Please advise me about fleas-getting desperate here

[Catherine]

I have 2 cats and I need help to get rid of their fleas.  Paid a small fortune for Easy Spot and saw no benefit at all.  I comb regularly, vacuum....less than I should.  What have you used that really works?  Bonus if it also works for ticks, which we have a huge problem with.

[happi duck]

It's been years but...

 

The one time we dealt with fleas we:

treated the cats

made them all indoor cats

washed everything

vacuumed a lot throwing out the bag each time after taping up any openings (I've also read to cut up a flea collar and include a chunk in the vacuum bag though I don't think we did this.)

[Hannahs4]

Revolution, gets ticks as well. You need to keep cats treated for at least 3 months in a row because you will continue to have hatch out of baby fleas from the pupae stage (which is impossible to kill), and the eggs already laid will continue developing into pupae and fleas as well. To speed up this process. Vacuuming pet areas, edges, dark areas, upholestry etc, will diminish the eggs left and continue to help the pupae hatch into the next stage which you can kill. Also helpful are the borax based carpet treatments.

[Hannahs4]

Ps - you need to treat every single pet in the home (dogs, outdoor cats?)

[redsquirrel]

Hmm, I've never head of easy spot, but if it didn't work you could call your vet's office and ask for advice. I've always used Advantage (? I think that was it) and it worked almost immediately. And within 3 days we had no more issues with fleas.  We did have to treat monthly, but it worked well enough that we often skipped a month and didn't see any fleas.

[creekland]

I like Revolution on ours.  To avoid needing a prescription (if one still does for it), we order it from Australia.  Anyone wanting the website can send a pm.  Revolution also treats some forms of worms and ear mites (important for farm cats).

 

We trade off occasionally for Advantage II since I can buy that here easily.

 

So far this year, I've yet to see a single flea... and we haven't treated the cats since last fall.  I'm not quite sure how we lucked out, but perhaps just stating that means tomorrow when I comb our cat who loves being combed I'll find plenty...

 

In the house?  Since we travel a bit... right before we travel - as in - the very last thing I do - I'll spray this stuff on all carpets, etc:

 

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=770de442-538e-48e3-91f2-a5b0fe152d86

 

It's what we use on our ponies outside, but it does terrific on fleas in the house too.  It has a strong scent (citrus) and will leave a sheen on carpets and floor, so I only use it when we're not going to be home for a few days, then I vacuum when we come home.  The trade off in having absolutely NO fleas when we return is totally worth it.

 

With no fleas on our cats so far this summer, I haven't had to use it at all inside, but the info is there if anyone is interested.

[Catherine]

So I see that I can order Revolution in large dog sizes.  How difficult would it be to titrate the dose for my roughly 15 pound cats?  Has anyone done this?  I will check on order from overseas as well-good idea!

[Tanaqui]

I always use Advantage, but I've heard good things about Revolution.

 

I would NOT attempt to use a single dose for a large dog on your cat. The results can be catastrophic if you measure the new dose wrong, and you likely WILL measure it wrong. If you could get a jar of the medicine and an eyedropper that'd be one thing, but I wouldn't futz about with the single dose packages. Also, I strongly suggest you wear gloves when applying the medicine. If I get even a little bit of the Advantage on my skin I have a low-grade headache the next 12 hours. (I suspect one of my cats may also get headaches - she runs when she sees me coming with the medicine. Too bad for her I think the headache is worth it. If I can suck it up, so can she. Fleas kill cats.)

 

Fleas don't live on animals, they live around animals and jump on and off. If you lay out diotomaceous earth every day around the baseboards, and you're diligent about vacuuming twice a day and washing all bedding in HOT water daily, you should make a dent in your flea problem. It's no good to just medicate for this, you have to hold up your end as well. I *believe* there are some things you can do to your lawn to reduce presence of fleas there - beneficial nematodes or something like that - but I've never tried this myself.

 

Since you have a flea problem, I also strongly suggest you get your animals tested for worms, as fleas can spread worms to cats and dogs.

[Incognito]

We moved into a place where the cat had fleas.  Comfortis.  Monthly.  

 

Whatever you use, you will need to treat for a couple of years for sure to kill whatever hatches from eggs.

[Hannahs4]

So I see that I can order Revolution in large dog sizes. How difficult would it be to titrate the dose for my roughly 15 pound cats? Has anyone done this? I will check on order from overseas as well-good idea!

Not hard if you have a syringe in order to draw up the right dose. Do not try to measure in drops or something😄

[Upward Journey]

I always use Advantage, but I've heard good things about Revolution.

 

I would NOT attempt to use a single dose for a large dog on your cat. The results can be catastrophic if you measure the new dose wrong, and you likely WILL measure it wrong. If you could get a jar of the medicine and an eyedropper that'd be one thing, but I wouldn't futz about with the single dose packages. Also, I strongly suggest you wear gloves when applying the medicine. If I get even a little bit of the Advantage on my skin I have a low-grade headache the next 12 hours. (I suspect one of my cats may also get headaches - she runs when she sees me coming with the medicine. Too bad for her I think the headache is worth it. If I can suck it up, so can she. Fleas kill cats.)

 

Fleas don't live on animals, they live around animals and jump on and off. If you lay out diotomaceous earth every day around the baseboards, and you're diligent about vacuuming twice a day and washing all bedding in HOT water daily, you should make a dent in your flea problem. It's no good to just medicate for this, you have to hold up your end as well. I *believe* there are some things you can do to your lawn to reduce presence of fleas there - beneficial nematodes or something like that - but I've never tried this myself.

 

Since you have a flea problem, I also strongly suggest you get your animals tested for worms, as fleas can spread worms to cats and dogs.

 

Adding to this, that you can also give them the next dose a week early (advice given to me from vet) to ensure that the life cycle of the flees is being broken.  Once you have everything under control (3-4 months) you can go back to the regular schedule.

 

Ask for the jar and syringe.  You need to know what each animal weighs, but it will be so much more economical with 2 cats and a dog being treated.

[Trish]

Salt on the rugs. Treat and vacuum periodically.

[happypamama]

We had a flea infestation three years ago, and it was such a huge pain.

 

We resorted to this spray. I'd vacuum and then get everyone out of the house. Then I'd spray all floor surfaces, and we'd leave the house for a few hours. Repeat in a week and another week, IIRC, maybe every two weeks (and mop after a bit). You need to kill the live fleas and then kill the not-yet-hatched ones when they hatch in a couple of weeks. It was a pain for about a month, but it worked. Nobody seems to have suffered any ill effects from the spray, and I was careful about their exposure. http://www.amazon.com/Ultracide-flea-Tick-Professional-Control-Product/dp/B002QS0WDO. (And we gave the cats flea baths.)

 

We could tell they were decreasing because we put little bowls of water with a bit of dish soap by outlets at night, with night lights in the outlets. The lights attract fleas, and they jump in the soapy water and die. At first we saw a lot, then a little, and finally, none. And we didn't see them jump on us or bite us anymore either, after about a month.

 

Since then, we have used Advantage on our cats monthly from about May to October. No more fleas!

[creekland]

We resorted to this spray. ... http://www.amazon.com/Ultracide-flea-Tick-Professional-Control-Product/dp/B002QS0WDO.

 

That spray has essentially the same active ingredients as the one we use.  ;)  Ours has a higher concentration for a lower price.  Which is better will depend upon preference.  I suspect any with the same active ingredients will work.

 

It does do a terrific job on fleas.

 

Then either Advantage or Revolution.

 

Frontline no longer works around us.

 

[Reefgazer]

Lock your cats in some confined space indoors ( like a laundry room ) without rugs and dose them with a drug called Capstar, which will drop all adult fleas from them within four hours. Capstar is OTC at PetSmart. If possible, keep them in that room for a week or two to give yourself time to get ahead of the fleas in your main living space. After dosing them with Capstar, make sure you put Advantage or Revolution on the back of their neck to kill off eggs. To treat your living spaces you must, without exception, vacuum two times per day. Expect this to take 2 to 3 months for getting rid of the fleas. The vet told us that vacuuming regularly was the only thing that would get rid of the fleas and that boric acid, salt, another home remedies don't work; all you have to do is vacuum twice per day for 2 to 3 monthd and control the fleas on your animals while doing that. No toxic sprays, no leaving the house, no fancy pest control or bug bombs needed. As soon as you're finished vacuuming, empty the vacuum canister outside because you'll see live fleas jumping around in the canister and they can reinfect your house.

[Reefgazer]

Giving one of my cats dose of anti-flea medication a week early nearly killed it. I wouldn't try because you don't know how the cat will react.

Adding to this, that you can also give them the next dose a week early (advice given to me from vet) to ensure that the life cycle of the flees is being broken. Once you have everything under control (3-4 months) you can go back to the regular schedule.

 

Ask for the jar and syringe. You need to know what each animal weighs, but it will be so much more economical with 2 cats and a dog being treated.

[Catherine]

Ok, every single pet-including guinea pigs?  I assume so...I guess it would be a very small dose of the flea medicine we put not he cats.  Now I'm wondering if she is the reason we cannot get rid of the fleas.  

[Tanaqui]

Please check with your vet before applying the medicine to a guinea pig. I have no idea if that's safe, and I doubt Google does either.

[PrairieSong]

Once we had an indoor/outdoor cat bring fleas into our family room. I was sitting at the computer desk and they bit my legs! I treated the cat with..I think Advantage..and liberally sprinkled boric acid powder (got mine at Lowe's) all over the entire carpet, and for good measure, the upholstered furniture. I waited a few hours and thoroughly vacuumed everything. Never saw another flea.

[justasque]

You need to understand the life cycle of the flea; it's worth doing the research.  Then you need to treat the pets.  And then you need to vacuum the whole house, including soft surfaces like sofas, every single day.  Do NOT skip a day.  Vacuuming will suck up fleas and eggs and such, but the heat and vibration will also make dormant eggs hatch, creating more fleas for the next day's vacuuming to suck up.  It will seem like you're not getting anywhere at first.  Regardless, you need to keep at it to break the cycle of reproduction.  Keep vacuuming every day until you see zero fleas, and then keep going for a few days after that to be sure.  And continue to treat the pets monthly if they go outside at all.  In our experience OTC meds did nothing - you need the serious stuff (Advantage, etc.) that you can only get from the vet.

[City Mouse]

Ok, every single pet-including guinea pigs? I assume so...I guess it would be a very small dose of the flea medicine we put not he cats. Now I'm wondering if she is the reason we cannot get rid of the fleas.

we

 

Yep, even the guinea pig. I once had to give a flea bath to a hamster.

[creekland]

 you need the serious stuff (Advantage, etc.) that you can only get from the vet.

 

???  We buy Advantage OTC.  Revolution is the one we order from Aus to avoid the prescription.  Or is there a different "grade" of Advantage?

 

There's no way I'd have time to vacuum as much as y'all do, nor could I get into every nook and cranny.  I suppose that's what one needs to do if they want to avoid the spray, but I'm glad the spray works.  ;)

 

I don't think it's terribly dangerous.  I turn the fish tanks off when I spray, but as soon as I'm done I turn them back on and we haven't lost a fish yet.

 

To each our own.

[Upward Journey]

Giving one of my cats dose of anti-flea medication a week early nearly killed it. I wouldn't try because you don't know how the cat will react.

 

Was it a kitten or was the dose too large?

 

This is what we've always done (the earlier dose) when we've had a flea infestation, and it was on the vets recommendation, with prescription not OTC stuff.  I'm comfortable with that.

[Reefgazer]

I had two adult cats that were infested with fleas and gave an early doses to both; one was fine, the other nearly died. The one that nearly died was about 12 pounds, the one that was ok is 23 pounds, so maybe that weight difference mattered.

 

Was it a kitten or was the dose too large?

 

This is what we've always done (the earlier dose) when we've had a flea infestation, and it was on the vets recommendation, with prescription not OTC stuff. I'm comfortable with that.

[justasque]

???  We buy Advantage OTC.  Revolution is the one we order from Aus to avoid the prescription.  Or is there a different "grade" of Advantage?

 

There's no way I'd have time to vacuum as much as y'all do, nor could I get into every nook and cranny.  I suppose that's what one needs to do if they want to avoid the spray, but I'm glad the spray works.   ;)

 

I don't think it's terribly dangerous.  I turn the fish tanks off when I spray, but as soon as I'm done I turn them back on and we haven't lost a fish yet.

 

To each our own.

 

Ah, then my advice is out of date.  I once bought something OTC (from Hartz, I think) that looked like the better stuff but didn't act like it, and boy did we have a lesson in how good the good stuff was by seeing how bad the bad stuff was!  So I amend my advice to - wherever you get them, make sure the meds you get are effective ones, not cheap substitutes. 

[justasque]

???  We buy Advantage OTC.  Revolution is the one we order from Aus to avoid the prescription.  Or is there a different "grade" of Advantage?

 

There's no way I'd have time to vacuum as much as y'all do, nor could I get into every nook and cranny.  I suppose that's what one needs to do if they want to avoid the spray, but I'm glad the spray works.   ;)

 

I don't think it's terribly dangerous.  I turn the fish tanks off when I spray, but as soon as I'm done I turn them back on and we haven't lost a fish yet.

 

To each our own.

 

If we use the meds, there's no need to vacuum.  We've only needed to do it the very few times we messed up on the meds and the fleas took hold.  

[happypamama]

That spray has essentially the same active ingredients as the one we use. ;) Ours has a higher concentration for a lower price. Which is better will depend upon preference. I suspect any with the same active ingredients will work.

 

It does do a terrific job on fleas.

 

Then either Advantage or Revolution.

 

Frontline no longer works around us.

 

Oh, good to know! Although I hope we never need to know how to get rid of inside fleas again! Cheaper for the same stuff is always good, although one reason I did go with the Ultracide is because there is a place locally that sells it (that was before I was a Prime member, lol).

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I don't have upholstered furniture, and only one room is carpeted, so this method works for me. It's a ton of work, but some of my children are very sensitive to the stronger treatments so I'd rather use muscle as long as it's effective.

 

1. Get everything up off the floor, in the whole house including closets and garage.

2. Sweep the whole house.

3. Give the cat a flea shampoo, outdoors, and then lock him in the utility room with his litter box, food and water, etc.

4. Make a mixture of salt and either baking soda or borax (ratio is 1:1) and liberally sprinkle all the floors in the house and garage.

5. Use a stiff bristle broom to really work it into the rugs, corners, nooks and crannies, cracks in the wood floors...

6. (Have everybody put on some socks because this salty mixture really dries out the skin.)

7. The next morning, cut a one-inch piece of flea collar and place it in the sweeper bag, then sweep rugs and carpets.

8. Sweep the wood and hard floors, too, and throw the dirt in a trash bag with a piece of flea collar in it.

9. Mop the hard floors very, very wetly with apple cider vinegar and water. Really soak and swab them.

 

Then I sweep and vacuum twice per day, and flea comb the cat (outdoors) daily, for about two weeks. Then I repeat all the steps, followed by two more weeks of daily sweeping, vacuuming, and flea combing.

 

I go through this process about 4 times (6 weeks) and then we are flea-free. We're probably flea-free after the first month but I'm always worried about missing some of the eggs so I keep going. :glare:

 

It's mid-July so guess what I'm doing right this very minute. :glare:

[creekland]

If we use the meds, there's no need to vacuum.  We've only needed to do it the very few times we messed up on the meds and the fleas took hold.  

 

Ditto with us and the spray.  I haven't had to do it in quite some time now, but there was a year (maybe two) that were BAD and at the time we were using Frontline.  At first, Frontline worked well, but then it didn't and the fleas got into our house.  Vacuuming, etc, didn't get rid of them.

 

Oh, good to know! Although I hope we never need to know how to get rid of inside fleas again! Cheaper for the same stuff is always good, although one reason I did go with the Ultracide is because there is a place locally that sells it (that was before I was a Prime member, lol).

 

The stuff I linked is also available at Tractor Supply and probably oodles of other places that sell equine things.  ;)

 

We use it FAR more for our ponies than we ever had to indoors.

 

We mainly order it from Valley Vet because we order a fair bit of other stuff from them too (pony stuff).

[happypamama]

Ditto with us and the spray. I haven't had to do it in quite some time now, but there was a year (maybe two) that were BAD and at the time we were using Frontline. At first, Frontline worked well, but then it didn't and the fleas got into our house. Vacuuming, etc, didn't get rid of them.

 

 

The stuff I linked is also available at Tractor Supply and probably oodles of other places that sell equine things. ;)

 

We use it FAR more for our ponies than we ever had to indoors.

 

We mainly order it from Valley Vet because we order a fair bit of other stuff from them too (pony stuff).

TSC is one of them few stores closer than 20 minutes for me, so that's even better -- thank you!!

[lailasmum]

It's worth asking friends in your area with pets what works for them. Where I am the fipronil based flea treatments no longer work even thought they're still for sale. They just do nothing. When I noticed that they didn't work I asked around and and it was a known thing. We use one that contains Imidacloprid and that still works.

[speedmom4]

After treating the pets I would call an exterminator and have them spray inside and outside. I would want to get rid of them throughout the house and yard. 

 

[creekland]

I found a tick crawling on one of our cats today.  I'm blaming my post in this thread.  (The fleas likely sent in a surrogate.) 

[StephanieZ]

You need Comfortis. Get it from the vet. It will make your life much happier. It is *the bomb*. 

 

For fastest results, include good housekeeping (vacuuming, washing bedding, etc.) for at least a week or two following the first dose of Comfortis. Ideally, keep housekeeping up for a couple months.

 

However, so long as you are treating all the pets in the household, the Comfortis alone will take care of the fleas in short order. So, housekeeping is optional. 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Stephanie, does Comfortis require a prescription or trip to the vet?

 

 

Edited to add: Oops. You said "get it from your vet." I read too fast! Sorry!

Edited July 23, 2015 by Tibbie Dunbar

[Reefgazer]

One thing I forgot to add was that the year my cats had a flea problem, the entire yard (actually, the entire neighborhood) had a flea problem .  IOW, we had to spray our yard because they would hitch a ride into the house on our pants/legs.  So be sure to treat your yard also. 

 

Bottom line is very simple:  after you drop the fleas with Capstar and treat with a back-of-the-neck anti-flea, just vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.  Nothing else (except spraying your yard and patience) is necessary.

[Hannahs4]

Ok, every single pet-including guinea pigs? I assume so...I guess it would be a very small dose of the flea medicine we put not he cats. Now I'm wondering if she is the reason we cannot get rid of the fleas.

Yes including guinea pig, you can use revolution but please get the correct dose from your vet.

[Lisbeth]

We use one of the Advantage versions that the vet gives us.  (Gives as in we buy it, but at a reasonable price as part of their checkups.)  We have never had fleas except when our cat who was a stray first found us and we took her in.  They were gone pretty quickly with vet treatment.

[MotherGoose]

I used Frontline. Also you may need professional help in the form of interior and exterior pest control. If you live near woods or have other people's animals in your yard (including wild ones) they can drop fleas. If you vacuum, be sure to throw away the bags.

[Kipling]

You need to understand the life cycle of the flea; it's worth doing the research.  Then you need to treat the pets.  And then you need to vacuum the whole house, including soft surfaces like sofas, every single day.  Do NOT skip a day.  Vacuuming will suck up fleas and eggs and such, but the heat and vibration will also make dormant eggs hatch, creating more fleas for the next day's vacuuming to suck up.  It will seem like you're not getting anywhere at first.  Regardless, you need to keep at it to break the cycle of reproduction.  Keep vacuuming every day until you see zero fleas, and then keep going for a few days after that to be sure.  And continue to treat the pets monthly if they go outside at all.  In our experience OTC meds did nothing - you need the serious stuff (Advantage, etc.) that you can only get from the vet.

 

This.

Vacuuming is the key.  Getting rid of fleas will not happen overnight.  No matter what kind of chemical you use to treat the animals, you will still have eggs in the house hatching more fleas.   We had a flea infestation a couple of years ago, but we got rid of it by vacuuming regularly (probably not every day, but at least every other day).  We keep on current dog on Advantage which prevents new fleas from coming into the house.