Talk to me about fleas

[regentrude]

My cat seems to have fleas. I haven't seen any flea, but I see what the internet says is flea dirt. She is not scratching overly much and has no bald spots.
Got Frontline from the vet and applied it to cat on Thursday.
Vacuumed the house, including upholstery. Repeating daily. 
Got a flea comb yesterday and am combing the cat twice a day.  Still seeing flea dirt on the cat this morning.

This morning, after cleaning I sprayed the sofa where cat sits, her blanket, and the baseboards and floor in the living room with a home flea spray. I hate using insecticides inside the house. Do I need to spray all surfaces in the entire house? FWIW, no human has been bitten.

There are many things that stress me but that I cannot control: the pandemic, the election, my father's illness. So I will focus on the fleas.

Edited November 3, 2020 by regentrude

[itsheresomewhere]

Wondercide is a great all natural product for fleas.  We use it in the rescue.  
 

 

[regentrude]

3 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Wondercide is a great all natural product for fleas.  We use it in the rescue.  

Tell me more. What do I need to do with it?

And what expectation should I have re frontline?

[itsheresomewhere]

22 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Tell me more. What do I need to do with it?

And what expectation should I have re frontline?

Wondercide can be used on pets.  We use it also on the beds even if freshly washed, furniture, cat climbing trees, and really anywhere.  We have a couple of very special needs dogs who can’t have most things and this is ok for them.  It says it starts killing fleas within a few hours and we have noticed that.  

Edited November 3, 2020 by itsheresomewhere

[Familia]

First, do not stop monthly medication for at least a year.  We never will stop again, even through winter.  The fleas that may be in dormant stage can hatch up to six months later.  Vacuuming daily keeps them from staying dormant (perhaps wrong word), forces them to hatch and then get vacuumed away.  Any fleas that do hatch later or get past your vacuuming efforts will no longer find a host b/c of animal medication. They may bite a human, but we are not really their hosts, as they will not be able to go through their life cycle on us.  Best wishes!

ETA - We decided against spraying indoors, it really is unnecessary.  Especially for your level of (non) infestation.  For above reasons...the fleas will never find a host again in our home...so they won’t hang around.  We’ve decided on the monthly animal treatment regimen instead of other routes other people may take.  

Edited November 3, 2020 by Familia

[Tanaqui]

I take it she's an indoor/outdoor cat?

It may be that the fleas in your area are immune to Frontline by now. This happens. Ask your vet if they recommend a different flea medication instead.

As for your house, after we finally licked a persistent bug problem I *swear* by Gentrol for all bug issues. It's not an insecticide, it just keeps them from reproducing - but it's a crucial step in managing any bugs. That and DE.

I wouldn't use it on the sofa or her blanket, though. Are you washing her blanket in hot water? Covering the couch with a sheet you can then wash?

[Pen]

I do not use insecticides in house.

Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum (was bedding etc), repeat flea treatment on cat next month (or two)

try to figure out where cat got fleas in first place 

 

[Tiberia]

We had a flea infestation several years ago, and the only thing that really worked was Diatomaceous Earth. It's a powdered rock that has microscopic sharp edges, but it's soft to the touch for us and animals. The fleas' exoskeletons get cut with the DE, and the fleas die. It's non toxic.

We got the food grade DE and powdered the cat with it, sprinkled it on carpet and furniture, and my husband even drank a teaspoon every morning mixed with water and it helped his colitis. For it to work on the cat and carpet, it has to remain dry, and you can vacuum daily and reapply, or leave it for a while. We did a flea test every night by hanging a flashlight over a 9x13 pan of water. In the morning, we'd count fleas who had leaped to the light and drowned in the water. After a week of no drowned bodies, we knew we had won the battle. The pesticides and sprays didn't work for us, and they made us sick. The DE powder worked. It was a pain to have the powder all over the house for a few weeks, but it was better than the weeks we tried bug bombs and pesticides. We had a pretty bad infestation; I hope you don't get to our level.

I hope you find something that works for you!

[Familia]

17 minutes ago, kand said:

....She’s basically your walking flea control measure...

😹Perfectly said, exactly this.  Keep treating your kitty.

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

try to figure out where cat got fleas in first place 

outside

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

Are you washing her blanket in hot water? Covering the couch with a sheet you can then wash?

yes

[Acadie]

After one flea infestation, our dog will never go off oral flea meds, year round. It's a monthly chew. Assuming similar is available for cats.

I'd probably call the vet, get oral meds, and keep up with the vacuuming and laundry.

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, kand said:

 She’s basically your walking flea control measure. 

That is a great way of looking at it; thanks for this perspective.

[stephanier.1765]

I have better luck Advantage II and if I ever see a live flea or flea dirt, I use Capstar on top of that. Second and third the daily vacuuming. Even though we haven't had an outbreak in ages, I still do vacuum every other day just to keep on top of things. Keep doing the flea comb until you stop seeing the flea dirt. Unfortunately, fleas are something you have to stay on top of.