Pregnant cat flea infested house!!!

Originally Posted by EliseMichelle

Hey, My names EliseMichelle. I have 2 females cats (sharkbait and charlotte). We found out this week that sharkbait is around 7 weeks pregnant (estimated since last time she went out). A month ago my moms dog moved in for a bit and ever since the dog came to the apartment the house has been covered in fleas! I am using the flea comb on her BUT this house has soo many that the only thing we can do is spray... Is there anything we can do to prevent spraying the house from hurting the kittens and sharkbait?? I have a screened in porch could I put her out there while they spray and the house airs out??? How long if so should I keep her out there? thank you so much!!! ~ EliseMichelle

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Elise...welcome to TCS....if your girl is so far along...I would check with your vet regarding the best products to use for flea proofing the house. Your mom's dog really needs a flea treatment so that it does not bring more fleas inside.

Sharkbait really needs to be set up with a room of her own (preferably a spare bedroom or bathroom) that does not have a lot of traffic. Once she has her kittens, she should not be allowed outside...even accidentally as she could become pregnant again within a few days. I realize that having a dog around adds complexities to the situation which is why I recommend you keep Sharkbait in a room that has 2 doors between her and the outdoors.

One final question...Is Charlotte spayed?? If not, now is the time to have her spayed so that she doesn't have kittens of her own. If you need a low cost spay clinic, I have included the list for florida below:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/stfl.html

Katie

yes, Charlotte is spayed. Sharkbait also has her own room (my room) and we live on a second floor. There is no chnace of her getting outside. The dog is flea treated regularly. I have done so much research online but none of it helps because the carpets are infested and they only talk about getting them off of the animals. I just need to know the safest way to spray. (Like I said before I have a SCREENED proch on the SECOND floor she can go out to until the spraying fumes r done.) If you could give me some advice on how to keep her face or explain why spraying is a BAD idea please do so. thanks ~ EliseMichelle

Hi EliseMichelle. Katie didn't say spraying for fleas is a bad idea, just that you should give your local vet a call and ask if/what sprays are safe. We're recommending this caution because developing fetuses can be badly affected by chemicals, even if you were to put Sharkbait on the porch. When a house is 'flea-bombed' it's usually recommended that people and animals don't use the house for a couple of days.

You said that the dog is being flea-treated but obviously still has fleas. If an owner uses the same flea treatment over and over for many months or years, the fleas can become immune to the treatment and it stops working. I'd recommend that the dog's flea treatment is changed. If it's just a flea collar, these are often ineffective and can be dangerous because of the chemicals they contain. A spot-on treatment on the back of the neck like Program, Advantage, Revolution or Frontline would be good.

Since I am going through the flea problem now also.I can ONLY tell you what has been suggested to me.
In the laundry soap isle in your local Wal-Mart, you can find a product called Borax.Buy 2 boxes and thoroughly sprinkle it on your carpet,under furniture,etc.Any place fleas are known to hide.Leave it for a few hours, and then vacuum all of it up.
I am just NOW trying this approach.So, I am not sure how well it will work for our house.We are VERY flea infested also.We are literally getting eaten up.
I should also point out, that my 3 cats are NOT here right now!!!They are at my MIL's house for a couple more days.

I also bought some foggers to use.I will use them tomm. while the kids are at school and me and DH go to the Drs.On the box, it says to leave the house for 2 hours, then re-enter to COMPLETLY air out the house for 30 min.Then it is safe to re-enter.I feel that is a bit to short of time, so we will stay gone for about an hour or so.
Since your cat is so far along, I would HIGHLY suggest calling your Vet for advice about fleas.You do NOT want to jeopardize her or her kittens.
Good luck!

The vet said that spraying is compltely safe and that I should put all the animals including shark bait on revolution. They said when it is safe for us to enter it is safe for sharkbait to enter , just make sure to wipe down the room she is in. So this weekend me and my boyfriend are spraying the house and I was going to do what the vet said. Im also going to leave her out there another 1 -2 hrs to be on the safe side. thanks for your advice. Cross your fingers this will work!!!