Totally urked about flea problem!

In Nov I posted that I was finding black "bleeding" flecks in my bathroom sink.
I was told by several of you that it meant my cats had fleas.
I called the vets office and they confirmed.
I went and got Frontline for both of the cats from the vet and bug bombed the house (With the cats removed of course)...a few weeks later the cats were itching again...so we bombed the house a second time while the Frontline was supposedly still working (It`s supposed to work for 30 days they said at the vets)
The middle of Dec. the cats were once still itching ...and then the specks were back in the bathroom sink again....so back to the vets for another dose of Frontline for each of them and this time I bought spray from the vet that he recommended. (A can for $14 that is supposed to kill all stages of fleas for 210 days)....well to make a long story short...it has`nt even been a month yet and the cats are itching .... and the flea dirt is back in the sink AGAIN!
I am not a dirty house keeper at all...and we don`t even have a lot of carpet in our home (bedrooms only) and hardwood floors and leno in the rest of the house with oval braided rugs.
WHY am I not able to get rid of these fleas??? And why is the Frontline not even lasting on the cats for the 30 days it`s supposed to??
Grrrrrr!!!!!!! I`m frustrated!
Linda

I would contact the manufacturer of Frontline and at least get your money back. As for fleas, I prefer Advantage over Frontline. It has always worked better, IMO.

I've heard that fleas can build an immunity to flea medications, and that its better to switch them up occaissionally, so maybe you need to do that. You might have fleas outside that need to be treated so they don't come back in. Have you been vacuuming the house after bombing it to pick up the flea eggs? Maybe they're hatching again after the adults are all dead. I've heard it suggested you cut up a flea collar and put it inside your vacuum bag as you go, to kill the fleas that end up there. Best of luck, I know its annoying!

I agree with regard to the immunity. Try Program, Revolution or Advantage and switch brands every 6 months or so.

Firstly, I would ask your vets to give your cats capstar. Capstar will kill the fleas that are on them within hours.

Next apply Advantage or Revolution to your cats. You have to do this every month for 3 months to be sure all fleas have been killed. The cycle continues for 3 months. It is reccomended you treat your pets for fleas every month, although I don't think it's as important in the winter.

Your cats are likely scratching because they are allergic to the bites. It only takes one flea bite to set them off. So it's going to be at least 3 months of consistant flea treatment before you see anything really happening.

Thank you for your input here.
I don`t think fleas are continuing to come in from the outside right now, as it is winter here in Michigan and freezing cold outside.
The cats are not just itching from a bite...the fleas are most defiantly back (or still here) as i`m finding flea dirt in the white bathroom sink.
I think I will call the vet today and see about the guarantee that they told me frontline offers ($ back) as i`ve spent $84 in the last 3 months on it, not to mention all the bug bombs and the spray that the vet recommended last month that was supposed to work and kill all stages of the fleas for 210 day (It had`nt been but 21 days!!!)
We are going to try the Advantage this time....but I have to buy 6 applications of that all at one time, as they don`t sell them individually like they do the Fronyline. GRRRRRR!
I`m getting so tired of this..... Poor baby`s itching themselves...and then I do worry about all that poison that we are putting on them and using in the house.
Oh and yes, I throw away the sweeper bag as soon as i`ve cleaned throughly after bug bombing the house each time.....but it seems to me that if this spray is supposed to kill ALL STAGES of the fleas for 210 days, and the Frontline is supposed to kill all of them on the cats within a day or so....that THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE PROBLEM for sure!
I`m beginning to think that what I buy from the vet is not any better than what I could buy on line or from the pet store!
(Sorry, I`m just frustrated!)
Thank you all for all of your comments and ideas.
Linda

Don't forget to take care of INDOOR fleas. These are the ones hopping
on and off yr cats and staying in the baseboards and carpets etc. Which is why your cats keep scratching even after being treated. Fleas are still there - they only get killed AFTER eating blood from your cat....

Make sure you treat your HOUSE... either bomb it, or spray manual,
the baseboards only if you spray manually.

I prefer to reduce lifetime exposures to pesticides, so I
only do baseboards. I also use a solution of boric acid
I make up for myself. Works well, and is somewhat less
toxic than the other pesticides out there...

I agree - monthly use of Advantage works very well for me. I've never had to do anything else, except vacuum the carpets.

I had a similar problem grumble grumble but I found this stuff that's made out of some kind of dirt??--diatomaceous earth-- sounds weird I know and it has totally and completely worked. It dries up the fleas and they die, without being a chemical, so they can't get a resistance. I'm not usually into that kind of stuff but I tried it and it worked!
Plus, nothing beats vaccuming and vacuuming and washing rugs and towels in hot hot water.

It is diatomaceous earth crystals and you can get it at a nursery or landscaping company. Sprinkle it both outside and inside your home-

Originally Posted by hissy

It is diatomaceous earth crystals and you can get it at a nursery or landscaping company. Sprinkle it both outside and inside your home-

Click to expand...

I live in flea central and diatomaceous earth was the only thing that got rid of the fleas once and for all. Vacuum everything in your house, moving all furniture and get the cracks and crevices. Wash any loose bedding (yours and the cats), throw rugs, etc. Then apply the D-E - shake it on the carpet and use a broom to sweep it deep into the pile.

Bug bombs simply don't work - they don't penetrate deep enough into things to kill the fleas. Spays scare me - my dog was poisoned by one that was deemed "safe" for cats and dogs (purchased at the vets, the label said you could spray directly on your pet).

I am sooo sorry about your flea issues. The truth...I don't think frontline works at all. I kept my cats and dogs on it every month forever! We had a bad flea infestation while on the frontline!

What I've done is put my pets on advantage and program. I take one pouch and put half on one cat, half on another cat. The program goes on food. It works with the advantage to sterilize any adult fleas. Okay so...then in 2 weeks, you need to get another pouch and put half on one cat, half on another cat. If you have only one cat, save that half for in 2 weeks. Basically what I'm saying is - I have found that it doesn't work for a whole month when there is an infestation.

Good luck!!!!

I don't know if this works or not, but I heard it helps if you cut up a flea collar and put it in your vacuum bag, so that when you vacuum up fleas, they die in the bag.

I have been treating Boogs continuously for fleas since we rescued her in September. On December 5th, when she got her last set of shots, the vet put on a flea application (not sure if it was Advantage or Frontline) because it was part of the kitten package I bought. 22 days later when I took her to get spayed, they found fleas on her. so frustrating to try to get rid of the little buggers.