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Flea Medication Advice

post #1 of 13
6/27/11 at 7:12am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

I did a search, but came up empty...

I have 2 cats, both tabby cats. They are brother and sister and are about 2 years old. The male is about 10 lbs and the female is about 5. The female escaped a week ago (for only about an hour), but managed to pick up some fleas. I bought some Hartz UltraGuard yesterday and put it on them. After putting it on them I did a google search for how log it too to kill them, and found out that not only is Hartz not effective, it is dangerous (I will NEVER use Hartz again!!). Anyway, my question is, how long do I have to wait to use a safer effective product like Frontline or Advantix? I am going to take some preventative measure at home to prevent infestation.
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post #2 of 13
6/27/11 at 8:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeeper View Post
Hello,

I did a search, but came up empty...

I have 2 cats, both tabby cats. They are brother and sister and are about 2 years old. The male is about 10 lbs and the female is about 5. The female escaped a week ago (for only about an hour), but managed to pick up some fleas. I bought some Hartz UltraGuard yesterday and put it on them. After putting it on them I did a google search for how log it too to kill them, and found out that not only is Hartz not effective, it is dangerous (I will NEVER use Hartz again!!). Anyway, my question is, how long do I have to wait to use a safer effective product like Frontline or Advantix? I am going to take some preventative measure at home to prevent infestation.
I would ask the vet but usually one has to wait the full 30 days before giving any other flea medication, including a flea bath or powder. If you need to bathe the meezer before going back to Advantix or Frontline, use Dawn dishwashing detergent. It is supposed to repel fleas. Won't kill 'em but will repel them.
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post #3 of 13
6/27/11 at 8:54am
A good product for your home is FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth (DE). The food grade version can actually be eaten without ill effect, and it's great for killing fleas. Fleas are attracted to it, and they are killed when they eat it.

You can sprinkle it in your carpets (sweep it into the fibers with a broom), and if you see fleas on your cats in the next 30 days, you can actually use it on them (pour some into your hand and wipe it on them). Since it isn't poisonous, it won't conflict with the Hartz product.

You can find DE in stores, but most of it isn't food grade. Most people here buy it online.

I'm glad you found out the danger of Hartz products. I suggest a bath in an attempt to get as much of it off their skin as possible, although you can't get rid of what has already been absorbed into their system.
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post #4 of 13
6/27/11 at 9:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany View Post
A good product for your home is FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth (DE). The food grade version can actually be eaten without ill effect, and it's great for killing fleas. Fleas are attracted to it, and they are killed when they eat it.

You can sprinkle it in your carpets (sweep it into the fibers with a broom), and if you see fleas on your cats in the next 30 days, you can actually use it on them (pour some into your hand and wipe it on them). Since it isn't poisonous, it won't conflict with the Hartz product.

You can find DE in stores, but most of it isn't food grade. Most people here buy it online.

I'm glad you found out the danger of Hartz products. I suggest a bath in an attempt to get as much of it off their skin as possible, although you can't get rid of what has already been absorbed into their system.
I think it is important to know that insects like fleas are not "attracted" to DE and they don't "eat" it. DE is made from diatoms which are miniscule crustaceans and when crushed make a very fine powder. The food/human grade is safe for mammals to eat and the worst it will do is rid us of any internal parasites.

DE powder is very fine to us mammals but like sharp shards of glass to insects. They walk through it, it gets on their exoskeleton and cuts it which causes them to die.

It is extremely light so don't order pounds of it or you'll have enough to last for the rest of the century.
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post #5 of 13
6/27/11 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
I think it is important to know that insects like fleas are not "attracted" to DE and they don't "eat" it. DE is made from diatoms which are miniscule crustaceans and when crushed make a very fine powder. The food/human grade is safe for mammals to eat and the worst it will do is rid us of any internal parasites.

DE powder is very fine to us mammals but like sharp shards of glass to insects. They walk through it, it gets on their exoskeleton and cuts it which causes them to die.
Thank you for the clarification!!
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post #6 of 13
7/14/11 at 6:47am
Thread Starter 
thanks for all of the responses. i have actually read about the DE, and bought a bag of the food grade from the local grain and feed store ($15 for 40lbs). i used some on my carpet days ago. what i did was spread it all over the carpet and worked it into the fibers with a brush, then i vacuumed up the excess. what are your thoughts on using 20 Mule Team Borax to treat the carpets? i have heard mixed reviews. as of right now I have the cats quarantined in a non-carped area of the house, and am vacuuming daily, but i wanted to try rubbing some borax into the carpet because that is said to kill all stages of flea life. i don't want to poison my cats or dog, but i do want the fleas gone. this is freaking me out.
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post #7 of 13
7/14/11 at 7:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeeper View Post
thanks for all of the responses. i have actually read about the DE, and bought a bag of the food grade from the local grain and feed store ($15 for 40lbs). i used some on my carpet days ago. what i did was spread it all over the carpet and worked it into the fibers with a brush, then i vacuumed up the excess. what are your thoughts on using 20 Mule Team Borax to treat the carpets? i have heard mixed reviews. as of right now I have the cats quarantined in a non-carped area of the house, and am vacuuming daily, but i wanted to try rubbing some borax into the carpet because that is said to kill all stages of flea life. i don't want to poison my cats or dog, but i do want the fleas gone. this is freaking me out.
Borax is toxic so I would definitely not use it although I know some folks do. With the DE, I would not vacuum it up right away. I would leave it a couple days so it works itself down into the carpet. It will work so hang in there.
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post #8 of 13
7/14/11 at 7:36am
As far as when to put on another flea preventative on your cats I would wait 30 days for the 10 pound cat and then 37 or so days (5 weeks) for the 5 pound cat. The reason for this is SOME cats are sensitive to flea medication. With products like Frontline Plus the "killing agent" collects in the skin and such. So you just want to make sure all the chemicals are out of a smaller animals system.

For all you people who use diatomaceous earth how have you found it works compared to commercially made products with some form of insecticide in them?
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post #9 of 13
7/14/11 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cat Person View Post
As far as when to put on another flea preventative on your cats I would wait 30 days for the 10 pound cat and then 37 or so days (5 weeks) for the 5 pound cat. The reason for this is SOME cats are sensitive to flea medication. With products like Frontline Plus the "killing agent" collects in the skin and such. So you just want to make sure all the chemicals are out of a smaller animals system.

For all you people who use diatomaceous earth how have you found it works compared to commercially made products with some form of insecticide in them?
It is fantastic! And, I love that it is safe for ingesting for us humans and our pets. I used it for ants in my house and they were gone within an hour after treatment.
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post #10 of 13
7/14/11 at 1:58pm
Well thank you for that bit of information. I will try that on my Savannah cat since he like many hybrids does not do well with chemicals. Hence why I use Revolution on him at a lower weight dosage then recommended.

Thank you again kind person .
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post #11 of 13
7/14/11 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany View Post
A good product for your home is FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth (DE). The food grade version can actually be eaten without ill effect, and it's great for killing fleas. Fleas are attracted to it, and they are killed when they eat it.

You can sprinkle it in your carpets (sweep it into the fibers with a broom), and if you see fleas on your cats in the next 30 days, you can actually use it on them (pour some into your hand and wipe it on them). Since it isn't poisonous, it won't conflict with the Hartz product.

You can find DE in stores, but most of it isn't food grade. Most people here buy it online.

I'm glad you found out the danger of Hartz products. I suggest a bath in an attempt to get as much of it off their skin as possible, although you can't get rid of what has already been absorbed into their system.
May I ask what reputable online store that sells this would be?
I looked on Amazon and was sketchy about some of them. I would like to learn more about DE and try some.
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post #12 of 13
7/14/11 at 6:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FleshFlowers View Post
May I ask what reputable online store that sells this would be?
I looked on Amazon and was sketchy about some of them. I would like to learn more about DE and try some.
I just googled it and found it at some online organic stores. It's been a long time since I've had to use it, so can't recommend anything that I've used recently.

To another question: I had been using flea sprays (purchased from my vet) around my house until one day when one of my dogs had to be rushed to the ER from being poisoned by it. This was prescription stuff. My vet recommended the food grade DE and it killed the fleas faster than any of the sprays that I had used previously. It's great stuff. Leave it on the carpet for a while.
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post #13 of 13
7/15/11 at 7:13am
I found mine at a plant nursery. I also got some from a supplier that I was referred to by a lady at the farmers market whose apples were covered with DE (looked like a white powder). I asked her what the white powder was and she said DE. I asked her where I could get some and she gave me the name of her supplier which I have since forgotten. They shipped it to me.

I know some of our members have ordered DE online in the past.
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