Flea Problem: I'm Desperate!

I have two kitties, one that's about 2 years old (Jezebel) and one that's about 8-9 weeks old (Delilah). They both have fleas.

About a month ago (before we got Delilah), I tried the Hartz Flea Drops on Jezebel. I hadn't done the research before purchasing the product. She got extremely ill and almost died.

Because of that experience, I am extremely reluctant to use any sort of topical flea treatments on my kitties. I had thought of using Advantage, but I read about the adverse reactions and thought otherewise.

I am looking for natural remedies for fleas. We have fed the kitties the brewer's yeast, which has helped somewhat. Unfortunately, the fleas jump off them and into the house--and thus, we are covered in nasty flea bites.

I found a recipe for a citrus flea repellant, but it has not been very successful thus far.

I was wondering if anyone on here could steer me in the direction of a natural flea remedy that would actually work? Again, I'm pretty much refusing to use Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution due to Jezebel's experience with the Hartz drops.

Any information is welcome. Thank you so much!

~Nikki~

I dont have any solution for you. Sorry. But i do have a reccomendation for the fleas jumping off the kitties and onto you. Place a flea collar, in your vaccum..and vaccum daily.

Nikki,

I am sorry you have had the misfortune of using Hartz's, but the Advantage or the Frontline if purchased from your vet should be quite safe. Of course nothing is a given, but Hartz has unfortunately still on shelves product that is toxic to animals.
But Advantage is safe-

Revolution has worked well for us.. i got curious..and found some products you may wish to look at, here you go..

http://store.vetsbest.com/shopshampoos.html

Originally Posted by hissy

Nikki,

I am sorry you have had the misfortune of using Hartz's, but the Advantage or the Frontline if purchased from your vet should be quite safe. Of course nothing is a given, but Hartz has unfortunately still on shelves product that is toxic to animals.
But Advantage is safe-

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I've known some kitties treated with Advantage and there were no adverse effects except the kitties didn't like the smell. Hartz makes a product they call Advantage, but you would want to get the Advantage made by Bayer that is only available by vet prescription. There is also a vet prescribed tablet called Capstar. When used with Advantage it works miracles and is a safe way to get rid of fleas.

Originally Posted by MisguidedMuse

I have two kitties, one that's about 2 years old (Jezebel) and one that's about 8-9 weeks old (Delilah). They both have fleas.

About a month ago (before we got Delilah), I tried the Hartz Flea Drops on Jezebel. I hadn't done the research before purchasing the product. She got extremely ill and almost died.

Because of that experience, I am extremely reluctant to use any sort of topical flea treatments on my kitties. I had thought of using Advantage, but I read about the adverse reactions and thought otherewise.

I am looking for natural remedies for fleas. We have fed the kitties the brewer's yeast, which has helped somewhat. Unfortunately, the fleas jump off them and into the house--and thus, we are covered in nasty flea bites.

I found a recipe for a citrus flea repellant, but it has not been very successful thus far.

I was wondering if anyone on here could steer me in the direction of a natural flea remedy that would actually work? Again, I'm pretty much refusing to use Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution due to Jezebel's experience with the Hartz drops.

Any information is welcome. Thank you so much!

~Nikki~

Click to expand...

for me its all about the revolution. they have it for cats and dogs. my dog has fleas and he was sentinel. but revolution took care of the problem. and to this day! still no fleas! and it does everything! ear mites, worms stuff, etc. its the best!!!!!

my animals had no weird side effects either with REVOLUTION. i seriously reccomend that though. its awesome.

i dont know any natural stuff that would be good..hm...this is just some more info on revolution
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...1244817&EDATE=

Revolution is the first and only FDA-approved topical medication that
protects against fleas, heartworm and other common parasites in dogs and cats.
Veterinarians across the country have prescribed millions of doses of
Revolution for their patients. Revolution contains selamectin, a unique
medicine developed by Pfizer Animal Health specifically for dogs and cats.
Revolution is generally well tolerated. In studies, less than 1 percent of
cats and dogs experienced digestive upset and approximately 1 percent of cats
experienced temporary hair loss at the application site. Refer to the
Revolution package for detailed information.
For more information about Revolution, please see your veterinarian, call
888-REVOLUTION, or visit the web site at http://www.revolutionpet.co

Update On Situation:

Still haven't purchased a topical flea treatment. I've tried the brewer's yeast and a lemon tonic to rub on their fur.

Well, actually, we've only rubbed it on the kitten's (Delilah's) fur because Jezebel is still in I-Hate-Everyone mode because of the kitty.

The flea situation isn't solved yet, but it is a little better. If the next dose of the lemon stuff doesn't work, I think I'm going to break down and get the Advantage.

I had heard that bathing the cats helps a little bit. Unfortunately, it's going to take an army to bath Jezebel...lol.

I'll be sure to update again when we actually decide what we're going to do. Thanks for all your help!

Bijou and Mika get a vet prescribed dose of Advantage every month (Mika is 8 lbs and Bijou 15+ so the dose is different for each). They are indoor kitties but go out in a harness and leash thus the need for flea preventation. After application, we separate them overnight (Mika sleeps with our daughter and Bijou with us) so that they cannot lick it off each other while it works and dries. I've also heard good things about Revolution. I agree withl the others that a vet visit would be the way to go.

My one experience with fleas was horrible. We had carpeting and the carpets were FULL of fleas. They bit me but not my husband or daughter. We tried all the over-the-counter remedies that were safe for the kitty and nothing worked. We finally just took our cat to the vet for an overnight stay and de-flea and had professional exterminators come in and spray our house. We hadn't realized how bad our infestation was until we came home from a couple days away and when my husband walked to the patio doors to open them his white socks looked almost black - there were so many fleas on his socks.

Just wanted to add that at the time we were giving the cat flea baths at least 3-4 times per week and it got to a point where he would actually just jump in the bathtub whenever we filled it. I was having a bath one night and he jumped in with me. We laughed about that for ages.

It's unfortunate that the Hartz company has caused you to have apprehension toward all topical chemical flea treatments. The sad fact is that Hartz is dangerous to animals, and yet is still on the shelves. Vet prescribed treatments are safe and effective. I highly recommend Frontline. I use it on my two cats.

When I got them they had fleas, but were too young to be treated. Once they were old enough I put them on Frontline, which is non-toxic to adult cats and it has eradicated the flea problem. Even if the cats were to lick it off of each other it will not harm them.

You and your vet must decide together what the best treatment will be for your two kitties, considering that one of them is so young.

When I adopted buddy a week ago, He was infested with fleas. The vet prescribed Revolution. It worked great!!!! He said that it is better than advantage. He also said that flea collars do more harm than good to cats, especially kittens, so please don't use one, I have heard too many sad stories regarding flea collars, they are toxic. I put the revolution on Buddy, but I had to seclude him in the bathroom for 24 hours and remove the rug, since the nasties try to jump off to escape their death sentance. But it worked wonders!!!! He is now flea free!! It is a 3 month supply, and is approx $50, but it works great! And is SAFE for you kitties!!!! You may have to treat your carpets etc to prevent reinfestation. But make sure you keep your kitties away when you do. The over the counter meds don't work as well, and not all of them are suitable for kittens.
Good Luck!!!!

Also, the vet prescribed meds, such as advantage and revolution are not the same as the over the counter stuff. They have different meds in them that are FDA approved. and proven safe on cats and kittens. PLEASE go to the vet he will tell you which one to use. Like I said my vet prefered Revolution, he also carried advantage. He told me to stay away from the over the counter stuff, and that revolution is very safe and effective. Vets always know best though, please talk to yours. Home remedies are not very effective, and if you don't get rid of those fleas you could have hefty vet bills for illness's that the cat and kittens could suffer such as anemia and other problems. The sooner your pets are treated the better they will feel.

I know it's a bit obvious, but have you tried a flea comb? I used Frontline on my two which killed the majority of the fleas, but there must still have been some in the carpet etc and a few weeks later I noticed scraching again. I ran a flea comb through their fur and it caught quite a few of the nasty little things (which quickly drowned in soapy water - don't use normal water or they'll float and jump out again!).

If you absolutely don't want to use medication, then I suggest a cut up flea collar in the vacuum, a daily vacuum of the whole house, and a run over both kitties with the flea comb several times a day. It may not get rid of the problem entirely like insecticide would, but it would put your mind at ease a bit more.

i use advantage on my kitty. she can reach that spot b/n her shoulder blades and licked a lot of her flea stuff off. it didnt hurt her, she just made a face and kept licking lol

Originally Posted by courtney_ou

i use advantage on my kitty. she can reach that spot b/n her shoulder blades and licked a lot of her flea stuff off. it didnt hurt her, she just made a

face and kept licking lol

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Really glad to have read that.

We decided to go for the Advantage, mostly because I have heard the best things about it, and partly because we know somebody who works for a supplier who can get it for us for cheap.

I know that my cats will a) lick each other and b) lick themselves.

We've decided to treat them this Saturday. We know where the 24 hour emergency vet place is and the vet will be in on Monday, in case of emergencies.

Thanks for all of your advice and support. It is much appreciated by 2 itchy kitties and their frantic owner.

I use frontline for my cats and they do well with it. If you have carpeting in your house you need to vacuum it frequently, at least once a day.

We used the Advantage last Saturday, and boy has it made a difference. We have been vacuuming every day and very rarely see any fleas. The cats are *so* much happier, and so are we.

Just to point out, it takes 3 consecutive months of flea treatment to rid your home of fleas completely, so I wish you luck! It's such a bummer you had that bad expirience. We had someone use the Hartz brand as well and their cat nearly died, and it cost them like $500 in treatment.

But I'm glad your kittie's are doing well! Hopefully they'll be living flea free soon and everyone in the house can be happy! *shakes fist* I hate those little boogers, a complete waste of oxygen if you ask me.