Flea infestation, Frontline not working

So my friend has 5 cats and she has a flea issue. Her mom has dogs and lives in the downstairs apartment below her and unfortunately her dogs seem to have picked up fleas outside and they traveled up the stairs to my friends indoor only cats.

The big issue is, we have treated the cats for 2 months in a row with Frontline and she still has fleas ON the cats. We still see them crawling on their faces, feet and bellies (the ones who have white fur at least). This is awful, and we can tell they are still getting bit as they keep spazzing out and randomly attacking themselves scratching/biting their skin. I feel awful, she doesn't have a ton of money to keep wasting on a flea product that is not working. Frontline won't help us at all, they insist we must be getting re-infested but that is impossible. Her moms dogs are flea free and it is freezing outside, so no more would be coming in. 

I am thinking we may need to treat the house, and need suggestions on what to use to do that. Flea bombs seem effective but are they safe considering she has a 6 year old? Help!

Try Diatomaceous Earth FOOD GRADE (DE). You can sprinkle this into the carpet everywhere. Wash all bedding first, blankets, etc. and vacuum (throw out bag). Then use the DE and make sure it is the "food grade" DE

http://www.diatomaceousearth.com/natural-flea-control-for-cats/

Could be that the Frontline IS working but there is such an infestation in the environment that you are going to see the fleas ON the cats. Wow - if you are seeing them crawling on the face, then it is bad. :shame: I would also get Capstar - it kills ALL fleas within 30 minutes on the pet. It is safe to use but you have to get it from the vet or order on-line. It is not that expensive. I would give the cats the Capstar the day the environment cleaning is going to be done. Also - use another topical product then. Maybe Advantage Plus? I have always had success with Frontline PLUS (make sure it is the plus). There is also Revolution but that is more expensive. I would also say that the cats may need to be dewormed as they can get tape worm from ingesting fleas. DRONTAL is a one time dosage pill for that and is also inexpensive from the vet.

Article with other tips/solutions http://www.thecatsite.com/a/homemade-flea-remedies

for your friend's kitties.

Frontline was completely ineffective in eliminating any flea stage. I would comb my kittens and find >12 on one each day.
So I called the company to complain and demand a refund. they told me I had to keep using it for 3 months, gave me a file #' and told me to call back after 90 days of use, then they will refund me. I feel like mailing them all the dead fleas with my receipt.

Sparticus hasn't had fleas since I rescued him. I bought front line for the first time ever and he has fleas, misery! We are heading straight back to advantage! I categorical ly state in capital s FRONTLINE is a waste of money and does not work!

I completely agree that Frontline doesn't work. My vet even says it doesn't work--and yet they sell it.

I went to Revolution and liked the results, but yes, I did have my cat dewormed too.

I used Precor 2000 in my house, it works fast and lasts for months. I'm not sure Id use DE around a baby though the Precor needs used carefully. Ye gads, she needs this under control soon, before spring, or it'll be a lot worse. Her mom might need the house done too.

Ages ago, my husband took in a stray.  He lived close to a junkyard and the cat was a champion at killing rats.  When he went on vacation one time he asked me to check in on her and feed her.  As soon as I walked into his house my legs were attacked by fleas.  To make matters worse, his house had wall to wall carpeting. The entire house was infested and it was an infestation of biblical proportions.  I purchased flea bombs and put one in each room.  The next day every insect was dead - fleas, mosquitos, gnats, flies, etc.  His was an extreme situation and he didn't have children living with him.  The cat was a tough one and she didn't seem to have any problems after this.  I am not recommending that you bomb the place.  Sometimes it's not a good or safe idea.  I am just giving you my experience.  Good luck.

Yes, my vet said that frontline doesn't seem to be working like it should & so they recommend Advantage which I have had good results with in the past. I have used flea bombs that I got from my vet in the past that has worked but you have to make sure no one, including plants are in the house when the bomb goes off & wait til it dissipates before re-entering the house. Its no fun when you have an infestation of fleas. Good luck!!!!

JEZAHB,

There's lots of info on flea treatments already posted on this site in various threads. Just do a search for "Fleas".

One thread that has a lot of info is:   Matts mom  11/04/14.  Just called "Fleas".

I have a post or 2 included therein which include an effective way to clear environment - without nasty toxic sprays.

Good Luck, Jackie (animalpal2014)

PS:  Frontline mostly doesn't work.  And, it's "Advantage II" that works well for cats.  Revolution also is very good.

Hi there..sounds like rather then bombing the house for fleas, your friend can buy a spray that interrupts the cycle of the flea maturing. She will still need to treat the cats but on her carpet, sofa etc pretty much everything she can not wash that the cats use,..she can spray that product and it will take care of the fleas maturing into those demon blood suckers. With that said, she will need to keep her baby away from the areas she sprays till it is completely dry. Defiantly, she will need to read the instructions and follow them exactly. I did use revolution one time on each of my 5 cats and while expensive it was a one time deal to treat the kitties, and the area and no problems since....Good luck!

Vicky

Yes, my vet says, too that frontline does not work & still sells it as well, which I don't understand but hey, maybe it works for some.

If your vet sells Frontline and tells you it does not work I'd be switching vets. You gotta wonder if they are comfortable selling a core pet item that they know does not work then what else are they doing that they know does not work.

Well, I'm sure if he got a lot of complaints from clients regarding this product , he would not sell it; however, apparently he does have a lot of clients that do like it & apparently it must work for them. I have worked with him for 35 yrs & he's a very good vet & has a good staff, too. Besides most of the vets in this town, do sell frontline. It use to work for me but since it doesn't, I just switched brands, no big deal. Not all products will work for everyone, that's why you have choices.

Felinita said:

 I feel like mailing them all the dead fleas with my receipt.

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Fleas aren't funny to deal with, I know--but your idea of mailing the dead ones to the company made me laugh. 

You may have to treat the house. My cat fleas once and I got something called Precor and put it all on the floor, the furniture and so on. it's a bit messy because it leaves some residue at first, but it is certainly helpful. I got 6 of those cans back then and I still have 5 over, so one can should be enough for a normal house since you really dont soil everything dripping wet, just spray a light mist and you should be ok.

try Advantage II (2). Precor is methoprene, the same insect growth regulator that is in Frontline. however Precor 2000 plus also contains permethrin. 

I'm using Revolution and Advantage II this year, alternating by month because I've read fleas can get immune to the treatments. They certainly did to the Frontline. Frontline worked like a charm for me in 2007 but last summer was so very ineffective. I stuck with it through spring and summer because of the "it can take 3 months to work" part but it just did not work. Hopefully alternating will make a difference. My cats stay inside but fleas are in the neighborhood and the problem is bad, so we're already dealing with applying the meds.

Anyone ever heard of the pill, Comfortis? This was recommended to me by someone but I've never really heard much about it.

sonnyvincent said:

I'm using Revolution and Advantage II this year, alternating by month because I've read fleas can get immune to the treatments. They certainly did to the Frontline. Frontline worked like a charm for me in 2007 but last summer was so very ineffective. I stuck with it through spring and summer because of the "it can take 3 months to work" part but it just did not work. Hopefully alternating will make a difference. My cats stay inside but fleas are in the neighborhood and the problem is bad, so we're already dealing with applying the meds.

Anyone ever heard of the pill, Comfortis? This was recommended to me by someone but I've never really heard much about it.

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The vet tech where I go said she likes the Comfortis. But I don't know too much about it.

Yes I agree, alternating your flea products works best as if you keep using the same product over & over again, the fleas do get immune to it & it no longer works.