What is biting me (with pics)

[PivotPivotPivottt]

Last night i noticed the bite on my arm and when I woke up this morning I also had one on my hip. I now have another one on the elbow of the same arm and last week I had one on my shin. Very very itchy, they are like raised white lumps and the surrounding area is red from scratching. Please don't say bed bugs

I know it's a lot of hard tedious work but I trundled through it. Your carpet will be fine just hoover every day to get the eggs. I didn't use any of the sprays to put down in the house as we all have asthma and I didn't want to be breathing in any chemicals. So it is possible to get rid of them without buying these sprays, my money went on two lots of flea treatments but it was a struggle and left me short so I know where you're coming from.

Change your vet. You'll still need to treat for fleas even if cats indoors. I had one sitting on my leg coming home on the bus once. Your kitten could have picked one up at the vets.

It goes on weight so I don't understand why they won't prescribe it. They'll have the weight after the last visit.

Indorex the house (it's cheaper on Amazon), it's pretty easy to do and it lasts a year. Hoover the room and spray all around the edges. If you have tanked animals they'll need to be covered up. If you catch it this early on then it'll be quite easy to clear.

But really you need some advocate as well so any fleas die after biting.

Op as you say you can't really afford to buy treatments etc for the sake of it. Try filling some shallow tupperwares up with water and plotting them about your house to see if you actually catch any? Have you any white trousers you can potter about the house in so they're easy to spot?

Your vets are ridiculous - where I work a nurse will do a free flea/weight check then the vet will dispense some flea treatment. In fact, if the kitten was weighed recently you shouldn't even need to take her in, they shout just give you the treatment.

You don't necessarily need to spray the house - you can just give a treatment that will interrupt the flea life cycle and make sure you give it every time it's due so that any adults that hatch out will die before they reproduce. I recommend Comfortis - it's a tablet so you know they have had the full dose (no messy spot on treatments) and starts killing the fleas within 30 minutes. If you would prefer a spot on then Stronghold is a good one, will treat the house as well as the fleas on the kitten. It will take a few months for all the fleas in the environment to be eliminated so you need to be patient.

Thank you for all the advice I really appreciate it. There's a vets within my local pet shop so I'm going to give them a call. I'm really gutted reading that the vet was being ridiculous as I liked them in there and just believed what I was being told.

Definitely going to order Indorex thats on my list.
I'm just about to fill some Tupperware with water. Well if I can find some as my daughter uses them all to store stuff in, slime, ladybirds

I don't think I have any white trousers but will have a look that's a great idea.

Thank you for all the recommendations for flea treatment I will look into these.

I'm still clinging on to hope that it's just midges but I'm not taking any chances so will get some flea treatment as would rather catch it early enough. No more bites for now but will see what the morning brings!

Before you put it down to fleas, please please check for bedbugs.

Bites are too variable to determine whether you have bedbugs or something else. Some people don't react at all, others get blood filled blisters - and everything inbetween.

You need to lift up your mattress and look in the underneath seams, buttons and around the edges of labels. Look at your bed frame too, paying close attention to the joints, screw-heads, ends of slats etc. They like little nooks. As well as live bugs, look for cast skins and faeces, which looks like little black dots (see image). If you have a divan turn it upside down and take off the underneath fabric. They like divans.

If you have the slightest suspicion you might have bedbugs you should check for them before treating your house for fleas because bedbugs are resistant to pretty much all pesticides, at least those that are licenced in the EU, and what doesn't kill them pisses them off and drives them into your walls, under your floorboards, into other rooms in your house and it will take much much longer, and much much more money to get rid of them.

Treating your cat for fleas is fine but check for bedbugs before spraying indorex or any other pesticide around your home.

Good info on bedbugs here:

bedbugger.com/2007/01/20/faq-think-you-have-bed-bugs-some-dos-and-donts/

u.osu.edu/bedbugs/

Pencils - thank you (I think? )

No seriously thank you for that information, bed bugs was my first thought and I'm praying it's not. I'm in my bed at the moment and can't bring myself to have a look so will check it out in the morning. I was planning on stripping my bedding to wash tomorrow anyway so will get a good look then. I have a metal bed frame so should be easy enough to treat that if I get rid of the mattress if it is the case

Oh God now I'm wishing for fleas

Sorry @PivotPivotPivottt I'm just about to fill some Tupperware with water. Well if I can find some as my daughter uses them all to store stuff in, slime, ladybirds hmm

That made me laugh, I had 36 of the feckers on my last cupboard clearout, I now own 6. Bloody kids... and animals.

TheCanyon I actually binned a load of tubs chinese take away containers just last week. I managed to find one that was unoccupied so have brought it up to my room filled with water (figured as cat spends most of it's time in here). Cat just keeps drinking the water so if there are any fleas that land in it no doubt they will be digested during the night! Probably should shut her out my room but I'm scared at night can't bring myself to do it.

Oh God now I'm wishing for fleas

Hahaha yes I have wished for fleas or headlice or anything else for the past 5 months. My last post was written from bitter experience.

Getting rid of the mattress is probably unnecessary and, unless you are extremely careful, risks spreading them through the house. There's also a very high risk of reinfestation on any new mattress so it can work out very expensive. It's better to tackle them on the mattress you have now, then when you're absolutely sure they've gone you can decide if the mattress needs replacing.

Before you do anything else, check for bedbugs and if you find anything get the professionals in if you can possibly afford to. Your local council might provide treatment free or at subsidised cost. Expect 2-3 treatments and lots of preparatory work.

If it's a small localised infestation there are options for self treatment but it's a lot of work.