Kitten's and Pesticides

I am a new Mom to Phenom. We live in a new house out in the country. We also have a problem with scorpions. I know that Phenom will play with these and they will sting her. I dont know if anyone has had this problem before. I called a pest service and they recommended using either Borax or Ficam W. he did not know if it is harmul to my kitty. If anyone knows anything about this, please help me!!
Thanks

Phenomsmom

Sorry I don't have any experience with scorpion, however I would definatly (sp) not use borax! That could be very harmful to your kitty! Hopefully someone with previous experience will have some suggestions for you. Good Luck!

I also do not have experience with scorpians, although I know we have some in our area, but whenever I need to spray the house down, especially for fire ants and large bugs, I just remove the cats from the home for at least 4 hours after I am done spraying, to let it all vent out...I either place them in a large crate outside the house, or put them into the garage...then I go back after and spray the garage...I have never had any problems doing it this way, and I don't have any ant or bug problems...yet

Diatomaceous Earth is a powder that is good for killing insects, but is non-toxic. It works physically by scratching their exoskeletons up so they die. You can sprinkle the powder around any possilbe insect entrances to your home. It does need to be reapplied if it gets wet, though.

I don't know what kind of scorpions you have in your area but I know Emperor scorpions don't have much venom and the sting is the equivelant to a bee. Most cats/kittens learn by experience. One sting form a bee or wasp will tell kitty to never do that again. This might be a similar situation. Though if we are talking highly toxic scorpions that would be an all togehter different problem! I know dogs like to chase frogs around, but most cats/dogs learn that toads don't make them feel so good. Most of the time experience is the best thing for them and they learn to stay away.

The scorpions aren't toxic. They are also small and most of the ones we find inside are dead. But more and more are alive. Today i found one in my shoe ready to get my toes. I just don't want her to be in any pain.

Wow you have that kind of scorpion problem in Georgia? I had no idea... That would really freak me out. I'm new to the south (well more north than you are - NC) and I'm constantly amazed at the insects taht live here. Its such a different environment. Some are really pretty and some are the most disgusting things I've ever seen (spiders!). I can't imagine finding scorpions around the house...

I had a friend who had scorpions and I got so I didn't mind handling them, but still....ugh...

Also most insecticides are extremely dangerous for animals. Be very cautious. I personally would choose to let my cats learn from experience than having something else that could be more toxic around. But there could be something out there that works really well and not toxic! In that case, I'd say go for it.

Originally Posted by Phenomsmom

I am a new Mom to Phenom. We live in a new house out in the country. We also have a problem with scorpions. I know that Phenom will play with these and they will sting her. I dont know if anyone has had this problem before. I called a pest service and they recommended using either Borax or Ficam W. he did not know if it is harmul to my kitty. If anyone knows anything about this, please help me!!
Thanks

Phenomsmom

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i found this on the net...
Keep all boron products out of the reach of children and/or pets. Borax is toxic if eaten or ingested.

Ficam products are no longer being produced. alternatives are Suspend SC & Talstar insecticide.

the info on both of those says hazardous to humans & domestic animals, so i wouldn't use any of these around the kitten. a scorpion sting, since it's just painful, would be better, IMO.
hope this helps!

Do they make scorpion hotels? I live up north so we don't have those. Thank god. Last year I had a bit of an ant problem in my kitchen. What I did was buy some ant hotels and shoved them WAAY under the fridge so kitties couldn't get at them. I also bought some killer gel that ants like to eat and put it outside along possible points of entry, where the cats obvioulsy couldn't get!

One thing you need to think about is this. If the scorpion gets poisoned by the pesticide and then the cat eats the dead bug, the cat gets poisoned. Unless the scorpions are toxic, I would let the cat learn to leave it alone.
We have a contract on our house where they come and spray every four mos. for spiders, roaches, etc. They spray around the outside of the house and around the edges of the porches and garage. Then I have to be super careful the cats don't get a bug that is dying of poison. Our contract is expiring in Jan. and I think we are not going to renew it, not unless we have more problems later with seeing bugs.

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for their pest controllers.They are a little device that you plug into an outlet and make a sound (high pitch)that we can't hear, but pests can and it keeps them away.They're around $15........sooooooooooo worth it for the safety if your baby.
We use them to keep away snakes as we have Copperheads and Diamondback Rattlers, they work WONDERFULLY for mice and such also.
Good luck and I hope your baby leaves them alone

Originally Posted by crittermom

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for their pest controllers.They are a little device that you plug into an outlet and make a sound (high pitch)that we can't hear, but pests can and it keeps them away.They're around $15........sooooooooooo worth it for the safety if your baby.
We use them to keep away snakes as we have Copperheads and Diamondback Rattlers, they work WONDERFULLY for mice and such also.
Good luck and I hope your baby leaves them alone

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I've heard of these things, but I have also wondered if the cats can hear them too... They hear at a different range, and I wouldn't want to upset the cat....

Ours are under our house....we live in a doublewide.So, Blaze can't hear them, but pests can.
Sorry , I should have also included that in my post.Check the back of the package and see if there is a warning for pets.
(Now that I think about it, we have occasional stray cats that go under our house in the Winter to keep warm and they haven't been bothered by the pest controllers under there.)

O.k. I did some research Here is an article that I found

The Attack Wave Pestrepeller is effective in controlling mice, rats, squirrels, cockroaches, fleas, crickets, ants and most of the other common pests. Laboratory research has shown ultrasonic sound waves attack the auditory and nervous systems of most common pests causing them pain and discomfort. With 110 decibels of sound pressure, pests will give up their source of food, water and shelter and move on. These high-intensity sound waves are out of the hearing range or human beings and most household pets such as dogs, cats, fish, birds, and farm animals.

PestClear is safe to use near children & does not upset cats or dogs or electrical equipment.

THanks. You have all been very helpful!! I will try the plug in thingy.