AAAARGGGGGGGGGGGG....it's FLEAS!!!!!!!

So...after nearly 200 bucks worth of allergy testing at a specialist, I've discovered that Hekitty is infested with fleas.  As is my house.  I'd NEVER have known if my best friend hadn't been eaten alive yesterday.  I've been Frontlineing her religiously, haven't seen any fleas, and haven't had one bite my self!  Why did this specialist not notice that the danged cat was eaten up?  She's so skittish that trying to look for them myself is impossible, it's a two-person job, tho I did try. 

SO...back to my regular vet tomorrow or Tuesday, whichever one the funds show up on...well...first, off to the store to buy a 3 month supply of bombs and a large box of 20 Mule Team Borax.  Then back to the house, vacuum thoroughly, crate the cat, take her outside, set off the bombs, off to the vet for SOME DARNED THING that will actually kill the fleas.  Back to the house to vacuum once again and sprinkle Borax under the chair and sofa cushions, and in all the nooks and crannies that the bomb might have missed.  Vacuum tomorrow, more borax, ad infinitum

And other suggestions?  I feel horrible that I didn't catch what this was for so long, but I really haven't seen any, and none have bitten me.  I must not be appetizing to fleas (oh, that mosquitoes felt the same!)

Think I'll go dissolve into a puddle of guilt now.

I wouldn't use bombs as those are chemicals and you have to leave your home while they are going off.  You'd have to take your cat out as well.  I'd recommend Diatomaceous Earth on your floors, carpets, and outside. The borax will also work.  Be sure to get him treated for tapeworms, too.

I can't rid of them so I feel your pain!

We dose our cats every 3 weeks as where I live it's humid and they just thrive. Sometimes in summer it has to be once a fortnight.

So many spot ons haven't worked a bit. Revolution works well for my adult male cat but my kitten didn't have it work so well. Advocate (not advantage) has consistently worked for me every time and might be worth a go.

I also keep a cut up flea collar in the vacuum cleaner to kill any fleas or eggs that do get sucked up and stick a paper towel covered in surface spray over the filter (just don't breathe too much while vacuuming).

@stephanietx I would love to hear about the best way to DE my house! I purchased some but I don't even know where to begin. Do I just throw it around with my hands? Do I have to send my kitties outside while it sits? How long does it need to sit for? Thank you in advance for any tips!

Hi, not sure where you are located but if you can get some Precor2000 for your house, it worked for me. I recommend that over anything you can buy at a store. It's about $18 a can on Amazon. It's a big can--one treated my large 2 br apt all over once, almost twice. The trick is to follow the directions on the can religiously, including vacuuming every day for 2 weeks after each treatment. If you have a basement, or yard, you might need to make sure they aren't there too. The Precor2000 can be used carefully on furniture too.

For tile or wood floors you can use Murphys Oil Soap or Pine Sol. Note--Pine Sol is toxic to cats so you'd need to rinse, and in both cases never let the cat walk on the wet floor,
For your cat, I recommend Revolution.

Here's a posting on another way to rid (the house) of fleas using only baking soda.
It's written by a world famous entomologist as well as exterminator so it must work, but it looks like a lot of work
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/fo...fleas-nearly-suicidal-please-help#post-134921

Thanks to all who responded.  I'm still seeing red over the specialist who didn't see the wretched little beasts.

Stephanietx, my landlady insists on me using the bombs, but my neighbor will take Hekitty and me in for the duration of the bombing.  Ya know, I have wonderful neighbors.  One paid her vet bill when she had pancreatitis and the bill was over half my monthly income (paying him back, but still!) and one is willing to have me and a attitude-y tortie in her home while I bomb.  Didn't know about the DM.  We used it in our swimming pool when I was a kid and Mom managed a motel on Panama City Beach in Florida.  It was my job to test the pool, add chemicals, and dump the DM in the filter.  I must have been all of 11 years old, but our pool always passed inspection with flying colors!  Did NOT know it would get rid of fleas!

mrwhiskers, I'll get some Precore2000 on order for follow-up and preventative measures.  Thanks for the information.  Amazon is bookmarked.  I'll follow directions like I was building the Taj Mahal.

Tobelei, yeah.  Very humid here, too.  I live just inland of the coast of North Carolina.  I'm hoping that my vet will recommend something that is proven to work well in this area.   I'll ask the vet about the Advocate, as well.  He'll know.  ~mutters to self~ the real vet, not that "specialist!"

FYI--you can't use pool grade diatomaceous earth for fleas. Toxic on cats. Food grade DE can be found at any tractor supply type store.

Lol. Hope your fleas like their new mausoleum!!! Hehehe

Yes, use food grade diatomaceous earth, not the kind for the pool! 

For DE to work, it has to be applied in fine film.  Leave it overnight and then vacuum. If you have carpet, use a broom to brush it into the carpet.  Do it room by room.  Do it around windowsills and door frames as well.  Although DE is safe for animals, I wouldn't allow my pet in the room I'm treating. 

misterwhiskers said:

FYI--you can't use pool grade diatomaceous earth for fleas. Toxic on cats. Food grade DE can be found at any tractor supply type store.

Lol. Hope your fleas like their new mausoleum!!! Hehehe

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Oh, I figured I'd need the food grade.  Industrial stuff never a good idea.

I'm thinking about making hundreds of teeny tiny gravestones, or maybe a small monument to glue on the vacuum..."Tomb of the Unknown Pest"

stephanietx said:

 
Yes, use food grade diatomaceous earth, not the kind for the pool! 

For DE to work, it has to be applied in fine film.  Leave it overnight and then vacuum. If you have carpet, use a broom to brush it into the carpet.  Do it room by room.  Do it around windowsills and door frames as well.  Although DE is safe for animals, I wouldn't allow my pet in the room I'm treating. 

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Oh, this will be fun...we are talking about Hekitty here...the one that can open any door in the house.  If she ever figures out the deadbolt, i'm in serious trouble.  I almost wish I could afford to board her for a couple of days, but what with the cost of decent flea killer for her, and the cost of weapons of mass flea destruction for the house, that isn't in the budget.  I'll just have to watch her like a hawk.  And sleep in the living room on the night I do the bed room.  Gack.

I found the Precor2000 to be easy. I kept my cat in one room while I did half the apartment, then after it dried (didn't take long, I think I waited 2-3 hours) I reversed the progress. Precor kills adults as well as eggs, and kills the larva when they emerge from the hard little cocoons. A lot easier on my vacuum too. DE can wreck a vac by clogging the filters so much the motor overheats.

OUCH...didn't think of clogged filters, although the industrial stuff sure will clog a pool filter if you use too much,  Should have thought of that.  Well, Preco2000 then, with the 20 Mule Team Borax to fill in the gap between ordering and receiving. 

Again, thanks, everyone.  From me, and Hekitty.  The fleasies, however, are muttering curses and shooting teeny tiny birdies at all of us.  A couple actually thumbed their little flea noses.

Mamanyt1953 said:

 
The fleasies, however, are muttering curses and shooting teeny tiny birdies at all of us.  A couple actually thumbed their little flea noses.

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You are seriously hilarious. I'm actually picturing this. 

Paiger8 said:

 
You are seriously hilarious. I'm actually picturing this. 

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When the choice is either laugh or cry, I always laugh!  My dad taught me that.  It keeps me grounded during times of deep sorrow or chaos.  I refuse to be nibbled to death by pissants (Southern term for termites, btw).

I want to thank everyone for the good advice, and to update you all.  SOOOOO...Hekitty went to the vet day before yesterday.  As I left the house, I set the bombs that the landlady insisted I use off.  Vet check only took 20 minutes from front door to exit, and I figured quite a bit longer, so Hekitty and I spent 2 hours sitting on our landing, waiting to be able to get into the house.  It was chilly, but she had her blankey in her carrier, and I had brought a towel to drape over it just in case I had to wait to get in.  Got the window opened, and the house airing out, hauled Hekitty (who was protesting this indignity vociferously) in, got her out of the carrier and burrito'ed in the towel and managed to shove a Comfortis down her throat with a minimum of damage to her or to me.  Only one scratch, and it didn't need stitches.  I'm happy.  Watched the cat cough and gag for 5 minutes trying to get the pill to go down.  Those things are huge!!!   Called the vet's office who verified that next time I can dissolve the pill in a small amount of water and use a syringe to shoot it down her widdle gullet, although they warned me it tastes awful.  But better than watching her gag.  She spent the rest of the day avoiding me, which I expected, and slept in the living room last night.  But she slept without waking up to scratch.  She spent most of yesterday sleeping, and today is back to being buds with me, and demanding treats every five minutes (which she does not get!  Twice a day is the limit)  She has not scratched at all.  I have Precor2000 on order, a supply of 20 Mule Team Borax (which I sprinkled under the chair and sofa cushions, just in case, and all the hard floors have been mopped thoroughly with Murphy's Oil Soap.  Oh...and every single dish, glass, piece of flatware, pot and pan in my kitchen has been washed.  And the counters scrubbed.  And the laundry washed with the Borax.  Tomorrow all the curtains are coming down, and all of the linens are going for a Borax wash.  I am so tired I could cry, but it's worth it.  My girl isn't scratching anymore!

What a day, but I really hope this works!

Another day without a scratch.  Well, a couple of very brief episodes, but I really think that is because the scabs are getting loose and tickling her.  There is non of the frantic scratching that I had before.  She's relaxed and happy.  Her Aunty Suzanne, the one who was eaten alive, has been over the past two afternoons and stayed several hours without a bite.  Looks like we're in the clear.  Can't wait for my girl's fur to come back in.  Her poor naked butt looks so pitiful. 

Great news!! Now you get the Precor, you can do a pre-emptive spray before flea season starts again.

Also you'll want to check the flea bombs contain an insect growth regulator. (IGR). If they only kill adults without having an IGR to kill long term (usually 4-6 months), the nymphs encased in your carpet and furniture will be able to come out and the cycle will begin again. If the flea stuff you used has an IGR don't use the Precor, it's dangerous to use to much insecticide around cats. By the way, you can buy the IGR seperately-Gentrol is a good one.

As for the Comfortis, ooh yea. My cat got one when he was 8 months old. Omg it was like shoving a frikkin suppository made of insecticide into a baby's throat. Horrible smell --I can't imagine the taste!!--but effective!

misterwhiskers said:

Great news!! Now you get the Precor, you can do a pre-emptive spray before flea season starts again.

Also you'll want to check the flea bombs contain an insect growth regulator. (IGR). If they only kill adults without having an IGR to kill long term (usually 4-6 months), the nymphs encased in your carpet and furniture will be able to come out and the cycle will begin again. If the flea stuff you used has an IGR don't use the Precor, it's dangerous to use to much insecticide around cats. By the way, you can buy the IGR seperately-Gentrol is a good one.

As for the Comfortis, ooh yea. My cat got one when he was 8 months old. Omg it was like shoving a frikkin suppository made of insecticide into a baby's throat. Horrible smell --I can't imagine the taste!!--but effective!

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I just checked the bombs.  Although I didn't find a list of ingredients, it states that it kills adults and pre-adults, which I am assuming, as dangerous as that can be, means nymphs for the general population who have no clue what a nymph is, other than a cute little forest faerie.  Precor should be in shortly.

Yeah, giving her the Comfortis was horrible.  I'm going to try liquifying it next time, although with the taste, I may have thrown a fair amount of money down the tubes, if ti doesn't get down the cat's tube!  Wish me luck.  I should be good till the first of January!

Mamanyt1953 said:

I just checked the bombs.  Although I didn't find a list of ingredients, it states that it kills adults and pre-adults, which I am assuming, as dangerous as that can be, means nymphs for the general population who have no clue what a nymph is, other than a cute little forest faerie.  Precor should be in shortly.

Yeah, giving her the Comfortis was horrible.  I'm going to try liquifying it next time, although with the taste, I may have thrown a fair amount of money down the tubes, if ti doesn't get down the cat's tube!  Wish me luck.  I should be good till the first of January!

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Does the flea bomb say it kills for an extended period? If not, there's no IGR in it, it's just a contact killer.

misterwhiskers said:

Does the flea bomb say it kills for an extended period? If not, there's no IGR in it, it's just a contact killer.

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Hmph.  Can't find it.  On the other hand, my eyes are iffy.  I did find a phone number, so I can call them Monday and find out what is what.  And should have Precor in hand before it becomes an issue again.