At my whits end with fleas please help

[FleasPleaseLeave]

NC for this for obvious reasons

I have an indoor cat (by choice).

A few months ago she got fleas somehow. And ever since the house has been riddled with them and I can’t seem to get rid.

I hoover daily, have used flea bombs, flea shake n vac powder, flea lamps, even flea sprays. You name it I’ve tried it. But they seem to go for a few days then come back.

I am at my whits end with it and it’s costing me a fortune. I have carpets as I’m in rented from a housing association and I’m upstairs so can’t have laminate or wood floors in anywhere but the bathroom and kitchen.

I’ve already thrown out most of my DD (aged 8)s soft toys which was gutting for her as she plays with them loads. I’m changing our beds and hoovering the mattress every day. I can't afford to replace the carpets.

What else can I do? I can’t afford a pest controller and even if I could I’d have to move out for a few days I think and I have nowhere else to go.

Have you treated the cat? And are you sure these are fleas?

@Northernlurker Cat has been treated every month and always has. My DD is covered in flea bits on her legs and arms which is where they occur apparently.

I had the same issue with my 2 dogs about a year ago.
NOTHING got rid of the fleas!
I asked my vets and got a treatment from them and then within 3 days the fleas disappeared.
I combed loads of dead ones out of the dogs over the next week.

I can’t remember the name of it, but it was a 3 month treatment in one pill (or spot on, I can’t remember).
It wasn’t cheap, about £30 per dog, but totally worth it, the fleas have never come back.

What flea treatment are you using on the cat?
Frontline doesn't seem to work any more.
Advantage seems ok

Have you tried Indorex spray for the furniture and carpets?

What are you treating your cat with? Maybe worth asking vet for advice even if you buy online? Fleas do become resistant to some chemicals, I believe. Also, different treatments kill the fleas at different points in their life cycle ... I can't remember the details, but I do remember our cats having injections one year because nothing else was working.

Vacuuming every day will hep, but you have to be really thorough because they can lay eggs in hard to reach places. In any case, once they hatch and your cat walks by, they'll jump on for a meal - so treating the cat is essential.

@Glitterbiscuits I'm getting a treatment from the vet its a spot on one as she vomits up any tablets. It's costing me about £15 a time to get.

Will try the Indorex thank you

Seconding Indorex and prescription spot on treatment (I use Bravecto, which lasts for 3 months).

Wash bedding etc at 60°.

What products are you using?
Some are less effective than others. You can buy Indorex spray for your home which lasts several months then a really effective spot on from your vet. The ones from the pet shop and those products which have been around for for a long time are more likely to be experiencing resistance issues.
its important to treat your pet and your home in cases of heavy infestation because the eggs and larvae sit in the carpet and hatch out from there.

Which spot on it from the vet ?

My first property I owned had a flea infestation. The previous owner had eleven cats. I contacted pest control at the local Council. Somebody came out and sprayed the whole of the flat (the areas around the skirting boards). It definately worked. I wasn't charged but it was early 90s so there would probably be a charge now. I don't remember having to leave the property.
A few years ago I had another cat flea problem in my house. I bought a spray from the local Vet Surgery, very expensive, sorry cannot remember the name but I followed the instructions to the letter and it worked.

I feel for you. It's so horrible, we had this last year.

Do you use the flea combs on your cat? You need to do this every day (until the problem is gone at least) to get rid of the fleas and eggs from her. Put the hair in an outside bin or the eggs could hatch indoors / fleas lay more eggs or escape. I would confine the cat to just one room for now (or outside).

Then I'm afraid it's just hoovering every day or at least every other day - but that includes very thoroughly - under furniture, the sofas - including under the big cushions, the curtains, skirting boards and cracks / edges of flooring. They tend to lay eggs in cracks or under things. It's also best to get a carpet steamer and steam all the soft furnishings, curtains toys every few days and hoover after. The steam can make the eggs hatch but then you can hoover them up and stop those ones having more eggs... Make sure you empty the hoover daily and in an outdoor bin again.

Also I went through all the wardrobes & clothes/ bedding / towel drawers emptied them and washed them, and bedding, towels on as hot a wash as I could, hoovered out the drawers & wardrobes. It was a massive job and relentless for a couple of months but we finally got ahold of it! Good luck.

Indorex and Bravecto!
Amazing things!

Pay for the council to come out and spray. Nothing else worked.

Another vote for Indorex, it works.
Get two cans so you can repeat after a week, you don't need to it lasts months but it'll reassure you!

My dog caught fleas despite being up to date with his Frontline treatment. I changed to Bravecto, treated the house with Indorex twice, and got rid of them.
Vet said fleas are becoming resistant to the spot-on treatments and recommended Bravecto in tablet form.
In terms of how your cat caught them, have you had mice or other rodents recently? They're often riddled with them, in fact I think that's how our fleas arrived in the first place as next door's rabbit caught them at the same time and I'd seen furry things scuttling between the gardens.

Sorry sent before I finished typing
But basically I went through this a few years ago- just washing and then spraying everything with flea spray and putting it in plastic bag until the carpets had been treated with indorex helped me. Then I washed and put away normally.
It was hell but it does end!!!

Spray Indorex in one room at a time. Don’t forget the skirting boards, curtains, soft furnishings. You have to spray absolutey everything. Close room, open after an hour and hoover. You’ll probably need to do the whole flat at least twice. I echo the Bravecto, it is extremely effective.

@HarrietSchulenberg I'm upstairs in a block of flats so rats/mice wouldn't surprise me.

I will call my vet tomorrow, I'm not 100% sure which brand they give me, but she has always vomitted up tablets.

Have just ordered some of the Inderox spray on Amazon as well.

I had this when my son was newborn. I didn't want to use a flea spray in the house, so the cats were treated with a flea injection (program) which makes the fleas that bite them infertile, and then the vet gave them tablets to kill fleas that bit them. It took 2-3 weeks but it solved the problem. Maybe not the cheapest option but good if you don't want to use indoor pesticide!

Indorex will sort the house (one room at a time, be generous with it particularly around carpet edges)

Advantage or Bravecto for the cat. Flea comb every other day until you find nothing.

It’s like nits - you need boring consistency of the old-school combing as well as a dose of heavy duty chemicals!

I have to chop or grate the dog's tablets into a bowl of cheap mince and gravy as that's the only way he'll take them. He either doesn't know it's there or only consents to swallow it if it's wrapped in such a glorious meal. Either way, he licks his bowl clean so I can be confident it's gone.

Agree with others that Indorex and Bravecto are the way to go. Any soft toys and furnishings can be washed and tumble dried. Also vacuum as often as you can, pull out furniture etc.

We had this a while ago. Youngest DC bitten a lot.
As frontline can now be bought OTC it is almost useless these days.
I bought smoke bombs and sprays and nothing worked to rid the house of them.
You will need two doses of Bravecto two weeks apart and get a pest control company in to treat entire house. Council pest control isn't any cheaper and you will wait a while.

Thank you all so much will chat to my vet tomorrow, and get on the inderox spray

@FleasPleaseLeave

Try Advantage (it's a Spot On)
I get it from Pet Drugs Online. They seem to be the best value.