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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

OCD kitten fleas!

34 replies

missladybird · 12/11/2017 21:52

Just adopted the most gorgeous little kitten but unfortunately she has fleas. Took her to the vets first thing this morning who sprayed her with frontline. I've just combed as many fleas out as I possibly could.

I have a small dd and I have really bad ocd regarding chemicals etc so I really don't want to use a spray in the house. Is it a necessity with wooden floors? I have carpets upstairs but the kitten has never been up there.

OP posts:
Worriedobsessive · 12/11/2017 21:53

Yes because once you’ve got fleas they are a bastard to be rid of.

Litten pics please!

ghostyslovesheets · 12/11/2017 21:54

where did you adopt her from that she had fleas :(

Advocate is better than a spray as it will kill them off on her and any that land on her - did your vet not suggest it or is she too young?

Dancingfairy · 12/11/2017 21:55

Yes I have wooden all downstairs but when my cats god fleas my god my house was riddled with them. They will be in sofa/curtains basically any soft furnishings so definitely needs doing.

pinotnoirismyjam · 12/11/2017 21:55

Frontline probably won't work as fleas are resistant to it now - our cat picked up fleas on frontline. Advantage seems to work.

Unfortunately you will need to spray down the house and wash anything that might have come into contact with the kitten. Do it room by room and ventilate well and it'll be fine.

Dancingfairy · 12/11/2017 21:57

Surprised vet used frontline though as I keep hearing people say how rubbish it is!

Original poster
missladybird · 12/11/2017 21:59

A woman who fosters for a small local rescue. She apparently gave the kittens Bob Martin tablets 2 days before I got her Hmm

I bought the frontline houseguard stuff before reading about indorex. Is the frontline stuff safe?

OP posts:
Justbookedasummmerholiday · 12/11/2017 22:02

Frontline doesn't work ..
Bath kitten in Fairy or baby shampoo,use a nit comb! spray the house and hoover every single day.

dementedpixie · 12/11/2017 22:03

Bob Martin stuff is also said not to work. Are you sure she didn't mean worming tablets? Flea treatments are normally spot on applied to the back of the neck

Original poster
missladybird · 12/11/2017 22:11

Apparently kitten is too young for anything other than the frontline spray. I'm so itchy and feel disgusting!

OP posts:
IHATEPeppaPig · 12/11/2017 22:15

From recent experience spray everything otherwise you will end up with fleas everywhere!!!!!!

Dancingfairy · 12/11/2017 22:16

Bob Martin comes in tablet form I have them in my drawer at home as it's what I gave my a cat before realising they don't work.

pinotnoirismyjam · 12/11/2017 22:16

Advantage can be used on kittens at 8 weeks, and the kitten shouldn't have been separated from its Mum before this.

We used a standard insecticide to spray down the house.

kali110 · 12/11/2017 22:27

Bob martin wont work as it has the same stuff as frontline.
You'll have wait 7-14 days till you can use anither one, but buy adovate, that is the best one.
Has it been vaccinated?

dailydance · 12/11/2017 22:35

I was told by a vet to wait another 30 days before applying any other flea treatment. Better safe than sorry esp for a kitten imo.

Mine too were infested when I got them. It’s ok.. you’ll get rid of the fleas. Put kitten in empty bath (just for confinement) and go him/her through with a flea comb, drowning the little buggers in a glass of water. Do this every evening. Hoover everyday and change the bag once a week. Be careful of the fumigation as the fumes can be pretty strong and may be too much for a kitten. On the plus side it’s coming into winter so fleas are easier to kill off. The eggs / ones that lie in dormant ..you’ll get over the winter with lots and lots of hoovering. Don’t get psychosomatic ;) .. quite easy with fleas!! :)

dailydance · 12/11/2017 22:36

*go through him/her

Original poster
missladybird · 12/11/2017 22:36

She's just under 9 weeks. The frontline spray must be working to some extent as the fleas have slowed down enough for me to catch some of them. So if I spray around where dd plays etc she can't be harmed?

OP posts:
dailydance · 12/11/2017 22:44

Use the fumigation sprays as a last resort. They are not good for animals or humans. Don’t over react. I lost count at about 60 flea killings per cat (caught from flea comb & drowned). I did fumigate but I regret it; it was an over reaction and was a massive massive pain in the arse ensuring it was safe for the cats afterwards and rooms well aired for hours while keeping cats out of rooms). You’ll feel better when you’ve had a couple of weeks of daily hoovering (Hoover furniture too) and when you see the flea numbers decreasing (if you comb everyday you’ll notice a decent decrease after a week. I actually lost half a stone from all of the hoovering 😂

I’ve had cats all of my life; they have all had fleas at one time or another. I have never been bitten.

dailydance · 12/11/2017 22:47

Oh and you have to drown the fleas. They sometimes jump from the comb if not caught in it properly. Another reason to do it in the tub/bathroom. Comb & dunk. Then hoover bathroom and rinse tub.

Original poster
missladybird · 12/11/2017 23:00

I am overreacting and I'm much more bothered about the chemical aspect of the sprays than the actual critters! The cat has only been in 2 rooms - kitchen and living room. They both have wooden floors and i have a leather sofa. Not many soft furnishings around. I can't being myself to spray it where dd and the kitten both play even if I keep them out of the room for a while

OP posts:
dinoboogie · 12/11/2017 23:05

I would also want to avoid using nasty chemicals but I've heard that spraying the house is a must if your cat brings in fleas so I'd probably do it sooner rather than later...

Weedsnseeds1 · 12/11/2017 23:09

Comb the kitten, Indorex the house and also get diotomacious earth and chuck it everywhere.

CardsforKittens · 12/11/2017 23:17

The safest thing for the kitten is to bathe it with baby shampoo and comb with a nit comb. The kitchen sink is good for this, but the bathtub works too. Water should be quite warm (same as for a baby). Keep the kitten's head out of the water. You might find all the fleas congregate on the kitten's face if the rest of the kitten's body is under water. This is icky but a good oppprtunity to catch the fleas and drown them. Keep bathing and combing every day until you're sure the fleas are gone.

dailydance · 12/11/2017 23:26

I hate using chemicals too. They are last resorts for me now. You’ll need to hoover all of downstairs every day, but obv spending more time in those two rooms. Still hoover the sofa / under cushion parts even though it’s leather. Comb every day and don’t freak out if one jumps from the comb (unlike me.. I did an excellent shrieking riverdance impression). Get the hoover immediately if that happens.

I don’t have dc, but if I did, I would be even less likely to use chemicals than I am now.

kali110 · 13/11/2017 05:56

Id seek vet advice as its a kitten ( it was the vet who advised us to give another flea treatment within the 30days) but as its a kitten id check it was ok to do this, especially as she's given it tablets.
just becareful as some cats can
Be allergic to flea bites!

Bob Martin stuff is also said not to work. Are you sure she didn't mean worming tablets? Flea treatments are normally spot on applied to the back of the neck
You can get actual flea treatment in tablet form, though i have no idea if it works.

Has it had it vaccinations whilst being with her?

BhajiAllTheWay · 13/11/2017 06:40

er...no you're not overreacting. We ended up with an infestation and frontline didn't work. No vet around where I am would give frontline anymore.