Question about fleas

Hi  

My poor kitty has had fleas for 6-8 weeks now.  We just moved from out of state and have been staying with my mom while my house sells. 

My mom has a dog.  We believe the dog picked up fleas while at the groomer   My cat has never been outside (and never had fleas), so this is a bit new.  The dog is always treated with Frontline.  I picked up Frontline for cats as soon as we knew the dog had fleas.  We saw three fleas on the dog, on separate days.  She still itches but she is checked thoroughly ever day for fleas.  We haven't seen any in at least 4 weeks.  She still scratches more than normal though. 

My cat is another story   Every time I check her, I usually find one or two on her.  I can also see flea dirt as evidence.  It is not that bad (I've looked up pictures), but the problem keeps persisting.  Things have been washed over and over again.  Thorough vacuuming happens daily.  And they are still on her   She was caught in a fence at 4 weeks old, so she has a few quirks due to a lack of socialization and mothering.  She HATES being groomed in any way.  If I try to brush her, clip nails, even check her for fleas, I end up bleeding.  Giving her a bath is not something I really want to tackle since it will end with a lot of bloodshed; mine.    

Next week, we (cat and I) will be moving into an apartment.  The apartment has brand new carpet.  All of my furniture has been stored at my dad's (pet free!) house.  Basically, we have a clean slate.  I don't want to bring the fleas with us.  Does anyone have any recommendations?   Do you think getting a flea bath from a (different!) groomer would help?  She is due for another dose of Frontline next week as well.  I am open to any suggestions. 

How many doses of Frontline has she had? There have been several people on this thread that have reported that Frontline no longer kills fleas in their area.

I have been using Advantage and it seems to work really well. My vet recently started carrying a new flea medication called Activyl which we have used very successfully on several kittens.

I am not sure it is an option for you, but, if you can manage, I would get a CapStar pill (it will kill all Adult fleas within 24 hrs...you will typically see then start dying within 10 minutes or so.)

I would then apply the flea medication (I usually wait 12-24 hrs between pill and topical meds...my preference.)

I would do a dose of advantage. Some areas some meds work better then others.  I have never had to do a flea bath while cat was on Advantage.  

Thanks for the responses! She has only had one dose of Frontline.  She is due for another dose on Thursday.  Wednesday is moving day, so I may give it to her a day early. 

I live in Michigan.  I haven't heard of anyone else having flea issues, so I don't know if there is a problem with Frontline effectiveness.  I know my sister gives it to her dogs, so does my cousin.  Neither have a problem.  I did say something to my mom and she told me that the store was out of Frontline so she bought Adventix (sp?) instead.  The dog just got her second dose of that 8 days ago.  Maybe that is the difference between the dog getting rid of them quickly and not my cat.  We assumed the fleas latched onto her more since she was untreated when she was exposed.  Plus she has long hair so it is hard to get to them.  The dog is Shih Tzu/Pomeranian, so she has more hair than fur.  Plus it is cut short.  It is easy to see her skin.  She never had any flea dirt, but I think that is mostly due to her short thinner hair.

I will pick up some Advantage to use instead of Frontline.  As for the CapStar, I should give it to her BEFORE the move, correct?  Morning of?  Day before? Where do you administer it at?  Bathroom?  She would not take kindly to being trapped in the bathroom.  No shower doors, so it'd be impossible to keep her in the tub.   My mom has a very clean detatched garage.  Would that be a good place?

Thanks for all the help.  I hate watching her itch and lick so much.  She's puking hairballs up pretty much every day.  Normally she might have one a month.   I feel so helpless!

I would give it to her sooner rather than later. If you can get your hands on it tomorrow, that is when I would give it. Then, apply the advantage perhaps Sunday morning or Monday.

No need to confine her really. The adult fleas will fall off of her and be dead. In cats with really bad fleas, you will literally see the fleas jumping off the cat. They die moments later. I would simply suggest vacuuming the morning after you give her the pill.

Advantage *can* be safely applied as frequently as every 2 weeks if needed.

Thanks so much for the help!  I guess I will be running to PetSmart in the morning!  I did some reading, so I know you can give it every 24 hours if necessary.  Hopefully it will be one and done and we can be flea free!  I'm glad the dog and cat use the same one, because I think I'll give it to the dog, too, just to be safe.