Cats and fleas
Discussion
Evening all.
A bit of advice needed from the forum please. A few weeks ago I noticed one of the cats grooming himself a little too aggressively, as though perturbed by something. I’ve always used supermarket flea treatment which has worked over the last 4 years.
Having purchased a flea comb, I realised that both cats had fleas, although a very minor case. I haven’t seen, and still cannot see, any evidence of fleas on the furniture, bedding, carpets etc. Nor can I see any black dots in the vacuum after hoovering. I have since purchased the recommended flea treatment from the vets, which went on their necks around 2 weeks ago. I have also been using Acclaim spray round the house and daily hoovering and combing.
All appeared to be going well but today, after daily combing, I find two live fleas per cat using the comb, one also appears to be troubled again by excessive grooming which appeared to have calmed a little up to the last few days. Does anyone have any further advice?
I tried the candle and soapy water trick in the house too, and caught nothing. I feel that the cat having the most issues with itchiness is licking his front a lot, naturally I cannot get anywhere near his belly with the comb without chaos ensuing, I have tried bathing both cats too which also descended into mayhem. Any advice for killing these little critters off would be most appreciated.
A bit of advice needed from the forum please. A few weeks ago I noticed one of the cats grooming himself a little too aggressively, as though perturbed by something. I’ve always used supermarket flea treatment which has worked over the last 4 years.
Having purchased a flea comb, I realised that both cats had fleas, although a very minor case. I haven’t seen, and still cannot see, any evidence of fleas on the furniture, bedding, carpets etc. Nor can I see any black dots in the vacuum after hoovering. I have since purchased the recommended flea treatment from the vets, which went on their necks around 2 weeks ago. I have also been using Acclaim spray round the house and daily hoovering and combing.
All appeared to be going well but today, after daily combing, I find two live fleas per cat using the comb, one also appears to be troubled again by excessive grooming which appeared to have calmed a little up to the last few days. Does anyone have any further advice?
I tried the candle and soapy water trick in the house too, and caught nothing. I feel that the cat having the most issues with itchiness is licking his front a lot, naturally I cannot get anywhere near his belly with the comb without chaos ensuing, I have tried bathing both cats too which also descended into mayhem. Any advice for killing these little critters off would be most appreciated.
Hi,
My cat had fleas a few years ago and discovered they were in the carpets etc obviously. Got some Indorex from the vets for spraying carpets etc .It was quite expensive but seemed to be effective. Did the usual search online and found the same stuff for a 3rd of the price the vet was charging. Ordered 8 or more ( can't remember exactly ) cans and gave everywhere in the house a good spray ( including mattresses,duvets, under sofa cushions etc, basically everywhere I could), repeated every 2 weeks until sure they were gone . Kept a couple of cans ever since just in case.Treated the cat with frontline , combed with flea comb and an electric flea comb a least twice a day and within approx 4/5 weeks, all was good and not seen a flea since. They didn't disappear overnight in my case and it was a pain in the arse treating everywhere although my house has never been so clean
. I only knew my cat had them when I was sleeping on the floor myself after my back 'went' and started to get bites on me. He showed no signs of scratching etc strangely - unless he caught them off me !!
Indorex link below if you want to try it - there may be other places sell it cheaper but this one came up first on the search. Make sure you open windows and keep yourself and animal out of the room afterwards ( I think it says for how long on the can but please check and read the instructions). It is not cheap but worked in my case.
https://www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/indorex-flea-spra...
Also, throw out any ' cat bedding ' as the eggs will be probably be in there.
You will probably still see live fleas for a while until the egg cycle is broken which is why bedding etc is important to spray/treat/throw away regulary. As far as I am aware, with Frontline and similar treatments , unfortunately the flea needs to be on the animal to be poisoned/killed so hopefully the live one's you see on the cat will die shortly after. I think Frontline Plus also ' treats ' the eggs but you would need to definately (please) consult with the vet as to how long you need to wait after the treatment the vet has already used - this is very important as you are probably aware - please do your own research into this before using.
https://www.vetshop.co.uk/Frontline-Plus-Spot-On-F...
This came from a Google search ;
One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day, which fall off your dog or cat anywhere they go. As your pet moves around, flea eggs disperse into the surroundings, including carpet, bedding and the backyard.
Flea larvae that hatch from flea eggs are off-white in color and look like tiny worms that range from 2-5 millimeters in length. You may not see them, however, because they quickly burrow deep into carpets, cracks and grass. Flea infestations can rapidly get out of control. That's because fleas lay eggs in such large numbers. At a rate of 40 to 50 per day for around 50 days, a single female flea can produce 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.
Also found this but never tried it ;
What kills fleas instantly in house?
Salt. Much like baking soda, salt is a great natural flea home remedy when accompanied by vacuuming. Salt acts as a dehydration agent, helping to get rid of adult fleas. To treat fleas with this natural remedy take some salt (finely ground works best) and sprinkle it all over your carpets in each room.
This is the RSPCA's advice on fleas along with their flea treatment :
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/gen...
Hope this helps and good luck
My cat had fleas a few years ago and discovered they were in the carpets etc obviously. Got some Indorex from the vets for spraying carpets etc .It was quite expensive but seemed to be effective. Did the usual search online and found the same stuff for a 3rd of the price the vet was charging. Ordered 8 or more ( can't remember exactly ) cans and gave everywhere in the house a good spray ( including mattresses,duvets, under sofa cushions etc, basically everywhere I could), repeated every 2 weeks until sure they were gone . Kept a couple of cans ever since just in case.Treated the cat with frontline , combed with flea comb and an electric flea comb a least twice a day and within approx 4/5 weeks, all was good and not seen a flea since. They didn't disappear overnight in my case and it was a pain in the arse treating everywhere although my house has never been so clean
. I only knew my cat had them when I was sleeping on the floor myself after my back 'went' and started to get bites on me. He showed no signs of scratching etc strangely - unless he caught them off me !!Indorex link below if you want to try it - there may be other places sell it cheaper but this one came up first on the search. Make sure you open windows and keep yourself and animal out of the room afterwards ( I think it says for how long on the can but please check and read the instructions). It is not cheap but worked in my case.
https://www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/indorex-flea-spra...
Also, throw out any ' cat bedding ' as the eggs will be probably be in there.
You will probably still see live fleas for a while until the egg cycle is broken which is why bedding etc is important to spray/treat/throw away regulary. As far as I am aware, with Frontline and similar treatments , unfortunately the flea needs to be on the animal to be poisoned/killed so hopefully the live one's you see on the cat will die shortly after. I think Frontline Plus also ' treats ' the eggs but you would need to definately (please) consult with the vet as to how long you need to wait after the treatment the vet has already used - this is very important as you are probably aware - please do your own research into this before using.
https://www.vetshop.co.uk/Frontline-Plus-Spot-On-F...
This came from a Google search ;
One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day, which fall off your dog or cat anywhere they go. As your pet moves around, flea eggs disperse into the surroundings, including carpet, bedding and the backyard.
Flea larvae that hatch from flea eggs are off-white in color and look like tiny worms that range from 2-5 millimeters in length. You may not see them, however, because they quickly burrow deep into carpets, cracks and grass. Flea infestations can rapidly get out of control. That's because fleas lay eggs in such large numbers. At a rate of 40 to 50 per day for around 50 days, a single female flea can produce 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.
Also found this but never tried it ;
What kills fleas instantly in house?
Salt. Much like baking soda, salt is a great natural flea home remedy when accompanied by vacuuming. Salt acts as a dehydration agent, helping to get rid of adult fleas. To treat fleas with this natural remedy take some salt (finely ground works best) and sprinkle it all over your carpets in each room.
This is the RSPCA's advice on fleas along with their flea treatment :
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/gen...
Hope this helps and good luck
Edited by classicfred on Wednesday 17th November 06:08
Edited by classicfred on Wednesday 17th November 06:10
There was a similar question asked on 26th October
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
One of PH vets gave a fairly detailed response.
Good luck
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
One of PH vets gave a fairly detailed response.
Good luck
If you are finding fleas rather than just the dirt, then I am afraid that it is likely to be a pretty severe infestation rather than a "a very minor case".
You can expect it to take on the long side of 3-6 months to get the infestation under control IF you do everything correctly - see other post. Acclaim is fine, as is RIP fleas, but Indorex defence is probably slightly better.
You need to treat both cats with something that works in line with the label ongoing. If you revert to the over the counter products whilst still in the same house then it will likely come back.
You can expect it to take on the long side of 3-6 months to get the infestation under control IF you do everything correctly - see other post. Acclaim is fine, as is RIP fleas, but Indorex defence is probably slightly better.
You need to treat both cats with something that works in line with the label ongoing. If you revert to the over the counter products whilst still in the same house then it will likely come back.
had this, nearly drove us all insane.
1. Regular flea combing every day - some days I'd get three or four, especially once the treatment starts working
2. Flea treatment behind the neck, but the prescription one only not the one from pet stores as it didn't work. Follow dosing very carefully because its basically poison
3. Hoovering and flea-spraying everywhere on a regbay
It's a total nightmare but we found these three things finally defeated it.
1. Regular flea combing every day - some days I'd get three or four, especially once the treatment starts working
2. Flea treatment behind the neck, but the prescription one only not the one from pet stores as it didn't work. Follow dosing very carefully because its basically poison
3. Hoovering and flea-spraying everywhere on a regbay
It's a total nightmare but we found these three things finally defeated it.
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