Fleas

[Killer_Bunnie]

I've got 4 cats, and they have a flea problem, we've tried powders, sprays, drops and they are still eating at my kitties, what else is there I can try?? My poor male cats are loosing their hair from chewing at the little bgs. it always seems to get better, and we keep treating them durring the "clean" times, but still I've got fleas and I don't want to keep the cats away from me and the Baby any more, it's unfair to them.

thank you

[Rayne]

I've only ever had expierience with dogs and fleas. My mom's dog's had them bad one time ...

We removed the dogs from the house, flea bombed the house and flea dipped the dogs outside.

Then we used flea collars for about a month.

Never had a problem after that.

.... but I'm not sure how you'd handle cats ...

[The Void]

at this point it sounds like they need to be dipped adn probably shaved clean. Talk to the vet asap. Good luck.

[phee]

I don't want to handle cats anymore....

I will let my dog do that...

I used to have a dog that went out in nature a lot running through meadows and such...

Flea bath usually solved that... but only for a little while until she went out again....

[The Void]

I don't want to handle cats anymore....

I will let my dog do that...

I used to have a dog that went out in nature a lot running through meadows and such...

Flea bath usually solved that... but only for a little while until she went out again....

unfortunately animals either need to wear flea collars when going outside or need to have the lovely chemical thing applied to the back of their neck. it's not pretty or nice, but it keeps the fleas away. We do it to our cats since we don't want the flea issues.

[Onyx]

When I lived in Florida we had themn BAD. No winter to kill them off so they thrive there.

Go to a vet and buy Advantage or Frontline. It's applied to the back of the pet's neck and it will kill them all by the next day.

You might have to take the cat in to have it examined. It's worth the money. You only need to treat once a month and you don't have to poison your house.

[Dubh Aingeal]

If you can stand the smell. Use Eucalyptus. They can't stand it. It will drive them out of the house. Then you can put small amounts of it down around doors/windows and keep them out.

[AstralCrux]

The eucalyptus is also great to keep spiders out. I met someone while working at JoAnn's that swore by it. Yay for bug prevention!

[Dubh Aingeal]

The eucalyptus is also great to keep spiders out. I met someone while working at JoAnn's that swore by it. Yay for bug prevention!

Thats cause nothing likes the smell of it. Except for Koala bears...

[pharoh]

Shave that pussy

Ok now that I got that out of my system.......shave them (lion cut) and dip, bomb the house, get collars for them and if you still have problems....call the orkin man (sp?) or some professional.

Do you live on top of a sand hill? If you do you might as well just throw in the towel.

[Steven]

use that stuff they put between the shuolder baldes, its oil based, gets into their bloodstream, makes them taste nasty to fleas. My kitties are indoor outdoor and its the only way to control flea-age.....

expensive but worth it

[Homicidalheathen]

You have to get the fleas from the inside. I went to the vet and now my cats are totally indoor kitties. He made me use program.....they eat it. It takes a few months....this on top of bug bombs and spray.

If they go outside at all they will get reinfected. Kill all the fleas in the house and on your pets....use the program so the fleas are steril.

Fleas spread worms which you can get so this is important......don't let them out anymore.

[pomba gira]

If you can stand the smell. Use Eucalyptus. They can't stand it. It will drive them out of the house. Then you can put small amounts of it down around doors/windows and keep them out.

DA gave me this excellent advice a couple months ago and it's worked wonders. I got some eucalyptus oil and mixed it w/water about 20:1 in a spray bottle, & sprayed all the rugs & places where the kitties sleep. I sprayed everything about 2x daily, & also sprayed my feet & pants legs when I came in the house. After a few days of this the fleas were gone.

This was after I used Frontline on the beasties, which got rid of their fleas but left enough lingering around that I was still getting bit. I think the cats were bringing new ones in that would jump off onto the carpet or whatever before the Frontline got 'em... the fleas I saw during that time were definitely sickly but still able to bite! The eucalyptus drove off the stragglers.

I would definitely recommend a good-quality flea treatment like Frontline or Advantage. They are pricey but... they WORK. My understanding is the cheapie versions just aren't worth it. Frontline Plus is best IMHO... it kills adult fleas and also keeps eggs/larva from developing. It's supposed to work both on the animal & in their bedding areas. You can get Frontline on eBay for much less than at the vet... just follow a few guidelines like only buying from U.S. sellers who can give you the EPA # on the package. Don't buy from sellers who are located in Asia, the product will be bootleg. An even cheaper way to go is to find a seller who offers the large dog- size Frontline and a kit for dividing it into cat doses. I was leery of this but then found a seller who did a great job of explaining how it all worked... I got 8 doses for less than $35. Whatever you decide, you want a product that actually kills the fleas, not just "repels" them by making the cat's blood taste bad- the fleas will just bite the humans in the household instead. Where fleas are concerned, the take no prisoners approach is definitely indicated!

[Killer_Bunnie]

wow, I've tried almost all of the list I think, but not the Eucalyptus, it can't hurt to try, I had to spray them today, and the carpets. I have yet to catch the only smart cat in the house to spray her though this weekend.

I don't know where they even came from since the cats are indoor only and we haven't had a dog in over a year now. I feel bad not letting the girls sleep with me, I hope something works soon, the stuff our vet gave us did nothing but make them feel gross for a week. thank you for the advice all.

[Fierce Critter]

Do you live in an apartment, or a building with mutiple residences?

People who lived in the center unit in our 3-unit house left a bad flea infestation behind. The damn things ended up in my neighbor's apartment so bad, he had to bomb his own place.

We had a flea problem earlier this year. Our dog is indoor-outdoor, and we have 14 indoor cats. We started treated the dog with Frontline, and eventually, the flea problem just plain went away. But it did leave behind a tapeworm problem we're still treating in some of them.

When I had an infestation in another place, my vet put the cats all on Advantage and sold me a spray that you need to use on all fabrics in the house to kill eggs. It all worked great. By the way, since I've got so many kitties, buying Frontline or Advantage and the like would have been really expensive. However, cats can use Canine Advantage (BUT NOT CANINE FRONTLINE OR ADVANTIX!!!). So it was cheaper for my vet to give me Canine Advantage, and gave me guidelines on how to break the doses down according to the weight of each cat. It was a great money saver.

Good luck!

[Hellion]

I've only ever had expierience with dogs and fleas. My mom's dog's had them bad one time ...

We removed the dogs from the house, flea bombed the house and flea dipped the dogs outside.

Then we used flea collars for about a month.

Never had a problem after that.

.... but I'm not sure how you'd handle cats ...

That worked for my mom,when her pets had a flea problem

[pomba gira]

wow, I've tried almost all of the list I think, but not the Eucalyptus, it can't hurt to try, I had to spray them today, and the carpets. I have yet to catch the only smart cat in the house to spray her though this weekend.

I don't know where they even came from since the cats are indoor only and we haven't had a dog in over a year now. I feel bad not letting the girls sleep with me, I hope something works soon, the stuff our vet gave us did nothing but make them feel gross for a week. thank you for the advice all.

After re-reading your original post, it sounds like maybe you're using products that only kill the adult fleas. To break the flea cycle you really need something that kills adults AND keeps the eggs/larva from developing.

What was the product the vet gave you? You need to make sure you use a product with a different active ingredient, if that one didn't agree w/the kitties.

Also, have you tried feeding the cats brewer's yeast? That's an old home remedy, makes the cats' blood taste nasty to fleas. Doesn't work real well as the only "treatment", but couldn't hurt to use it along with the stronger stuff. It will actually give the kitties a little nutritional boost, too.

[DarkChylde]

That reminds me of back when I use to have "bugs on my nuts" and they sang a song.

[ZhukovCodeslinger]

collars dont work worth a crap anymore... most fleas have built up resistances to the standard chemicals (similar to bacteria vs. antibiotics).

if you really want to get rid of the fleas:

1. get two months of "Revolution" for each cat (this is what Steven mentioned up above).

2. vacume your house everyday for two months.

3. thank zhuk

I grew up on a farm... im quite skilled in "what doesnt work well for getting rid of pests"

[pomba gira]

That reminds me of back when I use to have "bugs on my nuts" and they sang a song.

did it go like this?-

your nuts we want your nuts/we'll itch & scratch & bite your nuts

your nuts we want your nuts/please oh please fuck dirty butts

those singing nut bugs sure get around

[kellygrrrrrl]

I used to "show" dogs, and groom, and train them.

Use Pert Plus . Regular Strength.

An old trick we used, and worked well!

It kills those little fuckers, AND makes your pet smell oh so good!

But, those little egglings will be inyour carpet, rugs, furniture, etc....

You might just have to Flea bomb the place,....but do that simultaneously with shampooinbg the animals....at a different location....

Skin so soft kills them too.

[Killer_Bunnie]

well, I'll try the new advice and thank Zuk I think I know why they arent going away now, I'm at my boyfriends house and the cat and dog are absolutly covered in them! the poor dog has had them for a year now I think, and I hate that they let it happen, I was told they are gone, but I have 28 bites and counting now and watched 6 on the cats head when he sat on me a few mins ago.

[Killer_Bunnie]

well, I'll try the new advice and thank Zuk I think I know why they arent going away now, I'm at my boyfriends house and the cat and dog are absolutly covered in them! the poor dog has had them for a year now I think, and I hate that they let it happen, I was told they are gone, but I have 28 bites and counting now and watched 6 on the cats head when he sat on me a few mins ago.

[ZhukovCodeslinger]

well, I'll try the new advice and thank Zuk I think I know why they arent going away now, I'm at my boyfriends house and the cat and dog are absolutly covered in them! the poor dog has had them for a year now I think, and I hate that they let it happen, I was told they are gone, but I have 28 bites and counting now and watched 6 on the cats head when he sat on me a few mins ago.

..... if you have dogs, you have to revolution them too! (i missed that part)

[DarkChylde]

did it go like this?-

your nuts we want your nuts/we'll itch & scratch & bite your nuts

your nuts we want your nuts/please oh please fuck dirty butts

those singing nut bugs sure get around

YES!!

*ahem* umm....Did the bugs send you? did they?