Ok, so I've flea bombed my house, vacuumed and treated all of the carpets, flea bathed my girls, even bought Advantage to put on both of my girls. Yet, still, I ran the comb through one of them today to make sure the Advantage is working, and it's not, there are still lots of fleas on her. So I've wasted $30, and I have no money to my name until I get paid Friday next week, what do I need to do to get the fleas out of my house?????
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
The neverending flea dramas continue
- Thread starter vivienne
- Start Date
What did you treat your carpets with? Where did you buy the Advantage (i.e., vet, online, OTC)? What did you bathe the cats in? Where did you put the cats while you "bombed" your place? Did you empty the vacuum bag outside after vacuuming? Those are just a few questions that come to mind immediately.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I treated the carpets with Hartz spray, bought the Advantage at a vet, bathed the cats in Sergeant's Flea and Tick Shampoo, and put them in the garage at my mother's house while I flea bombed the place. I basically did everything recommended to me when I posted a thread on here and asked around among some people I know, and now I'm wondering if I have a particularly resistant band of fleas here or what the frick is going on!
OK - #1 - Hartz spray will do nothing for you and can be dangerous to your animals.
#2 - Advantage from the vet - good, but the fleas need to bite to get poisoned so it won't be noticeable immediately that they are being killed.
#3 - Flea and Tick Shampoo - not good to use this type of product with the Advantage - too many dangerous chemicals on your cat that is being absorbed through their skin.
#4 - Flea bombs bought OTC won't do a thing for you.
Nobody on this site would have recommended a Hartz or Sergeant's flea product unless it was a new member that did not know any better.
The best things you can do:
1. Use the Advantage as directed by the vet.
2. Get some Diatomaceous Earth (either online or from a garden centre and ensure it is human/food grade NOT industrial grade). Sprinkle that on your carpeting and furniture. With a broom, work the DE down into the fibres of your carpet and same for your furniture. Don't vacuum for a couple days and then when you do empty the bag outside immediately.
3. If you want to bathe your cats, use Dawn dishwashing liquid (original formula) and then using a fine tooth comb, comb your kitties and dip your comb into a container of soapy water between each stroke.
This will get rid of fleas safely for you and your cats but it won't happen overnight.
If, like me a few years ago when we had a hot and humid period, you have a particularly bad infestation, then the way to go is get a professional exterminator.
You have wasted money on Hartz and Sergeants but the DE is not terribly expensive, you already have the Advantage, so you should get relief soon. I use DE for any insects in our house. My hubby was complaining about ants the other night and said he wanted to go get some ant traps (which are poisonous). I told him I would use the DE and he didn't think it would work. He apologized a day later.
http://petinfo.org/articles/fleas.shtml
Scroll down to the very last paragraph on this page:
I've also heard that it is a good idea to buy a cheap flea collar, and put that in your vacuum bag or canister, but NEVER ON YOUR ANIMAL! That will kill any live fleas that you vacuum up.
Scroll down to the very last paragraph on this page:
I have heard about baking soda before. I think this article also makes a good point about treating the yard and everywhere your animals go.
I've also heard that it is a good idea to buy a cheap flea collar, and put that in your vacuum bag or canister, but NEVER ON YOUR ANIMAL! That will kill any live fleas that you vacuum up.
As has already been said here, NEVER USE OTC FLEA PRODUCTS ON YOUR CATS OR IN YOUR HOUSE! Do not even put flea collars on your cats (or other animals). It can severely injure, paralyze, and kill your cats. My cat nearly died after she was sprayed with Hartz flea spray (I wasn't aware of the danger).
Sorry, I just had to reiterate because it is my mission to prevent as many injuries and deaths related to OTC flea products are possible!
Sorry, I just had to reiterate because it is my mission to prevent as many injuries and deaths related to OTC flea products are possible!
I absolutely agree with this advice. I did respond to your other thread and talked about having a horrible flea infestation myself one time. DE, along with Advantage fixed the problem for me.Originally Posted by Yosemite
OK - #1 - Hartz spray will do nothing for you and can be dangerous to your animals.
#2 - Advantage from the vet - good, but the fleas need to bite to get poisoned so it won't be noticeable immediately that they are being killed.
#3 - Flea and Tick Shampoo - not good to use this type of product with the Advantage - too many dangerous chemicals on your cat that is being absorbed through their skin.
#4 - Flea bombs bought OTC won't do a thing for you.
Nobody on this site would have recommended a Hartz or Sergeant's flea product unless it was a new member that did not know any better.
The best things you can do:
1. Use the Advantage as directed by the vet.
2. Get some Diatomaceous Earth (either online or from a garden centre and ensure it is human/food grade NOT industrial grade). Sprinkle that on your carpeting and furniture. With a broom, work the DE down into the fibres of your carpet and same for your furniture. Don't vacuum for a couple days and then when you do empty the bag outside immediately.
3. If you want to bathe your cats, use Dawn dishwashing liquid (original formula) and then using a fine tooth comb, comb your kitties and dip your comb into a container of soapy water between each stroke.
This will get rid of fleas safely for you and your cats but it won't happen overnight.
If, like me a few years ago when we had a hot and humid period, you have a particularly bad infestation, then the way to go is get a professional exterminator.
You have wasted money on Hartz and Sergeants but the DE is not terribly expensive, you already have the Advantage, so you should get relief soon. I use DE for any insects in our house. My hubby was complaining about ants the other night and said he wanted to go get some ant traps (which are poisonous). I told him I would use the DE and he didn't think it would work. He apologized a day later.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Wow, ok, I guess the question now is how long does Advantage generally atek to work? And I looked for Diametecous(sp?) Earth at a local store but couldn't find it.
That's scary about the Hartz spray almost killing your baby, thank god you caught that in time! If I can't find DE anywhere(which wouldn't surprise me as I live in the middle of nowhere), what else besides that and baking soda is good to treat my carpets and furniture? And how much do professional exterminations generally run for a small 3 bedroom house?
That's scary about the Hartz spray almost killing your baby, thank god you caught that in time! If I can't find DE anywhere(which wouldn't surprise me as I live in the middle of nowhere), what else besides that and baking soda is good to treat my carpets and furniture? And how much do professional exterminations generally run for a small 3 bedroom house?
A professional extermination of 3 small rooms is going to cost you probably $75-$125. My dad works for Orkin pest control and treats homes for fleas everday. But as someone who has used them, in 24 hours we were flea free.
Leslie
Leslie
I've never had to de-flea a house, but I've done my cats several times.
You didn't say when you bathed your cats, but when you use advantage you should not bathe your cat for at least 24 hours after (I'd wait 48 to be safe). You'll wash it off before it takes effect.
With a really bad infestation on a cat I find it takes 2-3 days for the live fleas to dissappear.
I also suggest that you re-apply after one month (per directions) at least one more time to make sure you got the infestation, esp. with multiple cats.
Are your cats indoor only or in/outdoor? If they go out they could pick up fleas outside and you might want to consider treating your cats with advantage on a regular basis (per label directions) year round if you live in a warm climate or at least from spring to hard frost if you live where there are snowy winters.
Even if they are indoor only are there other creatures that could be in your house (esp. uninvited guests) that could have fleas and be giving them to your cats, like mice, rats, squirrels, birds, etc... If you don't take care of them your cats will continue to be re-infested. Professional extermination may be the way to go here.
You didn't say when you bathed your cats, but when you use advantage you should not bathe your cat for at least 24 hours after (I'd wait 48 to be safe). You'll wash it off before it takes effect.
With a really bad infestation on a cat I find it takes 2-3 days for the live fleas to dissappear.
I also suggest that you re-apply after one month (per directions) at least one more time to make sure you got the infestation, esp. with multiple cats.
Are your cats indoor only or in/outdoor? If they go out they could pick up fleas outside and you might want to consider treating your cats with advantage on a regular basis (per label directions) year round if you live in a warm climate or at least from spring to hard frost if you live where there are snowy winters.
Even if they are indoor only are there other creatures that could be in your house (esp. uninvited guests) that could have fleas and be giving them to your cats, like mice, rats, squirrels, birds, etc... If you don't take care of them your cats will continue to be re-infested. Professional extermination may be the way to go here.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
I did bathe them before applying the Advantage, and it's been about 1 week since I applied it. One huge problem is I live in a hot and humid climate, so while they stay indoors, many homes here have problems with pest control.
Vivienne, Advantage generally starts to work within 5 to 10 mins of a flea bite.
The problem with fleas is that they keep coming back so even if you were to "flea bomb" your house and wash everything etc. you would have to do it over every month. And as everyone here has recommended, that method is best avoided for your pets safety.
If you take the time to google "flea life cycle" you will find a wealth of information on fleas, how they lay eggs, how the larvae live in the carpet, how they can sense warm mammal blood, how high they can jump, etc. It would be very helpful to you to have this knowledge. For example, flea larvae can live in carpets for up to a year!
Why do fleas keep coming back even though your cats don't go outdoors? Fleas come back into your house via us. They jump on your socks, pants, clothing and we inadvertently end up bringing them back into our homes. The evil little suckers can jump shockingly high!
If you are still seeing fleas on them, it's more than likely they are dead due to the advantage.
Also, for the DE Diatomaceous, you may have to order it on line. Just google Perma-guard and you will find it. They have the best quality.
Hope this helps!
The problem with fleas is that they keep coming back so even if you were to "flea bomb" your house and wash everything etc. you would have to do it over every month. And as everyone here has recommended, that method is best avoided for your pets safety.
If you take the time to google "flea life cycle" you will find a wealth of information on fleas, how they lay eggs, how the larvae live in the carpet, how they can sense warm mammal blood, how high they can jump, etc. It would be very helpful to you to have this knowledge. For example, flea larvae can live in carpets for up to a year!
Why do fleas keep coming back even though your cats don't go outdoors? Fleas come back into your house via us. They jump on your socks, pants, clothing and we inadvertently end up bringing them back into our homes. The evil little suckers can jump shockingly high!
If you are still seeing fleas on them, it's more than likely they are dead due to the advantage.
Also, for the DE Diatomaceous, you may have to order it on line. Just google Perma-guard and you will find it. They have the best quality.
Hope this helps!
I have heard that the "feed and seed" & farm supply stores carry the safe "food" grade DE since it is often fed to cattle (don't know why). Just read about this in another forum last week. In that case some Ace Hardware's would also have it I would think.
Anne
Anne
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
Ah, thank you, and one of my friends has a stepdad who owns a farm supply store so I will definately ask him! One thing that is encouraging is that recently when I've run the flea comb through my girls, most of the fleas are dead or sluggish, a couple of days ago there were still a fair number of live ones but it's getting less and less each time I do it.
Sounds too like I need to find some good insect repellent for myself to wear constantly.
Sounds too like I need to find some good insect repellent for myself to wear constantly.
DE, human grad, when taken internally will kill internal parasites and thus why some farmers add it to the feed for their animals. That is why it is important to get the human grade as it is safe for mammals and if ingested by our kitties, the worst it will do is kill any internal parasites they may have which is all good.
Since you are out of money try using dawn dish soap. This dries out the fur a little but works like a miracle. I would try getting a professional to come out and spray the house. Maybe Terminix has some good deals right now.
Dawn is a safe thing to bathe the cat with but it is not a flea shampoo and will just drown the ones already on the cat. It will do little to solve your flea problem. As soon as the cat is dry the fleas from the carpets and furniture are just going to jump back on for dinner.
Yes but the trouble is how to give it to them???? I take De for myself daily, with a glass of water. It is completely tasteless, but does have a bit of a "chalky" feel to it as you drink it
The thing is, I tried taking it with yogurt and I just couldn't handle it. Unfortunately it is very chalky in texture ... yaarrk ... so I think sprinkling it on the cats food would be very hard for them to eat, it would be like eating a mouthful of powder, not very pleasant.
So the only other way I can think of is to put it in their water bowl, but I'm worried that it would settle after a while and then you would have to figure out the right quantity to put versus the amount of water in the bowl.
So if you are doing this with success please pass on what you are doing so we can do it too!
Advantage is ineffective when you bath your pet before applying the product. You should not bathe 24-48 hours before applying the product. Also, you do not want to bathe them while the Advantage is working, that will overwhelm their system and cancel out the strength of the Advantage.
You are very right to treat your home as well as your yard. Good luck!
