.....to consider shaving my toddler's back?

[LadyPlumpington]

We have 2 cats and 2 children; the cats seem to have a constant flea infestation, despite the fact that we treat them (with collars/ tablets) every other week. It is the bane of DH's life, as they only seem to bite him and 4yo DS1 (the hairy people basically). DS2 (3yo) and I remain unbitten, thankfully.

Now DS1 is a rather hairy little boy, bless him, and the growth on his back is particularly luxuriant. This is where the fleas always bite him

I'm tempted to shave his back, but that would be wrong, wouldn't it. Tell me that it would be wrong......

You need to treat the flea problem. Get proper stuff from the vet to treat the cat. Wash all bedding and soft furnishings where the cat goes. Wash at 60. Hoover everywhere and throw the Hoover bag out.

You need the good frontline spot on stuff, not the tablets, also a spray called stay killed which you do your house with, I was also told that when you put the spot on on, to keep the cats in as they act like natural Hoover's, ie, the fleas jump on to them and are killed when they bite

Oh and get INDOREX it's bloody brilliant. Spray it everywhere and go out for a few hours whilst it dries. Kills em all dead.

Dear god you need to sort the fleas out, not shave your toddler. Your house sounds infested. Your cars won't have fleas if you give them proper treatments. Shaving his back won't sort out your flea infestation.

Unless you treat the house and furniture you will never solve the flea problem.
Flea treatment on cats works as prevention when they don't have fleas, but when they do, the fleas will lay eggs on the carpets and sofas etc so you cant break the cycle.
You can buy flea house treatment at b&q etc, it's a spray and you need to spray every inch of the floors, sofas etc, anywhere the cats sleep, and wash all bedding and clothes. You might need to do it again in a few weeks to make sure you've got them all. And make sure yourselves and the cats are out for a few hours when you do it. In the meantime keep treating the cats with flea treatment - the spot on works the best - as then the fleas will die when they come into contact with the cats. It's not easy to get rid of them but it can be done!

Thank you for the tips!

Dh has tried many brands and they only work temporarily. He blames the dog next door for acting as a source of mega-dog fleas

Take advice from your vet. Fleas develop resistance of certain flea treatments, Frontline is particularly ineffective at the moment, but talk to your vet about what you have used so far to try and narrow down other options. I would not be using flea treatments more often than recommended as you may harm your cats.

You also need to treat the whole house, all soft furnishings (sofa, armchairs, beds) and carpets.

My son got Rentokil in. As they also say -Just remember though there are probably eggs in your vacuum cleaner after you have vacuumed.

www.rentokil.co.uk/fleas/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas/

We also had to do son's car as the fleas had jumped onto his clothing - I made him strip off in the garage and put all his clothes in a bin bag and threw them away.

Agree with Pooka frontline is not effective on some fleas now. I would get some pyrethrum spray for the house which works well, it's not too toxic, but you have to remember to spray under the beds and in all dark cosy places which are loved by the cat fleas l,like the drawers under beds, and edges of fitted carpets, cushions, the back and sides of sofas.

Not it's not necesary to shave anyone

Hi, vet nurse here :-)

You'll need a good quality household spray (ask your vet for their recommendation). Instructions vary, so go by the packaging. Some are toxic and you'll need to vacate the house, others aren't.

1. Spray everything and be thorough; include every room, including your car as you'll carry things on your clothes even if your cat doesn't go in there. Spray inside the Hoover too, the eggs will hide in there.

1. Wash everything. Hottest wash you can. Include all bedding, cushion covers, sofa covers, curtains. If it can be washed, do it.

1. This is the most important one. You need to treat ALL of your animals with a good quality, prescription treatment (try something with imaclopramid) from your vet. Off the shelf products like Bob Martin's will not be strong enough - if it was, the supermarkets wouldn't be allowed to sell it.

1. If you want to clear the problem, be prepared to spend some money. You'll find you'll go round in circles otherwise, if you use inferior products.

1. Aim to do all of these things on the same day/weekend if possible to avoid reinfection.

1. No visitors to your house until the problem has cleared.

1. Consider keeping up with monthly treatments for your animals (again, the majority of the off the shelf/supermarket products aren't much use to be honest).

Good luck, fleas can be tough to clear which is why you really have to invest a bit of time and money if you want to knock it on the head first time around.

And don't shave anyone!! Fleas like skin, not hair. Some people are more susceptible than others.

What?!! You need proper spot on treatment for the cats which you will need to get on prescription from the vet. I think ours is Advantage Stronghold or something like that. And definitely treat your entire house with Indorex which you can buy online.

So basically you're all saying that I should PUT DOWN the LadyShave.

You lot are no fun. Well-informed when it comes to flea eradication, but no fun

pudcat A good machine wash will kill fleas and their eggs , well it did in our case,you don't have to be overdramatic throw clothes away!

Put down the ladyshave and pick up the washing powder... good luck!

Indorex for the house works wonder and is much much cheaper online.

Advantage for spot on treatment, do not use frontline as it doesn't work anymore. At least it doesn't in my area so my vets won't even sell it now.

We couldn't work out why our dog was crawling with fleas when we 'Frontline' pets religiously. Also read that Frontline has stopped being effective, switched to (enormous) tablet and fleas have all gone.
I also have very hairy babies. You'll regret not being able to stroke that back if you shave it.

Oh, maybe flea bites are to blame for huge increase in calls to NSPCC then? I hold Frontline responsible.

Constant flea infestation is terrible.

Get the cats treated properly at the vet - go and ask for advice. It's not fair on the cats to be left like that! Or obviously on your poor children.

How on earth can you think the answer is to shave your child's back, rather than deal with the fleas??? Properly twisted priorities.

Hardcore approach for foolproof solution: Household Indorex spray you can buy online. This was enough to completely stop a flea infestation at mum's a few years ago... Further step is an injectable for cats called Program - a flea contraceptive. All highstreet stuff is rubbish IME.

No I wouldn't shave my baby. You need to go to the vets to get a tablet that will kill the adults within an hour. Retreat in a week. Don't let them outside again. Also you may need to get in a pest control company to treat the house. It will be a little expensive, but if you do it properly you will get rid of them. It must be awful for you all and for your cats. In Aus the tablets are about $6 each so not expensive. Good luck

I don't think dog fleas live on cats and vice versa. So source is unlikely to be dog next door. And cat fleas don't live on humans.

This has to be a wind up....I hope this a wind up.

ppeatfruit - these were his old painting clothes covered in paint as well as fleas. So much easier to bin them - he had plenty of other old clothes to paint in.