Flea advice please!

djinn

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I have 2 cats, both of whom seem to constantly have fleas, and they're starting to drive me mad!


It seems that no matter what I do, they just keep coming...I've vaccumed the whole house from top to bottom countless times, sprayed with stuff that's supposed to last approx 7 months and has an IGR in it (hope that's worded right), and tried loads of different products including frontline from the vet tho within a week of that they were covered again, I know most of the stuff you buy from he pet shop is a repellent rather then a control thing if you get my drift, but I'm begrudging paying out a lot for frontline when last time I used it, it didn't work, and I did follow the vets advice and treat the whole house with the spray and hoovered till I was fit to drop.

The best result I had was with johnsons4fleas tablets...the little buggers were flying off them, they were clear till I moved house and my oldest managed to get herself shut in the neighbours lounge and came back crawling with them, real kick in the teeth seen's they're indoor cats by their own choice (and I had all nice new carpets fitted) and now I can't shake them again...am I doing something wrong here or am I missing something?

Can anyone recommend anything or do you think I should give frontline another go?
 

semiferal

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You have to break the life cycle by making the cats continually inhospitable to the fleas.

The only way to do this is to treat with Revolution, Advantage, or Frontline Plus (NOT Frontline Top Spot, which does not kill flea eggs or larvae) at least every four weeks, and vacuum diligently in the meantime. If you do this, you will be flea free in a very short time. The products are a little costly but really, you are choosing between spending money on something that doesn't work vs. spending money on something that does work.
 

yosemite

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Over the counter products just don't work for fleas. You need to see your vet and get the proper dosage per weight of cat of Frontline or Advantage. Then you can get a flea collar and cut it up into pieces and put it in your vacuum. Vacuum every day and empty the contents outside. If your infestation is really bad you may have to use a "bomb" in which case you and the cats will have to remain out of the house until the fumes are gone.

Fleas are not easy to get rid of. They (or their eggs) can live in your carpets and furniture for up to a year unless you use the proper products to get rid of them.

We had such an infestation one time that we took our one cat to the vet to be de-flead and stay overnight and in the meantime called in an exterminator to professionally do our house and when he finished we went away for the day. The cost at that time for the exterminator was around $100 and well worth the money. We had tried over-the-counter stuff and some other products we had gotten from the vet and nothing was doing the job.

We treat our cats with Advantage once per month during the summer months with a prescription from our vet. They don't have and have never had fleas but they do go outside on the leash and harness so we err on the side of caution.
 

zazusdad

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I will add by letting you know that Revolution has got to be one of the best! Not only does it kill flea's but it take care of heartworm, ticks and earmite's. This alone is worth the added cost. I don't know about other cat's.......but mine will not eat heartworm meds.

Also most vet's will let you buy this on a month to month if the cost pushes your budget.

Please look into this, not only for you but for your cat's. If you are having a hard time dealing with this problem, just imagine what the kitties are feeling.

Best of luck
 
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djinn

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Thanks very much for that, perhaps it was frontline top spot the vet used which would explain why they came back so quick, I'll definitley investigate revolution, sound good to me!
 

touro1979

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I use advantage and have NEVER seen a flea. My parents cat got fleas after the dog brought them in and the advantage killed them all and that was the last they saw of them. For advantge and frontline to be effective you have to use is regulary during flea season. Stop being cheap and spend the money. It is well worth it and you will stop a lot of your aggravation.
 

solaritybengals

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Prior to Frontline/Advantage/Revolution I always was trying flea baths, powders (which I stopped using because I was convinced it was bad for their health) and various other things. We never could get rid of the fleas. My cat was long haired and outdoors half the time. It was a loosing battle. When I got Advantage it was incredible! No more fleas.... I was so impressed. Now there are so many other products that get rid of fleas, ticks, ear mites, heartworm.. I think its great, particularly for people with an outdoor cat.
 
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