Oh shit fleas

[Ohnocats]

Adopted two kittens last week but realised they have fleas and I've definitely seen one crawling one of the kittens. DC has what looks like a couple of bites on the ankle.

AIBU to be absolutely sickened by the thoughts of a flea infestation. It's triggering my anxiety so badly and my skin is crawling. Ordered flea spot on and household flea spray. What on earth do I do? 😧

Order Indorex from Amazon on same day delivery, spray everything.

Get flea treatment direct from their vet, they give treatments that work better than shop bought ones. Then use indorex as it works really well x

What flea treatment?
Have they seen a vet yet?
I've only ever used flea treatment from the vet. Over the counter stuff isn't always safe/doesn't always work

Get a nit comb (one of the plastic two sided ones) and a small bowl or glass of slightly soapy water. Comb each kitten (fine teeth side of comb) for 5 or 10 minutes, repeatedly checking the comb and dropping any fleas into the water where they will drown. Do this a couple of times a day until you're not collecting any more fleas.

For the bites, Savlon provides some relief, but best of all is Afterbite.

When you're combing, pay special attention to the back of the neck, because the kitten can't reach that, and just above the tail, where they seem to congregate.

I once cleared a flat of fleas by the simple method of walking round bare legged when I came in from work, picking the fleas off my legs as they landed and dropping them into soapy water. First night I got over 70; it only took a week to clear the lot. So don't panic, it's a manageable problem.

Thanks. My skin is crawling just thinking about it🤢

Off to the vets tomorrow. They are rescue kittens and I'm sorely regretting this now.

I've ordered Indorex, do I just spray this everywhere and anywhere? Feel like I want to burn down the house (removing DC and kittens of course).

Oh I feel you 😭 we’ve had our cats since May and just now realised what flea dirt is and they are riddled despite being treated when we got them and indoor only!

I have anxiety and a very sensitive gag reflex when something turns my stomach so I am going between cleaning and vomiting when I find one!!

indorex is supposed to be the best spray, get the skirting boards and under beds etc.

vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Hot wash everything that can be hot washed (bedding, pet beds, dressing gowns, soft toys etc).

sprays and treatments kill eggs/fleas/larvae but not the pupae stage so you will have to retreat and keep up with washing and vacuuming for the foreseeable.

It’s making me feel so sick I don’t want to eat/cook and it’s obsessively cleaning the house, my husband and kids aren’t one bit arsed?!? I hope you get on top of it soon, as your kittens are new hopefully the infestation in the house isn’t too bad!

Wtf have I just read 😄 you did what?!

The thought of combing out the fleas and drowning them is making me want to drown myself!

wow, as easy as that hey? who knew 😆

This with bells on.
Don't bother with other treatments they never work.

We keep them at bay with a combination of flea tablets (work in 15 mins), spot on treatments once a month and Indorex. You could try flea collars too.

Just hoover, hoover, hoover like mad and put a flea collar in the hoover bag to kill them off.

Did you look like tge pigeon woman from home alone 2, only with fleas ?

I've ordered Indorex, do I just spray this everywhere and anywhere? Concentrate along cracks and crevices, eg along the skirting board. It's powerful stuff, so I wouldn't spray in DC's bedrooms.

If you keep the kittens up to date with their flea stuff, they will hoover up any fleas, which will dis on contact with the flea stuff. So once you've got rid of these, you won't have problems in the future.

If the vet says they're too little for the strong flea killers, then keep up with the combing until you're not getting any more fleas.

It's not good of the rescue centre - they should have got rid of the fleas, for the kitten's own health. Although you may find it's not a heavy infestation, only one or two, in which case I guess it's forgivable.

Kittens/cats are nearly as good as children for helping you develop a tolerance for "ick".

Vet treatment for the kittens, they need to be at least 1kg for most treatments.
To get maximum effectiveness from Indorex you need any fleas in the pupa stage to hatch. Hatching is encouraged by warmth, humidity and vibration. So heating on, bowl of water on top of radiator, hoover first, then spray. To catch the larval stage concentrate around skirting boards and underneath any heavy furniture that is not normally moved for hoovering (sofas etc). Do the whole house even if there are areas the kittens can’t access, flea eggs are sticky and get tracked about on feet. Any bedding (human or pet) put on a hot machine wash. Ventilate each room before reusing, particular care if you have pet fish as Indorex is poisonous to invertebrates.

Just hoover, hoover, hoover like mad and put a flea collar in the hoover bag to kill them off.

Thanks I was just about to ask what use hoovering them up would do if they'll just happily survive and live in the hoover.

Oh goodness I feel so sick and itchy. Is it possible to get fleas living on humans? My head and skin is itching like mad. Too anxious to look! 🥴

I quite liked it. [Sociapath]
You need to put washing up liquid around the rim of a bowl so they don't jump out.
It's about as effective as the pull out method for actually maintaining fleas though.
I used to fo it to get rid of them before the treatment killed them.

No, because I didn't have pigeons.

The fleas never got above ankle height.

Mine tend to pick up fleas most times I take them to the vets. Just get a flea comb and some spot on. Treat the kittens and give them a brush.

Use a bowl or water of a full sink, every time you get a flea trapped in the comb dunk it in the water and pull it out. It stays trapped in the water. Once you stop finding live ones stop. Brush every day or two for a week. Once you stop finding black flecks when brushing they are gone.

Mine are usually sorted after 2 comb sessions but I do an extra one just in case. I've never had to treat the house before as any remaining ones not on the cats tended to migrate back to them and die.

It's best to get the spot on from your vet as fleas in different areas get immune to different treatments. Your vet will know what works well in your local area.

The thread title had me wondering what shit fleas were. You meant "Oh shit, fleas."

Punctuation matters!

Going to stand in the shower and douse myself with Domestos.

Thanks for all the tips. Keep them coming.

We'd just moved in, it was pre-internet, and commuting and work meant we couldn't get to a shop till the weekend. It was the quickest way todeal.

I suppose we should have contacted the landlords and insisted they sort it, but I've always been inclined to sort things for myself if I can.

It just wouldn't even occur to me to do that, or that would even be possible and actually help clear the fleas. Fair play 🤌

Sorry but my punctuation has gone out of the window since my making this stomach churning discovery.

Fleas have not made it to Pedants Corner yet.