Cat w/ fleas: How soon after applying Revolution will he be safe to keep in house?

I am thinking of the eggs that have not hatched yet, when giving a cat Revolution. I mean, when you give it to the cat, how long do you have to wait until you can safely let the cat walk around the home without leaving eggs everywhere that will hatch later, creating an infestation in the house?

We rescued a cat 3 yrs ago from a high kill shelter, and she had many problems that we helped her through. She's all healthy at this point, always has been since treatment and nutritional supplements. We have another cat too, from a no-kill shelter, who had made sure she was all clean and taken care of in every way before they placed her for adoption. Lucky cat! My other one had never seen a vet before I took her in. Only 30% of their cats make it out of that shelter alive. They have very low funds.

We're thinking of adding another one in a month or so, and think it would be neat to rescue one that is in danger of being put down, from that same high-kill shelter. I know though, that it will be likely to have fleas from this (+ much more), which my other one did as well, but Revolution worked wonders right away. But I didn't know about the risk of a flea infestation in the house at the time, and we are very lucky that it never happened.

So how can we do this without creating a big problem for ourselves? I have not been to the shelter yet, so no particular cat in mind, but can I go over there and treat the cat I decide on, then come back 24 hours later to pick it up and trust that I can let it into our carpeted house? Or do I need to give him/ her a bath, or perhaps wait even longer? I will also be visiting the vet on the way home, but I'd really like to know beforehand what to expect, so I can be prepared.

ETA: In case I didn't make myself clear: We do not have cats w/ fleas at this point, this is for a future potential flea problem.

If you go directly to the vet from the shelter, have the cat tested for FELV/FIV, any other vaccinations it needs, and apply Revolution or the other complete treatments. Then, take it home and keep it restricted in a small room, preferably one with a hard floor, for 24 hours, at least. After that, clean that room thoroughly, and you should be OK. Ask your vet, if you want to be sure.

Does the cat in question HAVE fleas right now? If so you need to treat for that before bringing the cat inside.

If none of the cats have fleas and you still give Revolution, then you shouldn't have any problems. The eggs are NOT on the cat. The fleas jump on the cat for blood, then fall off and lay the eggs on the carpet/sofa, etc. Not on the cat.

The Revolution begins working almost immediately. Within 10 minutes it will start to kill any biting fleas and the eggs it lays. However, it's important to keep up the monthly treatments.

Our houses are never 100% flea free. We ourselves can bring in fleas from the outside by walking in grass, or by bushes and gardens. Check out this information:

http://www.entirelypets.com/fleas.htm

Diatomaceous Earth is a wonderful alternative to chemical sprays and products:

http://www.shadowridgedonkeys.com/perma_guard_what.htm


Thoroughly cleaning/vacuuming your house, including bedding, curtains etc. will also go a long way towards killing ny existing eggs and pupae.

We've never had a flea in the house - our cats are 100% indoors and the dog is treated with BioSpot and she's never had a flea on her

When you get the cat take it to the vet first and have it checked. You can have the vet make sure there is no fleas on the cat.

We don't have our eyes on any one cat yet. It's just that at this shelter, fleas are everywhere and I can't see how it's possible to get a flea free cat from them.
Our first cat came from that shelter and certainly had them, but was free of them very soon treatment. I just wasn't sure how long a cat could cause them to spread around the house.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

If you go directly to the vet from the shelter, have the cat tested for FELV/FIV

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That's what I did with my other one, and planning on doing that again. Thanks for that suggestion though! You never know.