Pets

[Mollylegs]

Hi sorry to put this on AIBU but I was hoping for some help regarding fleas. About 2 months ago my cat got fleas, I presumed its because of the warmer weather she has been going out more. I took her to the PDSA and got her treated and bought treatment for the next month also. In the last week she has been licking the fur away again, she has been given the second dose of treatment. I also treat our dog at the same time, I'm not sure if the dog has them, she is 15 and sleeps a lot and doesn't appear to be scratching herself. I also bought Indorex and sprayed the bits where the cat would lie. I now think they still haven't gone as the poor cat is licking and biting at herself. I have 2 bites on my ankle so I'm convinced they're all over the house. I have been trying since Wednesday to get in touch with the PDSA and no matter what number I press when given options I just get cut off. I have tried to book an appointment online and its saying I'm not registered. I'm sorry for putting this on here but I feel terribly sorry for her and I'm hoping someone may know how to actually speak to a person IRL. If I need to take the post down I will, thanks in advamce.

Okay so fleas live in all soft furnishings. You need to indorex the whole house, every inch, at the same time as treating the cat and dog. Then continue the treatment every month to keep them away. You can use companies that can get rid of them but in all honesty indorex and lots of cleaning/boil washing should do it!

What flea treatment did you use?

I think the PDSA is very stretched at the moment, could you pop in and ask for a consult to make sure there’s nothing else going on with the cat? Cats can over groom due to stress and other medical conditions but if your also being bitten then fleas are on the differential list so best to rule out!

Do you not use preventive flea treatment? Once your pet gets fleas it’s a nightmare to get them off the pets and out of the house. You will need to treat the whole house and the pets again.

You can buy the preventive flea treatment from online pharmacies if you don’t get it from your vets but I’m not sure about the treatment. I’m sure you have search for it.

The litter tray will board maybe more helpful.

Hi @Maneandfeathers its a nice day here so I'm washing everything I can, my only problem being I can't wash the sofa cushions. Do you know if it wouyld be ok to indorex them instead. Thanks

An outside cat will get fleas any time of the year. You need to continually treat to keep them down. Doing the whole house is a good shout. Flea treatment is becoming less effective (guess they are evolving and becoming resistant?) so you need the tough stuff usually only prescribed.

I feel your pain.
Going round in circles with this myself.

Frontline didn’t work for my cat. I used advantage I bought online. I boil washed all blankets cushion cover etc and would only let her go in certain rooms.

I quarantined all clothes after they were washed

vacuum all sofas and chairs. You can get ‘flea bombs’ which apparently kills them all.

I did all of this after being covered in bites fir about three weeks in a row

I always use advantage or advocate and I’ve never had a problem after this, frontline is a bit hit and miss.

Ive used indorex on sofas etc (even in my car when I collected a flea ridden stay dog) with no ill effects, just stay out of the room for the recommended time and I don’t think you’ll have a problem!

Hope you get sorted

You have to spray everything. Absolutely everything. And round all the skirting boards and between floorboards of you have them. All soft furnishings and anything that can't be washed on a high temp. Curtains as well.

Treat twice at whatever the minimum interval is.

We moved everything we could into the garden and did the whole house. We spent sooo much on the spray but you have to do a proper job or they just reinfest from any egg or flea you missed.

Thank you @Therageisreal I do treat the cat and the dog but these seem to be stubborn little sods. I didn't know about the litter tray so thanks.

Hi @Mothership4two I presume they are immune. The stuff I had was from the vets so I presume it was strong stuff, I could cry x

Hi @whatisforteamum its a bloody nightmare, I feel so sorry for my cat x

Thanks @Halfheadhighlights I've washed all throws, going to do cushions now but the sofa will just have to be hoovered.

An easy way to tell if it’s fleas is to brush a comb through the cat and tap any dirt onto a while piece of paper, put a tiny bit of water over and if it goes red it’s likely fleas (dry blood) It sounds likely though unfortunately.

They can be really hard to get rid of though, I sympathise!

Hi @Maneandfeathers I had been using advantage but after she got fleas a couple of months ago I had to take her to the vets and they gave me something stronger. I had redone her with more of the prescription stuff but shes got them again.

If your cat has fleas your dog does too. You need to treat both

Hi @Frlrlrubert I bought 1 can of Indorex but it's not enough, I could honestly cry this is the first time I have had anything like this and the cat is nearly 14!!

Flea treatments can take a few months to work, because they have to kill the fleas during each cycle, same for the environment. I was also told that they mostly live in the environment and jump on the pet to feed, so it’s really important to treat that thoroughly as well, so regular vacuuming, washing all soft furnishing and spray with strong flea killer.

I agree with @Frlrlrubert , you need to spray absolutely everything with indorex .

It's time consuming and a pain but pull all the furniture away from the walls and spray behind and under it , turn sofas / armchairs/ beds and anything else with a fabric / soft bottom upside-down and spray that , cushions, curtains, bedding, wash all your clothing on the hotest wash it can tolerate, spray inside all your shoes .
Though I haven't tried apparently freezing things for 48 + hrs works too so that may be useful for cushions and coats that can't be washed. Also dry cleaning works so get all your blankets done.

Do each room individually then keep the door shut till you have done the whole house.
It took me a whole day to do my small 2 bed house

Keep your cat and dog out of the house if you can , the chemicals are bloody horrible!

Fleas are horrible things to get rid of once they get into your soft furnishings. You will need to wash everything, bedding/cushions/blankets etc on a hot wash, hoover everywhere into all the edges and either spray your sofa etc with flea sprays or I have used "flea bombs" a couple of times and they work well.
The important thing though is treating the animals, both at the same time and with an effective treatment. Bath the dog also.
My dog had fleas that were really stubborn to get rid of but since both cat and dog have been on flea treatment prescribed by the vet for a couple of years now we have not had any, both are on bravecto, spot on for the cat and chewy tablet for the dog.

We made the same mistake. I think we ended up needing 6 cans. 3 per time for a 3 bed house.

Thank you @aodirjjd I treat them both at the same time with advantage but I was given something else for the cat but the fleas have still come back.

You could try using a flea comb too, although the visible ones are not the whole problem. The treatment from the vet is expensive, here it's £50 for one tablet but lasts for 3 months.

Hi @Tel12 I had been using advantage but it must have stopped working on the cat. I can't see any on the dog but she has a thick, coarse black coat so maybe I just haven't spotted them. Unfortunately my husband left me last year so I'm on benefits at the moment so I had to use the PDSA and they were great, they gave me a prescription flea treatment and the cat has had 2 up to now. The fleas seemed to have gone but have came back this last week.

Thanks @crumbledog I am wondering if they were still in the house fromthe last time I treat them both.

Crikey @ScottBakula it's going to take me forever!!!