Treating for bedbugs, need help soon!

catz4life

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I live in an apartment suite with my kitty companion and I recently discovered a few bed bugs in the suite. It doesn't appear that I have a heavy infestation or anything, since I've checked my mattress and other areas where they're supposed to gather and found none when I check each night, now. The few I found were completely randomly (one on the couch, another on the wall, two out on the bedsheets).

My apartment wants to treat my suite for the bed bugs and I'd love to get them gone before they get to any appreciable levels, but before any chemicals are used in my suite, I always check them with the vet and on the Internet before giving the go-ahead.

The product they are going to use is Prelude, to be mixed at a 0.5% concentration for application on the baseboards, my bedframe and other surfaces.

I consulted with multiple veterinarians that told me that not only should the cat remain out of the suite for the duration of the application time, but also the 8 week period that the insecticide itself would be active. That would mean moving my cat out of here, possibly forever, because if this does not kill the bed bugs on the first application, they will have to re-apply after the 8 weeks.

I can't refuse to allow them to control the bed bugs (nor do I want to). The health board has already been called concerning my initial refusual to apply the Prelude and I have a minimum amount of time to resolve this between the Health Board, the pest control professionals and my apartment managers. I have no control over what pest control company is used, but the Health Board has given a tentative suggestion that with a vet's letter stating the dangers of permethrin that I may be able to suggest another safer product be used in my suite.

I am leaving this apartment in 4 months, but they refuse to wait that long to treat, and I do not have the means to move myself or the cat alone out of the apartment for that length of time without leaving altogether, and I'm tied in by my one year lease.

I know that permethrin is a no-no with cats, but I'm hearing conflicting information. Some sites are saying that low concentrations (0.1%) are safe to use with felines, others are saying pyrethroids are safer to use if they are microencapsulated (lower LD-50).

I have read multiple sites on the Internet of people using applications similar to Prelude for intense flea infestations of around the same concentrations (0.5-0.1%) with no mention of negative effects. However, there is also plenty of discussion of any pyrethroid at all causing problems.

I found a microencapsulated product by the name of Tempo SC that is still a synthetic pyrethroid. The various vets I have called have no toxicity information one way or the other on this product, and my searches on the Internet have been rather fruitless, except to reveal that it is also another pyrethroid.

Would this be safe to use in place of the Prelude? Is there any product at all that can be used that is not harmful to my cat? I can be evicted or forced by the Health Board to accept this treatment if I don't find alternatives or a solution.

Any help anyone can offer is appreciated, I really don't want to have my cat killed by these guys!
 

kittymonsters

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I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. The re-occurrance of bed bugs is really becoming a hazard as they seem to be immune to most pesticides.

There was another post not to long ago from someone else who was having to deal with bedbugs. it is in this thread
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=bedbugs

I have no experience with this. However since your veterinarians are advising that your cats should not be around these chemicals and your complex has already cited you, I would think they would enterain a request to let you out of your lease early.

Explain to them you will not be able to have your cats live in your apartment for 2 of your 4 remaining months on your lease. I should hope you would have some luck with this approach.

Another concern I would have, is that I would make sure all your belonging are treated before you move them. Bedbugs seem to travel with you and you could very likely bring them with you to your new place.

I would consult whatever government agency oversees this type if infestation and ask for their recommendations on how you can sucessfully move and not have them follow you. So many horror stories recently they truly creep me right out!

I am sorry I don't have any really helpful information. I really am sorry you are having to deal with this!
 
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catz4life

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Originally Posted by kittymonsters

I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. The re-occurrance of bed bugs is really becoming a hazard as they seem to be immune to most pesticides.
Thank you. This is coming at an especially hard time for me and my kitty, too. My ex-fiance and I are separating and thus, the move to another apartment, plus we've been dealing with another bug infestation for two years now (thankfully, using much less dangerous substances to control that problem).

I had been hoping that out of all that was happening at the moment that I wouldn't see bedbugs, but my luck was not with me.


I have no experience with this. However since your veterinarians are advising that your cats should not be around these chemicals and your complex has already cited you, I would think they would enterain a request to let you out of your lease early.
I think they may have, but I had some good news yesterday.

I got on the phone with Animal Poison Control, after phoning additional veterinarians in my area regarding the product Tempo SC and the safety of microencapsulated pyrethroids and talked to one of their veterinary toxicologists and was advised that Tempo SC would be safe to expose the cat to, after it was fully and completely dried.

The pest control company will be spraying my suite on Friday with Tempo SC. It was a difficult decision to make, with Poison Control finally helping me make my mind up. This appears to be the best option for making sure that I am not allowing the bugs to spread further to other suites and to also allow me a better chance of not transporting them with me when I leave, along with the obvious benefit of controlling any populations within my suite and hopefully preventing myself and my loved ones from being bitten and having to deal with the mental stress of having this particular infestation.

I would consult whatever government agency oversees this type if infestation and ask for their recommendations on how you can sucessfully move and not have them follow you. So many horror stories recently they truly creep me right out!
I will be doing exactly that. I am more than fed up with insects at the moment and my last desire is to have these ones anywhere near me, if it can be prevented at all.

Yes, there are many horror stories, more than I care to read! I was upset to find out in this process that the apartment managers had complete knowledge that other tenants were experiencing bedbug infestations and didn't take it upon themselves to distribute a warning letter to the rest of us to keep our eyes open.

Tomorrow and Friday will be a very busy time, because I have to move many of my pet supplies and my other pets aside from my feline companion out of the suite to keep them from being exposed as well. I can only hope I've made the right choice for myself and the cat with allowing them to spray with this product.

Thank you for the reply, kittymonsters. Sometimes just a listening ear (or set of eyes in this case) is a little uplifting.
 

devlyn

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Although I've never tried it, I've heard that diatomaceous earth is great for killing bed bugs and other insects and pests and is completely harmless (and even beneficial) for pets. Here's a link:

http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

Perhaps your apartment complex would be willing to use this instead as an alternative that would work for both you and your pet.

Good luck!

Devlyn
 
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catz4life

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Originally Posted by Devlyn

Although I've never tried it, I've heard that diatomaceous earth is great for killing bed bugs and other insects and pests and is completely harmless (and even beneficial) for pets. Here's a link:

http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

Perhaps your apartment complex would be willing to use this instead as an alternative that would work for both you and your pet.
My apartment complex and pest control company are not forgiving enough to use something like that, unfortunately. They insist on insecticides such as permethrin.

My suite was sprayed with Tempo SC on Friday morning. The pest control company's owner was not at all pleased about it, he complained multiple times that he had used the product before and not seen results, thus the use of Prelude, the 5% concentration permethrin solution. He doesn't use insect growth regulators or diatomaceous earth in conjunction for whatever reason.


If the Tempo does not appear to be working, I will pick up the diatomaceous earth and a insect growth regulator myself. I may pick them up anyway, although I hope the Tempo does its job and I don't have to worry about taking them with me when I leave. They're very tricky; I had found during the move that they had infested a wooden handmade clock of mine, including making their way right into the clock mechanism.

The clock mechanism had to be destroyed and I poured boiling water over the clock to destroy what might be left. They had stained the wood with their feces. I wouldn't have noticed them and the clock would have been put back on the wall after the treatment if I hadn't of checked the back to remove the battery. Since they don't move very much, I had to look closely at what I first thought was dust/dirt to see them!

My cat, although upset at the 8 hours spent in the empty suite I was allowed to borrow for myself and the pets during the duration of the treatment, appears to be fine, same with everyone else (snakes, geckos, fish and hermit crabs).
 
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