can safely give another dose as often as once per day...this is retailed at petco and petsmart and if not there, then for sure from a veterinarian...once the capstar does its job, then a topical flea treatment (like the ones mentioned above) can be used on your pets...i highly recommend this, especially if your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat :3
as for ridding your home of the vermin, from my experience, that was pretty simple...i pretty much just bombed my house with a flea fumigation kit with success...they can be found at home depot in the gardening area...i can't recall what brand i used, but they have a great selection and the ppl that work are pretty helpful too...sorry i cannot be of much help in that are, but when it comes to the pets and fleas, that's where i shine good luck!

Originally Posted by RVT girl

hi, i certainly do hope you have the flea problem under control by now but i thought i'd go ahead and stick my 2 cents here too anywho typically if a pet already has adult fleas, i usually suggest the use of capstar flea tablets that your pet can ingest...the reason for that is b/c topical treatments such as advantage, frontline, and even flea shampoos/dips are ineffective (or provide temporary relief)...we use capstar on our kennel animals we get from the SPCA that are untreated and it works wonderfully! one tablet starts working in 30 min. and kills most adult fleas in about 4 hours...If your pet gets re-infested with fleas, you can safely give another dose as often as once per day...this is retailed at petco and petsmart and if not there, then for sure from a veterinarian...once the capstar does its job, then a topical flea treatment (like the ones mentioned above) can be used on your pets...i highly recommend this, especially if your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat :3
as for ridding your home of the vermin, from my experience, that was pretty simple...i pretty much just bombed my house with a flea fumigation kit with success...they can be found at home depot in the gardening area...i can't recall what brand i used, but they have a great selection and the ppl that work are pretty helpful too...sorry i cannot be of much help in that are, but when it comes to the pets and fleas, that's where i shine good luck!

I have owned cats all my life and I am 54. I have to say that the Advantage does do its job. It may take 12 hr to kill any flea that gets on them but it does work and keeps them flea free. Of course your environment needs to be flea free also. I have indoor cats. I am sorry but I find people who have outdoor cats to be not responsible pet owners. Cats live longer and are better taken care of if they live indoors. Plus you won't have neighbors getting upset because your cats is digging or spraying in their yard. You also don't have to worry about it getting run over or eaten by a dog. If you love your cat keep it indoors.

I have 4 cats who are allowed outside on my lanai, which is all screened in. My house doesn't have a lot of windows they can sit and look our of so the lanai gives them a place to see the outside. I have never had a flea infestation since I have used the advantage, put I don't have dogs that go in and out. But like cats I would think it had to do with the owners and the maintenance that is given to the animals. It is something that c an be gotten rid of you just have to make sure you are vigilant in applying the advantage every month. You don't want to wait until your infested again before taking action. The advantage is only about $10.00 each from Petsmart.com and WORKS.

I think the problem with the woman above is that she was reinfesting the animals with other animals brought in to her kennel. The advantage does work or the Vets wouldn't recommend it. Give all your cats the advantage dogs to and get the infestation out of the house and you shouldn't have a problem. But remember you have to reapply every month or you will have a problem again. Hope one or all of these comments help. If you don't believe us or because there are so many different responses. Call a vet. They will be happy to help.

I personally wouldn't use any toxic pesticides on my pets like Advantage, I would explore more natural options. It's a poison that kills the fleas, and I'm sure it's very effective for that. But it can also affect the pet's nervous system causing problems like seizures, especially when used regularly. The cumulative effects of these products can be dangerous, and perhaps fatal in some circumstances. http://www.ehow.com/about_5079122_da...a-control.html

A couple of possible more natural options...http://www.ehow.com/way_5209973_natu...ol-recipe.html

Some disturbing and recent reviews on Hartz flea and tick treatments...http://www.hartzvictims.org/

AWW ! thats horrile they should be shut down and sued
and spend time in jail or community service
whats being done about it ??

I have never heard anything about hurting a cats nervous system, but fleas cause a lot more problems. Like I have said I have had cats all my life and non of them have lived less than 17 years and they all used advantage. I understand your concerns but I feel the fleas pose a much larger threat to our animals. But also like I said if you have only cats and they are indoor cats there is really no need for flea protection at all. My cats have just recently been going onto my lanai which is why the advantage.