Please help me get rid of fleas

We rescued a cat my neighbor found in his back yard. The cat has fleas and has had them for about 2 months in my house. Once we finally got it to the vet we got it a flea treatment and shots. It came back and still had fleas so we bought advantage 2. After a week it still had fleas. We had noticed a couple fleas around the house too so we treated the house. I vacuumed and then i bought the carpet spray, sprayed the whole house twice. Washed all bedding and curtains. Sprayed,furniture, under beds, in closets. Then I gave the cat another flea treatment. It has only been 1 day since the new treatment. But I noticed where she slept there were 7 fleas. Only 1 of which was dead. So I know I have them in the house.

Should I switch flea products and retreat her? Should I wait it out 2 weeks and then re asses? Should I retreat the house and rewash everything again? Should I flea bath her? I have a 2 year old and a 1 year old. I want to avoid the bombs of I can. But I also don't want fleas jumping on and biting my babies.

I moved into a (very nasty) apartment once with my two cats and it came with fleas. I used a flea comb on both cats every day, sometimes twice a day, in addition to the treatments I did on the carpet, bedding and cats. I think that the treatments from the vet kill the eggs or larva or something, and not necessarily the fleas? I used the flea comb and had a dish of soapy water I put the fleas I got off the cats into. It took awhile, I think a week or two, to get them all. 

Thank you for taking in the kitty. 

We weren't going to take it in considering we have 2 small kids. But we are just hoping to get far enough in front of the flea problem to keep it under control while the Advantage works. I am vacuumingntwice daily and tomorrow I'm going to bath the kitty and do it once daily. I am hoping it keeps it under control

Quicky vacuum every day or every other day.
And once a week, move everything, and vacuum EVERYTHING. And Spray everything immediately after this once a week thorough vacuuming.

Gets some plates or shallow bowls and put dish soapy water in them.
Place in corners, against walls, under stuff, and in suspected problem areas.   When 24hrs doesn't produce a flea in the soapy water, move that dish somewhere else.

Continue the spray and vacuum until no fleas show up in the soapy water dishes.  
Then spray and vacuum one more week.

I did the harcore vacuum about a week ago. then sprayed right after ward. I used the attachments and went around all the base boards. I took all the beds off the frames and did under them. I did all the closets too. Then i washed all the curtains, bedding and used the spray on the couch and chairs too. The only thing i couldn't get behind was where the tv is.

The cat loves under the couch so i vacuum under it with my daily runs. I am definitely gonna use the soapy water trick. Gonna put 2 under the couch and see what happens.

Also, after i vacuumed yesterday i dumped the bag out outside and saw about 20 jumping still. So that gave me an idea of how well the vacuum was doing. 

Is it safe to give the cat a bath if I gave it a treatment of Advantage on saturday? I don't want to bath it too soon and waste the treatment.

Giving the cat a bath will get rid of what's on her for the most part.  (flea eggs, flea dirt, and "most" of the fleas).  
This is a good idea and a very good place to start.

You need to wait at least two weeks before treating her again though. 
The treatment that is on her, will still work after bathing.

Fleas won't jump off of her unless the treatment is working.
If you see fleas on her a few days after the bath...Those are new ones she's picking up from the environment. 

A treated cat is sort of like a semi-effective "bug bomb".  They walk around, gather new fleas, and the new fleas die. 
 

Thank you so much. I am going to bath her today and see what I get off of her. All the ones I've found on her since Saturday were either dead or dying. So I am optimistic. Also I vacuumed again today and when I emptied the bag I didn't see even 1 flea. So obviously my battle plan is working!

Careful, no fleas doesn't mean a whole lot at this stage.  (results will fool you and a week from now you'll swear flea spray is actually flea food). 

I'm pretty sure my last flea problem started two months before I figured it out.
Cats bath water was burgundy (blood red) from the flea dirt, and contained so many dead fleas you couldn't count them.

The bath water was 3 gallons warm water, TWO bottles of Harts Flea DIP, 1/4th bottle of Dawn, Cup of vinegar.
We used Hartz Flea Shampoo and Dawn for the lathering.  Probably four times as much as the directions said to use.

He LOVES baths and stayed lathered up soaked for 20 minutes.

Two days later he got another bath.
That water was clear when finished. BUT, There was close to 100 fleas found in his 2nd bath water.
Either he picked those up in one day, or, those survived the 1st washing.

We then gave him a 2nd treatment of Advantage  (which was 2 weeks after his 1st treatment).
Isolated him away from getting any new fleas.
And began working on the house.

Took us 8 weeks to get rid of them.
Continued for another 4 weeks just to be sure.
  While he was isolated to where no new fleas could get on him?   Only then could you tell the Advantage worked because a month later, he had no fleas.  But, we had to isolate him to know for sure.

Update. I have vacuumed daily, every room in the house, as well as baseboards. I empty the bag outside so I can see what I get out of it. I haven't gotten any fleas in 3 days. The 11st day I got about 20. So I can tell the vacuum is helping contain the issue for now. I also bathe the cat every other day. I used a flea comb on her today and I got 13 live fleas. So, are those fleas that she is getting from the environment? Or are those babies that I missed before and have hatched?

I am just not understanding how I can still be seeing live fleas on her.

Picture it like this.  If you have 100 fleas....Every time you vacuum, spray, and wash  you get rid of 50 of those fleas  (by fleas, I mean....live ones, eggs, larvae, pupae). 
You do all this on a Monday morning and Monday evening you have 50 instead of 100.

NOW, every day, 35 new ones will hatch/emerge.

It's an ongoing battle that you will eventually win, IF, you keep at it.
But, let your guard down?  They will win.

You just can't kill them all one and done....It just takes time and persistence.   
 

That makes me feel better. So just keep the vacuum running daily for a while. And keep bathing the cat every other day. And in another week give another flea prevention treatment.

No need to keep bathing if you've done a good job of the bath.   A WELL soapy lathered up kitten sitting in soapy water, with the lather being rubbed and scrubbed around for TEN MINUTES.  Then rinse.

One of those should be enough.
When kitten is dry, AND/OR enough time has passed from the last topical treatment.  Then apply another.   (I think three weeks is safe for Advantage and Frontline).  If you are using something less expensive.  Stop and go get some Advantage II for cats.

Continue to vacuum every other day and spray once a week.

If you continue to find fleas on your cat, they are somewhere in your house (if she stays inside), and you just haven't found the "hot spot" yet.   (if you see fleas on your cat, they are in your house....somewhere).
It just takes time to get rid of them.
I hate fleas.

Instead of making a new thread, I figured I would ask my question here, if that's okay.
I just need a quick answer.
I gave my cats Advantage II 25 days ago. They have all been scratching for at least a week now. Is it safe to give them their flea application now or should I wait three more days? I have not seen any fleas, but as I said, they're all itching. Primarily their faces, ears, and necks.

Just saw the above post, so three weeks is okay, not four? So 25 days should be fine?

I have used Advantage 2. Cat still has fleas. not a lot. but some. i even used a 2nd dose. and still fleas. I vacuum daily in every room, and do baseboards every other day.  And I bathe her every other day in the soapy water, then flea comb her twice daily. the 1st time i flea combed her i got 13 fleas, half were dead. then, this last time I only got 2. 1 of which was alive. The only place she could be getting the fleas from (that i can't reach to vacuum) is the christmas tree. So yeah, I have it 'under control' so to speak. They aren't jumping on us or biting us or anything. Very rarely ever see one that isn't already on the cat. But I want them, all of them, gone.

I'm pretty sure with Advantage II it is recommended to give three consecutive doses, every four weeks. Just to be safe. And yes vacuuming and all that is definitely going to help. Fleas are such pests. I have 15 indoor cats and they always end up with fleas, somehow. Never a lot, but they still get them. It sucks, I wish they'd just all die out. Along with worms and every other disgusting parasite.

shew. I swear this is driving me crazy. I have to much anxiety for this. The cat was in my daughters room earlier and I found 2 on her face. I know she isn't infested with them so the only reason i can think of for them to be on her face is that they are running scared. lol.

I will NOT have fleas biting my babies. I flea combed her after I found the 2 on her face and it produces 2 more living ones. They aren't in the common areas (base of the tail, nape of the neck) they are just sporadically spread out. One will be by her hip and the other just random on the fur. Is that a good sign?

We have put almost $400 into this cat and I really don't want to get rid of her. But at the same time I don't want to keep throwing money at her. I just don't know. I can't handle it. I have 2 SMALL kids and vacuuming every room, every day, along with bathing and flea combing the cat, and all the other household chores is getting to be too much.

hms01bdh said:

shew. I swear this is driving me crazy. I have to much anxiety for this. The cat was in my daughters room earlier and I found 2 on her face. I know she isn't infested with them so the only reason i can think of for them to be on her face is that they are running scared. lol.

I will NOT have fleas biting my babies. I flea combed her after I found the 2 on her face and it produces 2 more living ones. They aren't in the common areas (base of the tail, nape of the neck) they are just sporadically spread out. One will be by her hip and the other just random on the fur. Is that a good sign?

We have put almost $400 into this cat and I really don't want to get rid of her. But at the same time I don't want to keep throwing money at her. I just don't know. I can't handle it. I have 2 SMALL kids and vacuuming every room, every day, along with bathing and flea combing the cat, and all the other household chores is getting to be too much.

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Oh trust me, I know. Since probably August we have spent roughly $2000, I believe, on ours cats. They all got sick in August, all 15, they needed antibiotics TWICE day, ALL of them, for seven days. Not to mention flea medication every month, costing $110+ each dose for all of them. They all need dewormed now from the fleas, who knows what that'll cost. I have to clean all 17 bowls of food and water once a day and clean all 16 litter boxes twice a day as my cats have been getting sick off and on so trying to keep tidy to eliminate the spread of any viruses they may have. I understand entirely where you're coming from with the stress and money. It does cost so, so much. One of my younger cats keeps getting ear infections, some are having diarrhea, just all these problems I'm trying to fix at once. One of my cats passed away at the vet two weeks ago, she was only five, from what they think was a heart condition she had and didn't even know she had. She was seemingly healthy and then within five minutes she was gone.
My suggestion to you, since you only have one cat, is bathe her maybe every few days with the original dawn dish soap. It's gentle and effective. I also suggest to keep up on the vacuuming and to even flea bomb your home, if you can. Just make sure your children are not around if you do it and maybe put your kitty in the basement if you've got one. Just somewhere the fumes won't get to her.
I have noticed with my cats that dying fleas tend to run to the paws and face and other extremities to get as far away from the applied medicine as possible. If they are crawling away from her skin and more towards the open air and on her fur, they are probably dying. If they are easy to pick off, also a good sign. Fleas are usually hard to catch if they aren't dying from something. What I find best to get rid of fleas too is to flea comb them DAILY. Have a bowl of very hot water with soap and put the fleas in there so they can die. That will very quickly help you terminate them. Just be consistent because once you stop they will reproduce and they will be back. Again, with one cat, count yourself lucky. You can focus on her and you can eliminate them easily. If she is indoor and outdoor, or even just indoor, I do suggest giving her Advantage II every four weeks to keep the little gross fleas away. It should only cost $12 for an application each month, I believe. You can definitely do it, I wouldn't consider getting rid of your girl just yet. This is a pretty easy thing to fix. Again, just be consistent.

Coniferously said:

Oh trust me, I know. Since probably August we have spent roughly $2000, I believe, on ours cats. They all got sick in August, all 15, they needed antibiotics TWICE day, ALL of them, for seven days. Not to mention flea medication every month, costing $110+ each dose for all of them. They all need dewormed now from the fleas, who knows what that'll cost. I have to clean all 17 bowls of food and water once a day and clean all 16 litter boxes twice a day as my cats have been getting sick off and on so trying to keep tidy to eliminate the spread of any viruses they may have. I understand entirely where you're coming from with the stress and money. It does cost so, so much. One of my younger cats keeps getting ear infections, some are having diarrhea, just all these problems I'm trying to fix at once. One of my cats passed away at the vet two weeks ago, she was only five, from what they think was a heart condition she had and didn't even know she had. She was seemingly healthy and then within five minutes she was gone.
My suggestion to you, since you only have one cat, is bathe her maybe every few days with the original dawn dish soap. It's gentle and effective. I also suggest to keep up on the vacuuming and to even flea bomb your home, if you can. Just make sure your children are not around if you do it and maybe put your kitty in the basement if you've got one. Just somewhere the fumes won't get to her.
I have noticed with my cats that dying fleas tend to run to the paws and face and other extremities to get as far away from the applied medicine as possible. If they are crawling away from her skin and more towards the open air and on her fur, they are probably dying. If they are easy to pick off, also a good sign. Fleas are usually hard to catch if they aren't dying from something. What I find best to get rid of fleas too is to flea comb them DAILY. Have a bowl of very hot water with soap and put the fleas in there so they can die. That will very quickly help you terminate them. Just be consistent because once you stop they will reproduce and they will be back. Again, with one cat, count yourself lucky. You can focus on her and you can eliminate them easily. If she is indoor and outdoor, or even just indoor, I do suggest giving her Advantage II every four weeks to keep the little gross fleas away. It should only cost $12 for an application each month, I believe. You can definitely do it, I wouldn't consider getting rid of your girl just yet. This is a pretty easy thing to fix. Again, just be consistent.

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I feel for you.  We only have three cats and one was hasn't been a part of ANY of what we went through.  So, it was just two cats.
But, I sure miss the every other year trip to the vet.  Seems lately, I've been to the vet every week, if not twice a week.  One got sick right in the midst of flea eradication.  The other one last week.  Neither of them are yet well enough that we don't worry and watch over them constantly.

BassCat said:

I feel for you.  We only have three cats and one was hasn't been a part of ANY of what we went through.  So, it was just two cats.

But, I sure miss the every other year trip to the vet.  Seems lately, I've been to the vet every week, if not twice a week.  One got sick right in the midst of flea eradication.  The other one last week.  Neither of them are yet well enough that we don't worry and watch over them constantly.

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Yep! Before we took are two youngest cats in, my cats hadn't been sick in nearly ten years, and then two kittens that must have been carrying something, come in and make the rest sick. They are all doing much better now, but some are off and on sick. And yes, the vet now knows our last name by heart and all that. It's kind of sad. They're worth it though, so if I'm making them better, that's all that I care about.

update. After giving the cat a flea bath and comb yesterday I still found 13 fleas on her. Then, another flea comb today produced 6 more fleas. I am done. I have found a home for the cat, then know the issues and are willing to take her in and hopefully help her get rid of her fleas. Thank you for all the support but I just couldn't do it anymore.

I have felt guilty but in the long run I have no reason to. We took her in, so she didn't die, we gave her a warm home, shots and trips to the vet and now she will find her forever home.