To be at my wits end with this?!

[catfleaproblem]

Not an AIBU but i'm desperate for help with this now!

As per my username, we recently discovered our cat had fleas. He's mostly an outdoor cat and spends lots of time out and about in fields etc (we live rurally), if that's relevant at all.

We treated him with the stuff you put on the back on of their necks (2 lots of this 2 weeks apart), and we also got sprays for the rooms (the one that you leave in the centre of the rooms for 2 hours). We have washed all bedding and couch covers etc, twice now, on high temperature. However, we are all still being bitten by fleas over 2 weeks later. My partner has infected bites on his ankles and we found a live one in my 2 year old daughter's hair this morning 😭 She also keeps scratching her tummy and saying "itching" bless her.

I don't know what else we can do but I'm at my wits end now with this. Any suggestions other than rehoming our cat?!🙈

Photos attached of what we've tried so far

Get flea treatment from the vets. The off the shelf stuff isn’t very good. Treat them regularly to prevent fleas going forward.

You will have to treat the house a couple of times as eggs will hatch, fleas will bite and lay more eggs…which will then hatch etc etc.

keep at it, they will go eventually. You can call someone out to treat the house for fleas, I know the council used to do it but not sure if this is still the case, or if area dependent. Google your local council flea treatment and check. Good luck!

Second @JustDoItNowForChristSake comments. You need to buy the good stuff from your vet - unfortunately the good stuff is a lot more expensive. Spraying furniture and cat's bed is a good idea.

Try Indorex for your house I found this works very well. Also I use Advantage flea treatment on our cat after another brand, Frontline I think, stopped working. I think I read fleas are becoming immune to some of the treatments so you have to persevere

It's got to be the stuff from the vet, fleas are mostly immune to the off the shelf stuff and it never works.

We found Frontline (bought from the vets) stopped working too

Seconding the recommendation to use Indorex.

I spent an arm and a leg on several tins of Frontline and got nowhere. Two treatments with Indorex, a couple of days apart, and it was job done.

This.

And, as @JustDoItNowForChristSake said, you have to repeat the treatment until all the fleas and new hatchlings have gone.

@catfleaproblem

OP, my cat is very out doorsy and we live rurally. We had the exact same problem 2 years ago. You must buy flea & tick treatment from the vets. Off the shelf stuff won't do the job. My cat also has injections every 6 months with a product called "Program" which stops the fleas breeding. This is in addition to the back of the neck treatment which you can do at home but obviously the vet has to administer the Program injection. Don't rehome your poor cat until you've tried these alternatives.

I have an indoor cat. Fuck knows where she picked up fleas but I was also at my wit’s end. Indorex spray and hoover vigorously every day for 7 days. This nearly killed me. Get vet strength flea treatment. And even then it takes a while. It did work though.

As most have already stated the issue is that you bought cheap over the counter crap. If going OTC then the only one of much use these days is Advantage. I strongly advise you get something from the vets. Also it takes 3 months to break the lifecycle of a flea so you need to treat every month on time for at least 3 months to be completely rid though preventatively forever would be best. Most fleas live in the environment not on the actual cat, I also suggest Indorex spray for the house as its supposed to remain effective for up to 12 months, follow the instructions with care as its highly toxic. Rooms should be left well ventilated and inaccessible for at least an hour after spraying.

The pics attached are useless - not the pics the products.

You need Indorex for the house and vet style flea treatment for cat - advantage? Can't remember what it's called.

OP - you can get Indorex from Amazon
hoover the entire house (get them active) then spray the entire house.

anything with Fipronil in is likely to be ineffective. That's the ingredient that fleas are largely immune to now. My cats have Stronghold Plus (vet only) which seems to be good.

Indorex spray is excellent for de-fleaing a room.

Thank you all! Going to try Indorex as suggested. I hadn't realised off the shelf stuff was ineffective, that explains a lot!

If you used a spay that you only leave in the centre of the room for 2 hours (never heard of that) you may as well not have bothered. You need to spray all cracks, carpets, skirting boards, wash all cat bedding and read the instructions on the can. I use Indorex or Acclaim. Also keep everyone out of the room you are spraying and air it before going back in. I do one or 2 rooms at a time so the entire house isn't full of toxic fumes.

I have used various spot ons over the years. You need a proper one from the vet with an outdoor cat. And worming.

Agree about Advantage. We moved to that after getting nowhere with Frontline. If you are seriously infested in the house, you can get flea 'bombs' but it is a pain because you have to make sure you can all be out for several hours.
Yes, treat the whole house. Another tip is to ensure you spray inside the cylinder/hoover bag to ensure any live fleas you hoover don't survive in there. We also flea combed hours every day, but appreciate some cats don't like it.
I sympathise, we have been there with ours but we did get rid of them eventually. It took time and a lot of work.

Spray Indorex in every room, don’t forget the crevices under skirting boards etc. Close the room door, go back in 2 hours, vacuum. Repeat the process to hit the buggers hard.

Oh and repeat the process in the Spring when it starts warming up….just incase there’s an egg or two that got missed.