Need Flea Advice

Oh where do I begin

Our new kitten keeps getting fleas! We vacuum and vacuum and have looked for signs of fleas in our apartment, and we see none.

We gave our babies Frontline and our older cat seems to have no problems with fleas at all. Our kitten seems to be the one taking the brunt of the fleas.

We couldn't figure out where they were coming from until we talked to our vet. It seems that fleas can come through windows, under doors, and even on our clothes. So now we think we know the culprit.

Our neighbor, while a very nice person and animal lover to boot, has ALOT of cats. And a good majority of them she keeps outside, where they can pick up fleas and such. So no doubt when we walk through the yard or if the cats are hanging out on the porch, they could be getting in our apartment and onto our baby.

So we vacuum and we Frontline, but is their a way to keep the fleas from getting in? We try to avoid walking through the yard when coming home and we are considering keeping the front porch window shut (which would make our babies very unhappy). Is there any products out there that we could spray around our doors and windows that would make the fleas stay out?

Winter is around the corner here and with daily vacuuming and monthly Frontline, the fleas will most likely disappear for the winter months, but I know that when summer comes back around, so will the fleas.

And just how safe is a "flea bomb"? We were considering doing that to try and take care of any that we miss with vacuuming.

Are you putting frontline or frontline plus on them? If it is just the regular frontline you are using think about switching to the plus.

Sprinkle table salt on your carpets and let set for 24 hours then vacuum.

I have heard putting apple cider vinegar in your pets drinking water is suppose to make them unappetizing to fleas. Also using an apple cider vinegar and water mixture to sponge on your animals is suppose to kill and repel fleas.

I'm pretty sure its Frontline Plus (the one that kills a bunch of other pests).

I also had read that the Frontline should also keep fleas away for more than a month, which wasn't really the case for our kitten. It was almost exactly one month to the day that we gave her the first dose of Frontline that we saw a couple fleas on her.

You can try nematodes for your yard. Capstar is suppose to be good for killing fleas.

How many months have you been using frontline?

Fleas generally just jump on your animals for a meal and then jump off into your furniture, carpeting, etc.

We use Revolution and Advantage for Bijou and Mika respectively (Mika is sensitive to Revolution). Revolution also works on any ear mites and roundworm as well.

I would suggest that you get some Diatomaceous Earth (food/human grade), sprinkle it on carpets and furniture - use a broom to ensure it gets down into the fibres of the carpet. DE is very safe for pets (and humans). Just don't inhale the dust as it can irritate your lungs. Some folks even add a bit of DE into their pets' food weekly to help rid them of any parasites.

I used it this spring for ants and it worked like a charm. You can usually obtain it from a garden centre but be certain it is the food/human grade rather than the industrial grade.

Continue with the vacuuming but make sure you empty the vacuum outside immediately after each run-through.

You can also get a flea collar, cut it up and put pieces in the vacuum bag. Never put the collars on your animals though - they can case illness and in some cases death.

Originally Posted by kitytize

How many months have you been using frontline?

Click to expand...

We only used it for one month, so we are heading back to the vet to get a full pack of them.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to give them Frontline every month until we move (which may not be for quite some time). I can try and control any problem in our apartment, but I really can't do much about my neighbor's apartment or the surrounding areas.

Originally Posted by Mai_kitties

We only used it for one month, so we are heading back to the vet to get a full pack of them.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to give them Frontline every month until we move (which may not be for quite some time). I can try and control any problem in our apartment, but I really can't do much about my neighbor's apartment or the surrounding areas.

Click to expand...

We haven't had flea problems, but we do treat monthly from May through October.

It takes 3 months to completely stop the flea cycle but with all your neighbors cats outside you might want to continue frontline longer than 3 months.

Originally Posted by Luckydog

You can try nematodes for your yard. Capstar is suppose to be good for killing fleas.

Click to expand...

capstar only kills the live fleas that are presently on the cat. As soon as it wears off fleas can freely jump on and live. If the cat is infested with fleas all over their body, use capstar and then put a preventative on.

I think that is gonna be the answer, just keep giving them the monthly treatment.

I just wish I could keep them from getting in.

On vacuuming to keep the critters under control... I currently use a bagless vacuum which I empty every time I finish. But it always stays sort of dusty. I love the idea of the flea collar cut up in there, but I'm going to be getting a new one and am wondering now... bagless or bags? Being able to dump the bagless everytime I vacuum, along with a cut up flea collar, seems to be the way to go, but I'm not entirely sure.

It took 3 months of regular Revolution & Frontline to get rid of the fleas in my house the foster babies so graciously brought home.

I'd do two things - treat your lawn and around the house outside. And then take all the animals out and set off the bomb in the house.

Or you can sprinkle boric acid powder all over the carpet and let it sit, then vacuum it up. I'd also get a flea collar and cut it up and put it in the vacuum bag to kill any live fleas.

I'm assuming you do keep your cats inside.

I thought you mind find this interesting. Borax has always worked great for us.

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ighlight=borax

what about the table salt idea in the carpeting ?

i had never heard that before ?

does that kill them ? anyone know ?

Yes, the table salt has worked for me. It dehydrates the fleas and the eggs.

You can get household sprays from the vets. I got one called Indorex (I'm in the UK) It kills the cycle of fleas in your home for 12 months. You need to spray it everywhere, under sofas, under beds etc.

Another trick that I would use along this is to put a flea collar in your vacuum as the gases released from them will be held in the bag and should kill them.

Fleas don't live on cats - as another poster pointed out.

I've also heard that you can get flea stuff for your yard although I've never seen any. Are your cats indoor/outdoor?

just thought id add the DeFlea carpet product works wonders. It is suppose to be safe to use right around the animals. Spray it on the carpet, let sit, vaccum up. Make sure they have Frontline Plus on them and it should only take about 2-3 days at most to get rid of the critters in your house. When i used these products i had a BAD infestation and it just worked that well for me. Good Luck!

well i definately like the table salt idea !!

a friend of mine just gave me a can of VIRBAC a can of flea treatment
she got from the vet to be used on the carpeting etc.

i have not used it yet. has anyone ever heard of this stuff ? i'm a little
worried that it will make my kittys sick if they lay on the carpet and
then wash themselves.

we keep fish as well as cats (Cat TV, lol), so flea bombing is out of the question (I am not going to catch 20 neons in a 6ft tank.....)

Borax sounds like a good idea, does anyone know where to get it in the uk ?