To burn the house down (pic included)

[lozengeoflove]

What on god’s earth is this? Please tell me, without any context, what you think this critter is.

It's the right size for a flea. It's not a weevil - they are beetles with a long "nose" (rostrum) and there's no sign of that in the picture, and it's not the larva of a beetle or weevil. The long back jumping legs are a good clue as to its being a flea.

OP it's not a louse - they are much lighter in colour. Fleas are quite at home in hair - after all they live on cats of all types, including long haired ones.

I think it's the wrong shape and colour for a head louse.

I am now itching 😂

Borax power (can be bought on amazon) mix 50/50 with salt (cam put an essential oil/smelly in too). And cover every carpet like shake and vac . Leave over night (or 2 if you can stand it) then vac up. Indorex or RIP flea treatment everything. Wash all bedding inc pillows. I had the worst infestation 2 yrs ago when my cat brought home a stray friend i tried everything but the borax and salt was the only thing that worked. Borax is your friend (it is not dangerous if used properly!!!) I have not had fleas since. But i borax my carpets every 6 months now and indorex inbetween.

homeguides.sfgate.com/borax-salt-mixture-kill-fleas-91110.html

We have got those ‘flea bombs’ from the pet shop, set off a few and leave the house for the day- they’ve worked well for us

Definitely a flea. I had a problem years ago. Moved into a house where the previous tenants had cats. Me and my son were being bitten and it was that bad you could see them hopping around.
I tried loads of the shop products and nothing worked. I was told to use Indorex and it solved the problem. It stinks and can't be used around the animal or people with asthma/lung problems. Never had them since Indorex.
Fleas are little arseholes and can hitch a ride to other people's houses on clothes/hair etc. Might be a good idea to spray your daughter's nanny's house as a precaution x

Definitely not a louse. Totally different body shape. It's a flea.

It's a flea. Either get the petrol and matches or get some flea bombs and go out for the day

Vacuum the area really well, especially in every tiny crook and nanny, as that’s where they lurk, to draw them as close to the surface as possible, then spray ASAP with a good flea killer scratch scratch scratch. Any fabrics should be washed at the highest temperature and preferably tumble dried. If you have rugs, cushions, etc, that you can’t wash, then get the big wheelie bin bags and place the items inside, spray over them, while they’re in the bag, then tie tightly and leave overnight.

Dog sitter and enemy of the fleas here. I had one infestation but was able to sort it myself. I spray the house once or twice a year as a precaution, now. scratch scratch scratch 🤢

Q

Rentokil can fumigate your house. Humans & pets have to stay out of the house for 4hrs afterwards then it's completely safe with no smell. They do two sessions a fortnight apart. The Rentokil man told me they're doing more & more houses as fleas become immune to flea sprays.

Expert delouser. Not a louse.

Oh god. Horrible memories of a flea infested student house. There were so many of them you would go to take a simp of coffee and find a flea floating in your cuppa.

When the council man came and sprayed everywhere he said “see you in a few months” as he left.

Sure enough once the fleas were killed, a couple of months later the eggs they had laid hatched out and we had to be fumigated again.....3 times in total!

Yep, burn the house down. Only solution.

I’m scratching like mad, reading all the posts. Excellent suggestions, thank you everyone.

Think I’ll need to call pest control again. Might be safer, than doing it myself. Worried about the cat and three small children.

crazycat, I’m going to pretend I didn’t read your post 🤢😷

Indorex is brilliant. Sprayed it on a sofa and you could hear the little bastards making horrible noises in objection (my cats are indoor only, and have had fleas twice, once caught at the vets, the next in another house where a flooring fitter brought them in when he replaced the carpets!)

ITCHING ALL OVER

You can get inderex at pets at home or Asda pharmacy. It costs around 10.00 it's cheaper online but I imagine you want it as soon as possible

The Indorex is fine with children and pets. You only need to keep them out of the room for a very short while I think

That’s good to know, soup. Thank you, everyone.

Bayer have acknowledged that flea eggs can survive seventeen years.

Cats that go outside are always going to bring in flea eggs at some point in their lives.

Are you getting bitten yourself OP? If you are and the problem persists despite treating the cat properly it might be worth looking at one under the microscope to see if it is a cat or dog flea or a human flea. Cat and dog fleas have combs around their mouth for holding onto hair whilst human fleas do not. I have had clients that have endlessly treated their cat but on further investigation it turns out they are human fleas in the house. Indorex is the answer in any case. Spray it according to the instructions and then leave it as many days as you can bear it before vacuuming as it works much better that way.

Also, what treatment are you using for the cats? It might be worth switching to something else.

It's a fat old cat flea.

I grew up in a fucking shit hole, so I know all the growth stages.

Front line is useless, use a vet prescribed one in your cat only in accordance with their instructions. Never buy Bob Martins shit, as its just as likely to kill the cat as the fleas.

Lots of vacuuming, especially on rugs and in crevices. Nuke favoured blankets and beds in the washing machine (and I tumble dry them for good measure).

It's annoying, but it's what you get with animals that go out and meet others that kindly share their 'friends'.

It isnt unusual to see the odd flea after using a good flea treatment - the eggs can roll against skirting board, be in vacuum and then they hatch. As long as the animal is covered by a good treatment (we use Advantage for all our cats and dogs) and you havent let the 4-8 weeks (or however long it lasts) lapse, a flea that has hatched from an egg and then jumps on the animal will then die within 24 hours.

SoupDragon, we had a similar thing. Got home from holiday and the house was jumping 😫. Indorex was our friend but they kept reappearing for a while until all the eggs and pupae were gone.

If you treated cat with Frontline it may not have worked, is known for not working but vets still sell it.

Google diatomaceous earth (food grade) you can puff it over the cat rather than use more chemicals on him which might make him ill.

Frontline or Acclaim for the house and in case it isn't fleas it will kill whatever it is anyway. Make sure you spray cracks in floors and skirtings, under furniture etc. and ventilate rooms or you will feel a bit 'off' for a while.