fleas

[rmcclr04]

My poor Mr. Kitty has fleas and I cant seem to get rid of them. I have tried two over the counter flea drops and giving him baths. We have cleaned all his bedding and is favorite places to lay. We have cleaned the house and such and we cant seem to get rid of them. I was kinda  hoping to take care of the issue on my own and avoid a big vet bill. Is there something else I can try? I have also tried using a flea collar but that was a joke, they were under the collar. Just don't know what to do. 

 

[Willowy]

What brands did you use? Some OTC products are very toxic, I hope your kitty will be OK. How long ago did you use them?

I don't see why it would be a big vet bill. Call your vet, tell them your cat has fleas, and can you pick up some Revolution. Shouldn't cost any more than buying OTC flea drops.

But if you don't want to do that, buy some Frontline or Advantage (Advantage works better for me, but Frontline works better in some areas. Ask around to your pet-owning friends to see if they have opinions) and some Capstar. Give the Capstar first, wait a couple hours (vacuum your house well while waiting--vacuuming kills the fleas that get sucked up), then apply the Frontline/Advantage. Vacuum often, and wash all bedding in hot water. That has always worked for me. If there are still fleas you'll probably have to call an exterminator.

 

[orientalslave]

OTC products are frequently ineffective, and flea collars certainly are.

You also probably have a huge reservoir of flea eggs, larvae and pupae in your house.

This is a UK page but gives masses of good advice plus the generic names of the active ingredients.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/fleas/info.html

 

[stephanietx]

Never use OTC flea treatments.  They don't work and they can kill your pet.

You need to get to the vet for a quality flea treatment and you also need to have your cat treated for tapeworms.  If your kitty has fleas, he will have tapeworms.  Also, you need to treat your home and your yard for fleas, especially if he goes outside.  Until you eradicate the flea problem inside and out, your kitty will continue to have a flea problem.
 

 

[rmcclr04]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm new to having any sort of animal, so its nice to have people to ask that will have some sort of experience with it. I'm def gonna call the vet and get him an appointment, I certainly don't want him to suffer any longer. 

 

[Willowy]

Like I said before, there's really no reason to take him TO the vet. Just get the meds from the vet. Of course, a checkup is never a bad thing, but it's not a necessity.

 

[orientalslave]

In the UK the normal worm treatment is Milbemax, and the cat has to be weighed to give the right dose.  Unless it's seen the vet and been weighed recently they would want to check.  There is a bonus - they get to pill the cat instead of oneself!

I'm also not clear if Mr Kitty has ever been to the vet, if he has been vaccinated, chipped, etc.

 

[GoldyCat]

As long as there are fleas in the environment they will keep coming back on the poor kitty. One thing you can do is cut up the flea collar and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag. I don't have a flea problem myself, but I've seen that suggestion a number of times on the forums.