Advice please- My cats have fleas : /

[Sidney]

After fifty years of having cats co existing with me, for the first time, we have a flea problem. I want to nip it in the bud before it becomes a full on infestation. I used the fine comb on them, then applied advantage II for cats. Vacuum Vacuum Vacuum.
I don't know how long it takes for the chemical to work, or even how it works.

I have one cat that is indoor outdoor. My guess is my next step is to treat the yard, however, she doesn't know the property bounderies and who knows where she rambles to outside from my view. I have tried to make her an indoor cat but she is miserable. She was born outside and lived mostly outdoors at my former residence. She cried and cried for weeks when we moved, I had no choice to keep her in so she wouldnt try to return to the previous place.

I have gone back and forth about the risks of her being out, and the issue of her happiness. Anyhoo-
So back to the issue at hand. Is there a good non chemical way to deal with this long term. Not to mention the advantage was more than fifty bucks for one month treatment for 3 cats, actually you get 4 applicationg but I have to use 2 on my fat cat :)

Any info and advice would be greatly appreciated.

25934

[TargeT]

if you want to go the non-chemical route, dust the cat, it's bed and usual hang out spots with diatomaceous earth, this will lacerate the exoskeleton of the bug and it will dehydrate to death and no longer be an issue. fipronil is an EXCELLENT if you want to go the chemical route, it leaves a residual that kills fleas and ticks for a month or more.

[sirdipswitch]

I had that problem one time and put a flea collar on it and ended problem. It seemed to take care of her out and about also. And was a cheap fix. Had a dog at the time also and did the same with it. No more problem with either. No more fleas in the house either. AS for treating outside, good luck on that one, cuz ya just don'tknow where the little darlings go to on their excersions around the "Hood". chuckle chuckle.

Good luck with whatever ya do.

Oh BTW, thought I'd just tell ya, that I have a Boston Terrier now, and guess what? Her name is is Sidney, only I spell it Sydney. Yep... you remind me of my dog. cccccc.

Love Ya!!!ccc.

[sian]

if you want to go the non-chemical route, dust the cat, it's bed and usual hang out spots with diatomaceous earth, this will lacerate the exoskeleton of the bug and it will dehydrate to death and no longer be an issue. fipronil is an EXCELLENT if you want to go the chemical route, it leaves a residual that kills fleas and ticks for a month or more.

I second that.

Good luck Sidney

[Sidney]

I had that problem one time and put a flea collar on it and ended problem. It seemed to take care of her out and about also. And was a cheap fix. Had a dog at the time also and did the same with it. No more problem with either. No more fleas in the house either. AS for treating outside, good luck on that one, cuz ya just don'tknow where the little darlings go to on their excersions around the "Hood". chuckle chuckle.

Good luck with whatever ya do.

Oh BTW, thought I'd just tell ya, that I have a Boston Terrier now, and guess what? Her name is is Sidney, only I spell it Sydney. Yep... you remind me of my dog. cccccc.

Love Ya!!!ccc.


Up until this year I havel always gone the collar route. This year, the collar failed. HUMM GMO FLEAS anyone. HAHA As for your doggie Sydney, please give hugs!!! XO RUFF :)

[Jean-Marie]

When I was growing up we used to let the cats outside. Always had intermittent flea problems. Raising my family we have had a few cats. We do not let them outside unless they are with us on the porch. We have not had a single flea problem. It is a hard decision because cats naturally want to play outside and find other cats. The coyote's have migrated to the Chicago suburbs and it is not unusual to have coyote sightings in the neighborhood. That is the other reason for keeping them in when we are not out with them.

-jean-marie

[TargeT]

Up until this year I havel always gone the collar route. This year, the collar failed. HUMM GMO FLEAS anyone. HAHA As for your doggie Sydney, please give hugs!!! XO RUFF :)
I run a horse rescue, foster stray dogs and stray cats in a tropical area (read: TONS OF BUGS) Fipronil is amazing.

If you don't mind the chemical route (flea collars are definitely chemical) then go with the Fipronil, you can get it for dogs (cats too, doesn't matter who it's labeled for the chemical is the same, I use the "dog" stuff on horses; I just have to use more) at local stores with out a prescription, it's a topical drop that you put in a few places; the SECOND you apply it you'll be able to watch the flea's jumping off (do it far out side) and the animals don't seem to suffer at all for it.

[Sidney]

I know, my cat is a spirited child. lol When she doesn't get her way, she whines and scratches the door all night long. I have tried so hard to keep her in. But with the flea issue, my two legged child comes first, and I do not want fleas in the house. And it only takes one flea to also end up with a secondary tape worm problem. The fleas that came off of her were HUGE.. Big brown ones and smaller black ones. I have not seen the black ones ever, and let me tell you they were jumping like they were on steroids. lol After 24 hours of using the advantage, there is NO scratching, so that is a good sign. As much as I hate chemicals, I do not want to take a chance on the apartment becoming infested. I hate bugs, and they always find me. The good news is I have not been bitten once. (yet) and I have seen no fleas on the furniture or rugs. I am thinking with the warm weather spell, there has been a sudden hatching outside, my cat has a spot she likes to sit in the brush behind the house, and I intend to spray the yard or us D. Earth out there. It feels like when you have a child with the flu, non stop cleaning and laundry until the situation is under control. Im tired now. LOL I feel fortunate, that I have never had this happen because I have had many outdoor cats in the past.

[Sidney]

Up until this year I havel always gone the collar route. This year, the collar failed. HUMM GMO FLEAS anyone. HAHA As for your doggie Sydney, please give hugs!!! XO RUFF :)
I run a horse rescue, foster stray dogs and stray cats in a tropical area (read: TONS OF BUGS) Fipronil is amazing.

If you don't mind the chemical route (flea collars are definitely chemical) then go with the Fipronil, you can get it for dogs (cats too, doesn't matter who it's labeled for the chemical is the same, I use the "dog" stuff on horses; I just have to use more) at local stores with out a prescription, it's a topical drop that you put in a few places; the SECOND you apply it you'll be able to watch the flea's jumping off (do it far out side) and the animals don't seem to suffer at all for it.

I think thats the active ingredient in Frontline. Petco had that one and also the advantage. the only reason I chose advantage is a guy there said he had dogs and always used frontline in the past but that it stopped working, he thought maybe the fleas were becoming resistant to it. Since I didin't know anything about either product I chose the advantage. About the same price, different ingredient though. It might be a good thing to spray my yard with though if it is available for that type of application.

[cloud9]

We have a rental property where two old ladies used to live some years ago; they had 2 indoor cats that never went outside, when they left the apartment after just 2 weeks it was impossible to go in without seeing (and feeling) an incredible amount of fleas everywhere, I have never seen this kind of infestation before. We sprinkled regular table salt everywhere on the floor and left it there for 2 days, when we came back the problem was solved and it has been to this day, not even one survived. I wonder if borax would be good for the cat...

[Sidney]

wow!!!Salt, who knew. That is a very inexpensive fix and non toxic! I may try that one.

[cloud9]

I have suggested several times in Avalon a web site called earthclinic.com where you can find remedies and cures from people who share how they used them and what results they got, it's very informative and they have a section for pet where I found out about salt remedy. Nowadays people ask the same questions many times but it's still a wonderful website and I go there very often.

[MargueriteBee]

Yep, table salt works everytime and so cheap!

[TargeT]

wow!!!Salt, who knew. That is a very inexpensive fix and non toxic! I may try that one.

if you want cheap, non toxic AND effective see this:


if you want to go the non-chemical route, dust the cat, it's bed and usual hang out spots with diatomaceous earth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth), this will lacerate the exoskeleton of the bug and it will dehydrate to death and no longer be an issue.

I used 2 pounds of D.E. for over 1 year on 4 cats and 5 dogs. it works amazingly well and costs about 12$ for a pound or two. DE kills cockroaches in about 3 min, it's food grade so you can eat it (and I do eat it every day... search on this forum for why) and it's very very cheap, and super natural.

not only is it monetarily comparative to table salt... it's better for the surrounding environment.

[Sidney]

I agree TargeT- I will pick up some of that. After reading around, that seems like the best alternative to chemicals (better than chemicals. And also a do it all fix for pets home and yard, (and me). Thank you all so much for pitching in here. I can always count on my intelligent friends here.!!!!!

[Snowflower]

There is a product called Cedarcide that is natural and effective.

[Ellisa]

Don't use preparations for dogs on cats! Cats lick themselves clean and so will swallow whatever you put on them, and so even some 'natural' products will harm them.

My vet explained that you need to kill the fleas the animals have now, and use another product for future fleas. So use powder on the bedding and fur of the cat and Frontline or Advantage on the cat itself. The last two work on the egg of the flea and render it sterile, but they have to be applied every month and are expensive. The good thing is they work well! The same applies to dogs. The amount you use depends on the weight of the animal, and needs to be measured as otherwise it will not work. Also if you have an animal who likes water (unlikely with the average cat!), the stuff will need to be reapplied as it is not waterproof.

Good luck! Some cats are really hard to treat and seem to hang on to the fleas! I love the illustration, and sometimes I have felt my cats have been hosting a plague of monsters like that one-- but they do go away eventually!

[Octavusprime]

I have 3 cats and have had a few infestations. My biggest advice would be vacuum. Every day for at least 2 weeks preferably 3 weeks.

The key is to break the larvae life cycle. You can kill every flea on the cat but if you don't deal with the larvae living in your carpet, nooks and crannies you will continue to find fleas.

The larvae lives in dark areas so make sure to move furniture and vacuum everywhere.

Use the other solutions listed above but make sure to vacuum!!!!

[Sidney]

Hi, I wanted to give an update on the flea thing. The Di. Earth did NOT work. I put it everywhere ground it in, let it sit for more than 2 full days, then vacuumed it up. Not only was the dust absolutely everywhere, but it really screwed up my Dyson vac. I had to take that thing apart and clean out all the parts, then re assemble it. Talk about a PIA. Lol
Then I started seeing fleas again. Yes maybe a new batch hatched out, but the thing is, I did not find even one dead flea anywhere. So I have been back to trying one chemical after another. Using advantage 2 for cats. It says on the package insert that it is suppose to kill the eggs also, but I don't think it is working. I just ordered revolution for the next round. Same concept as advantage different company. I am about ready to scream at this point. I spend all my time cleaning, vacuuming and laundring everything in the house, including the cats. I am spent. But the DE was a waste of time and effort.

[TargeT]

DE is meant to be basically always there.. my dog beds are lightly dusted with it, as are the dogs, but they are mostly outdoor animals so it's not a big issue for me (I guess I should have given more detail).

I think it takes about a week or two before the cycle of flea eggs & fleas is broken, so if the dust doesn’t work in your area then it won’t work well for you.


BTW that extra DE you have is a great dietary supplement ;)


Get your hands on some Fipronil, it's much cleaner ;)

[MorningFox]

Sorry but I don't think you'll be able to treat the yard. Our cats suffer from fleas in the summertime too and I'm pretty sure they pick them up from the foxes and hedgehogs that come through the garden, no way to control that unfortunately.

I will have to try the table salt option though!

[Sidney]

DE is meant to be basically always there.. my dog beds are lightly dusted with it, as are the dogs, but they are mostly outdoor animals so it's not a big issue for me (I guess I should have given more detail).

I think it takes about a week or two before the cycle of flea eggs & fleas is broken, so if the dust doesn’t work in your area then it won’t work well for you.


BTW that extra DE you have is a great dietary supplement ;)


Get your hands on some Fipronil, it's much cleaner ;)

Well, I did a lot of digging online before I decided to try it. There are so many varying opinions on how to use, and how long it takes etc. It is just not realistic to leave DE laying all over the house permanently. The air conditioning carries it everywhere. I REALLY wanted to try a less toxic way of dealing with this first. So hey, I give myself an E for effort, then an F for failing. LOL Thats life, trial and error.
I read somewhere that the Advantage II does not kill the egg cycle. But the package insert says otherwise. Now I am reading lots of horror stories about revolution which I ordered and was planning to switch to, but I am scared to death I am going to poison my cats . It is overwhelming, physically, and emotionally, especially when I am against using toxic chemicals. But, I have a human child that is higher priority than my cats, and I don't want her (or me) sharing our living quarters with fleas, and their eggs. The eggs gross me out more than the fleas. I don't know, the whole thing grosses me out. Yea, I am the one that removed a black widow spider in a container, drove it to the state park and let it free. Now I am spraying chemicals all over my house, killing everything.
I never knew I was a flea phobic. Arghhhh

And you are right morning fox, the yard is another losing battle and I have decided to keep the cat in permanently. Hopefully she will get used to it. W have rabbits everywhere here, and deer, and oppossums, and you name it, there are furry things here daily, and I am sure they are all flea infested, which would make my efforts even more challenging.

I have been taking the DE internally though and feel like I am doing something good for my insides. And sprinkling it on the cats food too which they don't seem to mind.

[blufire]

Hi Sidney,

Any type of bug infestation can be so overwhelming.

I really would encourage you to stay with the DE. It has never failed with me whether it is on my farm animals or pets that come inside the home or in my garden.

With my animals that come in the house (3 dogs and 2 cats) I dust them every week with DE and on their individual beds I lightly dust them with DE. I do not however spread DE anywhere else in the house. But, I do spread DE in the yard immediately in front of the entrances to the house about 15 or 20 feet every 2 or 3 months.

On the rare occasion the dogs start getting too many ticks and fleas (usually in the spring) I get a cheap bottle of shampoo and add appropriate amount of Permethrin10 (look in farm stores) and also Iodine (gentle wound care also in farm stores) and shampoo the dogs generously and leave the shampoo on for 10 or 15 minutes. Bug problem is all gone.

Of course the house is another issue and I would suggest the insect ‘foggers’. The fog permeates everywhere and gets the little buggers hiding out. Of course you will need to fog the house every 7 days in at least a 21 day cycle . . . so 3 times.

Good Luck!

For more info on DE check out this thread:

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?67615-Diatomaceous-Earth-for-your-Family-Home-and-Homestead&highlight=Diatomaceous+Earth

[Matthew]

I caught fleas the other week.

I think I got them by picking up magpie feathers and putting them in a bag. Then carrying the bag around. I think I must have collected, and then incubated, flea eggs. Magpie feathers are so beautiful, with their blue shine. However that will teach me to go round picking up dead things. The point is I had to deal with fleas.

Before checking the internet I got on my knees and prayed "Jesus my healer - rid me of these fleas or give me the knowledge to rid myself of these fleas". Then I got a vision of half a lemon, me washing myself with it, then going to bed.

After accepting my spooky vision I kind of wondered if I was going mad. Wouldn't this be sticky? But I had accepted the answer to my prayer, but now I wanted to know what conventional knowledge had to say about it. Not to challenge the vision, because I felt it was real. But when I did look this up I learnt that D-limonene in lemons kills fleas. D-limonene is found in citrus fruit's rind. Wash yourself in D-limonene then the fleas find you and kill themselves. Wow.

Some advice I didn't need from a spooky vision: first I hoovered the bed clothes, then washed them at a temperature of greater than 36°C, hoovered the bed, then pretty much hoovered everything else, and continued to machine washed everything I could at a temperature of greater than 36°C.

I made a lemon wash from boiling four quartered lemons in water then letting them steep for at least 8 hours. Then when my lemon wash was ready I washed myself head to toe and went to bed. I repeated this for three nights and mornings, hoovering and washing clothes regularly.

Before I got my steeped lemon wash ready I noticed that my favorite mosquito spray also contained D-limonene ('Bug Soother (https://i.postimg.cc/rwT6k2VC/image.png)') so I could use that spray under my armpits, behind my knees and on skin fold points that fleas love, until my lemon wash was ready.

After washing with the lemon wash I filtered it and made a spray that I could spray on pillows, curtains, me, carpets, and pretty much everything that can stand the lemon solution.

There were three items of clothes I couldn't wash. Two went in the freezer for a few days (oops they're still there) and one went into a 40l plastic container tub with loads of diatomaceous earth.

I have a 10kg tub of diatomaceous earth, it's always a handy nuclear option to have around the house. Although fleas jump making earth not totally ideal, and diatomaceous earth will dry your skin.

However, diatomaceous earth was a good option to de-flea a hand woven blanket that I couldn't wash or dry clean, and I was nervous about spraying it with lemon solution, because lemon juice can discolor some fabric dyes. It's rare that this happens, but this blanket was not mass produced so I played it safe.

After a few days of being clear, and despite it not being in my spooky vision, I also took the precaution of fog bombing (Pyrethrin) (https://i.postimg.cc/qvNK4S1q/image.png) my entire house. Fog bombs are great for destroying airborne creatures although pyrethrin is toxic to fish and cats, so it's not great for the subject of the thread.

Diatomaceous earth is ok but the lemon wash was the coup-de-grace.

True story.

[Matthew]

A better headline is: I cured fleas after a vision from Jesus.

My above post deserves a better headline than I first gave it.

[Sunny]

Fleas don't like B vitamins. If you put some nutritional yeast in your cat's food (and have some yourself too) no one will get bit even if there are fleas in your house. It really works.

[Pam]

Fleas don't like B vitamins. If you put some nutritional yeast in your cat's food (and have some yourself too) no one will get bit even if there are fleas in your house. It really works.

I think an application on their fur would not be a bad deal either.

[Ricker]

Bought a collar for my inside cat once. His fur fell out and left a bald ring around his neck :-O
Old small town vet told me to put garlic in the cats food. It worked for me anyways.
Best of luck.

Ricker

[Anna70]

Cat fleas are one of those species that don't appear to possess any redeeming qualities whatsoever. In large enough numbers their parasitic activity CAN kill kittens, so that is definitely something to take into account in case there should be any hesitancy about using unpleasant products on the little ones.

Diatomaceous Earth certainly has its purposes, but even if edible, it seems you have to be very careful not to inhale it!! :worried:

Although garlic is often suggested as an anti flea remedy, it is very toxic to cats and dogs themselves, so I would not chance even using a small amount of that.

The nutritional yeast does sound interesting, as do the lemon spray and the salt! Really interesting tips, thank you! :heart:

[DNA]

Borax works great on carpets.

For the actual animal I've found the best remedy is to oil them down.
I've used olive oil, coconut oil and I've also used pure Shea butter.

I got the idea from a southern Kentucky dude who heard me complain and said he used motor oil.
I cringed but he swore by it.
So I used olive oil that first time and it worked amazingly.
I wouldn't recommend motor oil that can't be good for your animal.:dog: