to want to get rid of my cats

[BEAUTlFUL]

I don't mean hurl them off a bridge, I mean sell them to a nicer home.

We have two cats, a mother (6) and her son (3). Despite our using Spot-On, both cats are riddled with fleas which are now rife in our beds, curtains, carpets and sofas. We've used those Bob Martin flea bomb things all over the house, to no effect.

DS1 has flea bites all over him, and DS2 had a flea crawling on his face today! And two days ago, the son-cat nibbled on DS2's tiny little fingers. I couldn't tell if it was a sweet, grooming-kind of nibble or a preliminary munch.

Both cats love all the baby's stuff (playmat, cot, pram) and I'm forever turfing them out. They wind round my legs when I'm going downstairs, and when I'm in the kitchen.

I've had enough.

Can I take them to the Cat's Protection League and have them re-homed? What should I do?

Strangle cats, send to taxidermist, replace on cushions and see how long it takes before your DH notices.

lmao madamez..... lovecatsanddogs - what do you think of THAT idea??

I would try one last ditch attempt (get some advice and assistance from your council) to get rid of them all and then get rid of the cats.
My PIL brought flea ridden cats into our house and we had to have it fumigated, it did work.
Personally I hate cats, they claw you furniture, shit in your garden and can give your children toxiplasmosis (sp) there's a local girl going blind from this.

I have 8 cats and 2 small children (3 and 4), I never have fleas. Stuff from the vets works wonders. Kids and cats (mostly) get on fantastically and the children havfe learnt to treat the cats with respect or they get swiped.

I would have 100 cats but dh has said no more. I can't understand why

I always find it odd that people think it's okay to just 'get rid' of pets because they no longer suit your lifestyle. They're not accessories and presumably you knew when you took them on that they were going to be around 15-20 years? Or did you not bother to find that out?

I'm not having a go at you BEAUTIFUL because you obviously don't think like this, just pissed off by the number of people who think it's okay to dump animals.

I have always had cats and they have never had fleas. Posie - are you sure you don't mean toxocariasis? That's caught from dog shit, not cats.

Bob Martin is shit. You need proper Frontline stuff, you need to do them and wash all sheets, cushion covers, hoover all over, get some industrial flea spray for furniture.

We have had serious flea issues with our cats in the past and this has worked.

The most important thing is to keep on top of the flea treatment once they are free of fleas as they multiply so quickly. And remember, it is not the fault of the cats that they get fleas....it's your responsibility to sort it out.

I have 2 cats and 1 DD. Never had a flea problem and I hardly ever deflea them (they're house cats) but when I do I use Frontline Combo. Never ever entertained the idea of getting rid of them, they were my babies before DD came along and they still are. Cats and child get along famously.

I too can't believe the people being so flippant about getting rid of their animals when children come along. Fair enough if there's a real allergy problem but really quite uncivil and selfish otherwise. Pets are for life, FFS. Also you're not doing your DCs any favours, studies have shown that children who grow up around pets have better immune systems and are less likely to suffer from asthma etc.

You're more likely to get toxoplasmosis from eating Parma ham than from cats. Out of our antenatal group (including 4 cat owners and one vet) the only one who had immunity - ie. had had toxoplasmosis - was someone who hated animals but had a Parma ham and salami habit.

Toxoplasmosis, the parasite is shed into the environment through the cat's feces. Babies infected with Toxoplasma during gestation are usually born without symptoms. Later in life, however, problems can arise. These include loss of vision, hearing, and some degree of mental impairment. About 3,000 babies a year are reported to have problems stemming from Toxoplasma.

You can also get it from fruit and veg that are grown in contaminated soil and isn't washed.......... ooops I had better wash my strawberries.
I have a thing about animals, give generously to the RSPCA but loathe pets, and can't stand people who put their pets in birthday and christmas cards or force them on you when you visit. i accept I am both unreasonable and horrid but I just hate pets, except maybe guinea pigs.

YABU.

You can't just palm off flea ridden cats to someone else!! As a pet owner, shouldn't you take some responsibility for their condition? And then get rid of them if you want but I think they're just being cats, aren't they?

Shop bought treatments are rubbish. Get thee to the vets and get a full on flea treatment. And a spray for your carpets. Spray and go out for the day because it's quite potent stuff and you don't want your babies inhaling it.

I'm not really sure just how much harm a cat can or will want to do to a baby really. There's a lot of mumbo jumbo rubbish about cats behaviour around babies.

Get cat nets for the cot etc.

I've got three cats and they're not allowed beyond the kitchen, into the house. They were spraying their scent everywhere and I'd had enough of it. They've got cosy spots in the study and laundry and they seem perfectly happy. Could you restrict your cats movements in your house?

Our house was flea infested when we moved in, we all got bitten to pieces, and our cat also got fleas though he;s never had them before.

I have had 5 cats at one time and they never got fleas, they used to have injections every six months, so simple to do, the vet used to come to us as catching 5 was a nightmare!

I am a childminder and would be horrified if a mindee got bitten, but none have, ever. One of the attractions for a lot of parents is the fact I do have 3 cats, and I have been offered very young babies to look after.

Treat your cats health as you would your own and you will never have problems, get to the vets NOW!

Fine if you hate pets posie. I know a lot of people do. But I assume the OP doesn't or she would never have had cats in the first place.

Toxoplasmosis can cause eye problems but it's very, very rare indeed. Most cat owners have already had it and are immume (ie won't get it when they're pregnant).

Remember that there is a direct link between fleas and worms, treat the cats every month for fleas with Frontline or Advantage spot-on drops, and every three months with Profender spot-on for worms. The six monthly Program injections are good for flea treatment/prevention too.

Totally agree that prevention is better than cure, and that treatments sold by vets are the best. O.K. they might seem expensive, but surely peace of mind and the health of your family and pets is the important issue.

Would only re-home a cat if it was extremely aggressive and miserable in itself.

Can you not restrict them to another part of the house especially at night.
We've never let our cats upstairs at night and we keep the bedroom doors closed during the day so they can't sleep on the beds.

My dad has two very elderly cats 14yrs + and they are just shitting all over the house and he feeds them outside and they have really bad fleas, but frontline makes them ill.
He has enough on his plate looking after my Mum who has dementia and is incontinent.
I've suggested to him to get them taken to a cats home but of course they will be put down, but he can't afford even that.
It's just getting stressfull for him.
I can't take them on as they are infested and secondly my two cats won't take kindly to them.

lots of great advice on here. Frontline Combo will combat the fleas in the house, however if there is a huge infestation then get some heavy duty flea spray - do it on a day when you can have the baby out of the house. Make sure the cats are wormed regularly too, every three months.

If you are really worried about them and they are causing you greif then get rid of the hairy little feckers. Seriously, cats are independent animals and they are fickle, they wont mind going to a new home to be spoilt. My cat went to my mums, she wouldnt come in the house here, probably because i was always shooing her off things and pushing her out anyway - that and the amount of accidents she had at this addresss. Fell through greenhouse roof, needed metal pin in back leg. Got run over outside the house, needed other leg amputated. Wandered off, got infested with 72 ticks and nearly died. She figured she would take her chances elsewhere and never leaves my mum's sofa 0/

What pisses me off egypytianprincess is that people talk as if the cats were just fucked right off the moment littlies arrived. Now you said your cat was skittish and unpredicatable, but what about the others?

People also do this with a succession of pets..get rid of the older dog/cat just to make way for a puppy/kitten.

You know that saying 'a dog is for life not just for christmas'? That should be looked at more closely and not so literally as it full of truth-a dog , or any pet, is for life. Unless there is a VERY good reason.

As for Madamez, well what she says never bothers me cos I just have a feeling she has a house full of pets

Frontline them, and keep it up. We do ours every month.

Either get the professionals in to blast your house or do it yourself by washing all covers at high temps, spray, etc. Or, here's a great idea - get DH to do it while you and baby go and stay at a friend's house.

If you don't want them in your room/baby's room, shut the door and keep it shut. They might meow for a bit but they soon get the message.

And remember that once your baby is walking and cat-chasing, they will spend most of their time hiding in corners or outside.

Ripeberry, there is no reason whatsoever why your dads cats should have fleas, when there are 100% effective treatments that DO work. If frontline is not suitable there are other treatments like Stronghold. There is also a tablet form that kills the flea/egg cycle, if the back of neck spot on stuff makes them ill. All from the vet.

It really is cruel to keep cats alive that are 'infested' with fleas, how miserable must they be, itching constantly.

Also fleas can become so bad that they can make the cats seriously ill, even kill them, because they become so anaemic from the constant blood loss from the amount of fleas bleeding them.

This could account for them shitting in the house, they probably lead an extrmemly miserable and stressful existance and i feel really sorry for them/your dad.

From their point of view, if the fleas are as bad as you say, they would be better off being put down rather than live like that, but no vet would recommend it when there are options that work!!

14 is not that old, my 2 sister cats lived to 18 and 20!

Please take the cats to the vet, get the correct stuff for them, and i bet they change out of all recognition once you get rid of the fleas, which you WILL do once you keep up with treatment.

Just to add ripeberry no vet will refuse treatment because he cannot afford it, ask for a weekly payment. If he is on benefit, the rspca or the pdsa will see him. Only needs to be housing benefit or any of the other benefits. If he is not on benefits but has a low income, they will not turn him away, he must say he is on a low income.

lovedogsandcats, if you had read repeberries post properly you would have seen tht a) the cats have clearly had a bad reaction to frontline in the past and b) he really does have enough on his plate, coping with his wifes dementia. And yes, vets will absolutely refuse to provide free flea treatment. Also, to get treatment on the pdsa scheme is not straightforward. Speaking from experience i can tell you that when caring for someone with dementia, the added stress of having to sort out that would be too much.

Ripeberry, it might be worth your dad talking to the cats protection legue, they are a generally a bunch of barking mad old dears who wont put a healthy cat to sleep and may well be able to find a home for the cats, as it is neither good for your parents or the cats to have this going on - my sympathies.

I think most of the posters on here have given very sensible advice. If the OP rehomes her cats then its fine, cats are happy with a warm shelter, the occasional lap (they really do not CARE whos) and a regular supply of food and water, along with medical treatment = cat heaven. Dogs are slightly different as they do attach to people and most people will have to think very carefully about rehoming, again, after a period of time, this can often be better for the animal.

Oversentimentality when it comes to animal welfare is detrimental to everyone concerned. Parents MUST put their children before their animals EVERY TIME. To do otherwise is irresponsible.

My cat has just got new stuff from the vets, it's stronger than Frontline and treats worms too. She had to have a vets examination before they'd prescribe them, they're fine but stronger than Frontline so they can't just sell them without seeing the cat. The council can also fumigate your house, it's not expensive. The poor cats needs to be treated properly and not just binned cos a new baby's arrived and the crappy supermarket fleat treatments aren't working (no surprise there, they never work, don't know why they're allowed to sell them). Fumigation/flea treatments will all be fine with a baby, just need to stay out of the house for a while, there will be advice available on how long you need to stay out for.

and yes, i do love animals, i have on occasion had a houseful, now i have one dog and thats enough for me thankyou very much. I would not want my DC to grow up without animals though. Cats and children can get along of course they can. I would get another cat but DP is increasingly allergic and also doesnt actually like them so its a doggie house here.

I don't think the OP is flippantly thinking of kicking her cats out. But it can be difficult and she clearly is having a bad week. My prediction is that she will still have the cats for a good long while yet. I have lost count of the times i have said, "right, that dogs going back" about my dogs in the past - would anyone have ever parted me from them - over my dead body!! We all have those sort of weeks. Its the cats turn is all

Probably going over old ground here. Frontline your cats every month once your babies are in bed. By the time they're up, cat will have cleaned it all off anyway. Its a liquid you pour on between their shoulder blades. Very important to keep up in the summer months. We have never had a flea problem with our cat. Also, remember the value of children growing up with animals - teaches them how to behave properly around them and many experts believe that you actually reduce the liklihood of allergies and boost their immune systems. Also, sad if your cat dies or gets ill but that's also really useful in terms of teaching your kids about life/death etc. And Toximoplasmosis is extremely, extremely rare and most of us have already been exposed to it without knowing.