Our Cat has a few Fleas

Hello All, 

Our cat, Lucky has fleas. Ever since Wednesday we have given him a bath with Cat Shampoo that we got from Pet Supplies Plus. We've given him 1 bath every day and just got done with one just a few moments ago. He has water anxiety and can sometimes be hard to keep control of when he is in the water. But, it seems after 4 washes there are STILL fleas. He is about 3 years old and I am just astonished at how they are still alive!

When we have given him baths we usually fill a sink up to his stomach... his legs and bottom part of his stomach are submerged in the water. The water is warm but not scalding. The fleas are located near his stomach and near/around his butt hole/ around the base of his tail. STILL, after keeping him in soapy warm water for around 3-4 minutes the fleas are still there. Any suggestions?

Thanks, David

David Bormann said:

 
Hello All, 

Our cat, Lucky has fleas. Ever since Wednesday we have given him a bath with Cat Shampoo that we got from Pet Supplies Plus. We've given him 1 bath every day and just got done with one just a few moments ago. He has water anxiety and can sometimes be hard to keep control of when he is in the water. But, it seems after 4 washes there are STILL fleas. He is about 3 years old and I am just astonished at how they are still alive!

When we have given him baths we usually fill a sink up to his stomach... his legs and bottom part of his stomach are submerged in the water. The water is warm but not scalding. The fleas are located near his stomach and near/around his butt hole/ around the base of his tail. STILL, after keeping him in soapy warm water for around 3-4 minutes the fleas are still there. Any suggestions?

Thanks, David

Click to expand...

Yes, please do not bathe him this much. It will dry his skin and besides cat's usually do not need bathing unless they either got into something poisonous or just fully infested. Have you tried any topical drops such as Advantage? I've had good luck with it killing fleas. Is the  shampoo you are using on him flea killing shampoo or regular cat shampoo? Also the reason you are still finding fleas is because they are not only on your cat but in your house, on carpets, in cat beds, everywhere. You do need to vacuum if you have rugs and keep at it.

One other thing, if you can get a flea comb, you can comb and pick the fleas off him. I found mine at Tractor Supply but most any store especially walmart should have one. I do not recommend any hartz brand anything because it is not good for cats, so many have had very bad reactions to it.

This is the EXACT shampoo we were using for him. We have done all the rugs and carpets of the house. He sleeps with me so we are washing my sheets right now.

Forgot to hit reply >.<

Alright, I don't think you should wash him anymore than once a week with this shampoo. It probably says on the label to retreat in a week or two. You might want to check. As for the advantage, I'm not sure if you should use anything else on him at all as cats are very sensitive to chemicals. Can you call up your Vet and ask them? Giving them the active ingredient in the shampoo to see if its safe to use anything else along with it.

How's your kitty doing? Flea free?

I've never had any luck with flea baths or collars. The only thing that seems to work are the flea drops like Advantage or FrontLine. If you see one flea, there are most likely many more your not seeing.

Even if you get rid of the fleas on kitty, there are probably 100's of unhatched flea eggs just waiting to hatch embedded into carpets, under food/water bowls, you name it. Seeing as flea eggs can lay dormant for 6 months before hatching into flea larva, then into a flea, this is something you really need to keep an eye on for the next 1/2 year.

I always keep a real close eye on my cats feeding area. That's where they spend lots of time and flea eggs as well as flea poop will show up on the floor. I will typically see flea poop first, even before my cat starts scratching. See that flea poop, it's time for drops immediately.

The flea drops really seem to solve my kitty's flea outbreaks, but one dose won't work for the long term, as the eggs can lay dormant for many months before hatching. If you stop the drops after the first month, the fleas will come back in few months so you need to continue to use drops for 6 months.

Once my cat has been treated with drops, I never restrict his movements around the house or even bed. Once drops are applied, let kitty be a flea magnet and let the fleas hop onto kitty and DIE!!!

I use this shampoo it works great!

Flea collars can be dangerous for cats, especially when used in conjunction with other flea treatments.