FLEAS! I’m losing my mind

[Muddledmotherhood]

So we’ve got a horrible family of squirrels that keep coming in through the roof of our house and hanging out in the loft(can’t find where they’re getting in yet either, the door is bolted shut to there atm) and they run all up our window sills and up the walls outside. They’re constantly outside the house.
Our garden has a million bushes and trees too! And either where our cats sit at the windows when they’re open (we have indoor cats) and they’ve run past or we’ve ended up bringing one in on our clothes that now we have fleas!!!

we’ve only found 2 fleas(that have fallen out) so far, but there is flea poo in our cats fur when we use the flea comb. They have their flea treatment and I’ve just bought indorex to do the house as well as trying to hoover everywhere but it’s impossible at the moment as there is so much stuff! (We live with my parents and they’re slight hoarders, and only now are they starting to understand why we need to get rid of stuff!)

We’ve quite a cluttered house right now (in the process of getting rid of loads of things as said) and my daughters room is full of big toys like the barbie house, toy kitchen etc. So I’m trying to figure out how to spray around all of them without causing damage or leaving a smell (she’s asthmatic so I’m wary of the spray lingering on the toys). She’s got millions of soft teddies(loads of which have batteries in them).

I am just getting so overwhelmed by how much needs doing and how much needs moving.

This is the first time we’ve dealt with fleas and I honestly don’t know where to start and I have a million questions.

What is best to wash the teddies with that can’t go in the washing machine?

Do I need to spray the indorex on the bed frame and the wooden slats, toys(like barbies hair, that sort of thing), wardrobes, toy boxes etc ?

All the washing that was clean in the wash baskets ready to go away, will that all need washing again in case eggs have dropped?

And clothing we wear each day, should it be put in the washing machine and washed the same day?

I’ve got really bad anxiety and this has honestly pushed me over the edge (I know it sounds dramatic but anything like fleas, nits, worms etc make me unbelievably anxious and I panic about it for months and months even when things are over or sorted).

Sorry to sound so stupid, I’m just so worried we’re going to be stuck with fleas forever!

There’s probably not much point in washing things until the house is sprayed and the cats are treated.
But the fleas are going to be predominantly in the carpet so your clean washing shouldn’t be at too much risk

i'd get a pest control company in frankly

You have my sympathy. I’ve had a flea infestation before and it’s horrible. I’ve also got rats in my loft so I feel your pain with the squirrels!!

I had to call a pest company for the rats and I mentioned the fleas to him when he came round. He gave me a tip to get a steamer as it kills the fleas. I’m not sure whether it works but it might be worth a go as well as the spot on treatment and Indorex - a 3 pronged attack! Good luck.

Indorex the entire house, over and over again. Loads of cans of the stuff. Time it so that you do a section, close the door to that room, keep the windows open, then onto the next room. Do it in the morning so that you can go out for the day.

I didnt bother hoovering, I intended to but never got round to it, or the washing of soft furnishings, I just overused the spray and one can will not do a 3 bed house believe me!

Over the next few weeks they'll disappear. Our cat wont tolerate any treatment or trips to the vet so she isnt even treated now.

I had this problem, in fact I thought I had cracked it and now the bastards seem to be back. 2 cats, one dog. Please don't buy Frontline, it is not as good anymore. Advantage seems to work better and is a bit cheaper, £15 for four capsules on Amazon. Have just treated the dog again and am going to have to buy another tin of Indorex. The central heating is bad for hatching eggs out I think. They seem to be becoming resistant to everything tho.

Interesting that some of the treatments have stopped working. A cat has my mum as a pet (he's not hers, but has adopted her) and he spends a lot of time in her house. His owners do take him to the vets and he has never to my knowledge had fleas.

Until now. Last time I visited her I ended up with bites and I was a bit worried about bed bugs as they were in the news at the time but the bites disappeared and more rationally, I thought it was midges. But then I went to stay with her again and this time I got even more bites and he was scratching/washing himself all the time. She says he's itching a lot less now so maybe his owners realised and got something that does work.

Interestingly, they didn't bite my mum or DH at all! Only me!

There are some people fleas like to devour and some they leave alone. I'd take it as a compliment.

We had fleas this summer, complete nightmare. I must have had 100 bites at one point. We too have switched to Credillio having been on a vet recommended spot-on. When the cats actually had fleas the vet said we could treat immediately with the Credillio rather than waiting till the next dose was due We flea-bombed the three rooms with the most soft furnishings (beds and sofas) and sprayed the others (we are in France, so used one with mostly the same ingredients as Indorex after recommendation on here). Luckily the only carpet is in a guest room on its own floor, and I don't think the fleas got up there. We sprayed it anyway!

Do you mind me asking what flea bombs you would recommend please? I’ve seen so many different ones online, I’m not sure which would be best?
with the bombs, does absolutely everything need to be out of the room(like toys, teddies, computers etc?)

Sorry I forgot to ask in my PP, those using advocate/bravecto, do the usually give that stuff when you’re signed up to paying so much a month at the vet for the flea and worm treatments, or are these an extra cost.

My parents are going to move vets and the one they want to join do a pet health club where you pay £18 a month per cat for flea,worming and vaccinations. Just wondering if those flea treatments usually come in with those package deals or if it’s an extra payment?

We don’t have any kind of insurance or pet plan at the vet, so I just buy Bravecto every three months for about £47 each time. Sorry, that’s probably not very helpful.

I had cancelled my cats pet plan but have actually restarted it as it definitely works out cheaper as bravecto is so expensive.

My cats pp is £15 a month which covers all flea and worm treatment plus boosters and a vet consultation a year.

Hoover, Hoover and more hoovering. Then inodex spray.

IS this thread still active? Am really, really at the end of my tether with this. Thought Advantage was working on animals, treated house and pets (3) seemed okay for a few weeks- now dog scratching like mad again, I gave her the second spot on just a week ago. Cats scratching too. I can't afford veterinary treatment for three animals. I can't afford to keep buying sprays at £14 a tin, when they don't even solve the problem. Sorry have nothing helpful to say, but I have fucking had it with fleas and ineffective drug treatments and I'm sure I'm not alone. And drug companies getting rich from useless products. People will hand their pets in for rehoming if these infestations become increasingly untreatable - I own my own carpets etc, but anyone renting privately couldn't risk the house becoming infested. Sorry for the rant, but it's not even summer and I'm struggling. I don't know what to do, short of burning every soft furnishing in my house and shaving the animals down to their bare skin. Demented, really.

I’m also thinking the fleas are becoming alarmingly intolerant to a lot of things that used to work. Using Bravecto spot on and indorex spray, the two best on the market, as well as frequent hoovering and still battling. Even after having pest control come round to assess the situation and spray a few times. It’s a nightmare. Wish I had words of advice, not sure how others manage to clear up the problem so quickly. You’re not alone!

It's a nightmare isn't it@LNEAX. 20 years ago, a quick dab of Frontline used to solve the problem in a couple of days - I had a black cat back then who was once badly infested to my shame, I hadn't realised until I flea-combed him, but he was clear very quickly.

Hi I got advocate of vet i thought same but I persisted as theyvwont go away on first treatment 5%live on cat 95% in home I hoovered everyday sofa under everywhere washed bedding 3 times week and I brought a steamer steamed everywhere done it fir 4 months now and tjink it's worked as dont see my cat scratching or any on her people dont think it works but got to give it time dont give up most vets have payment plan where you get flea and worm treatments £12 month I know expensive but worth it in end otherwise you never get rid of them