Fleas!!!!!!

[katelyle]

Is there anything that works for cat fleas that doesn't cost as much as Frontline? It can't be a spray because one of mine goes ballistic if he sees a can of Pledge. And he is the one who is a proper fleabag!

I think I read somewhere that a drop or 2 of tea tree oil on the back of their neck works... or is that just to prevent the fleas?

oh dear if your cat has fleas i would really recommend you get him done with Frontline. And you'll need to get the house done too. They will have laid eggs everywhere. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Make sure you stay out for the day when you get the house done and keep little ones out of the way especially.

Give your carpets a good hoover and if you have any blankets, wash them all!

I got a flea on the back of my neck at a friends house. It had come off a big fur throw they had on their sofa.

OH dear.I know frontline is expensive all in one go to get the 6 months supply,but our vets has a monthly direct debit scheme which encompasses worming tablets,frontline and their annual vacs.It costs about £16 per month and spreads the cost.Dunno if your vet does similar?

we once bought a flat where the lady before us had had cats [untreated] We were eaten alive for months, despite numerous treatments. It was awful. That was an extreme case but their are stubborn little b*ggers and need swift action.

i get 'Advantage' stuff from the vet to put on the back of her neck and it works wonders, my cat is a long haired fleabag!

No - don't worry, ruty, I do use Frontline because one of mine in particular seems to be a flea magnet. (I have a ds who is a nit magnet too - but that's another thread!) I was just hoping somebody had tried something else that worked as well but didn't cost so much. I wasn't particularly optimistic thought!

i do wish there was something cheap and non toxic that would work on them. They are just horrible!

And our vet is a pain about giving it out too - he always says he wants to see the cats first, and I have to argue about it!

oh no he shouldn't charge you for an appt. Can't you buy it in the vets surgery without going in to see him? I think we did that when we had a cat...

you'll have to treat the house. Best to get a professional in, make sure they don't use organo-phosphates, and go out for the day, and if you can, stay away overnight. Only way to get rid of them i'm afraid.

Get a proffessional in for flea treatment! That sounds very expensive. Are you using the Frontline that just treats the cats, there is frontline that you spot on the cat which will treat the house too, that could be worth a try and I'd spray the house too and go out for a few hours, wash their bedding and any rugs etc that they lie on alot and hoover thoroughly, that should sort them out.

if you use Frontline (which kills fleas on the cat) and Program (which stops the fleas breeding)wouldn't the fleas in the house eventually die off without treating the house?

if program is just for the cat it won't stop fleas breeding. They lay eggs in the carpet and skirting boards and hatch and then will bite humans to survive.

We tried over the counter sprays and they didn't work. you might be luckier. Also not so good to expose yourself, but i am particularly sensitive to it after having used so much in past!

ruty can fleas survive without an animal? I would have thought they had to bite the cat to survive?

My sil used a smoke bomb thing she bought from the petshop which seemed to work well.

we moved into a flat where previous woman had cats. We were eaten alive and had fleas crawling on us despite several treatments of the flat. Cat fleas. It was a bloody nightmare.

We've just had our house sprayed by the local council. £66 fingers crossed that's the last we see of the little buggers. Apparently this year has been particularly bad for fleas because it was so hot early on.

fleas are the work of the devil.

My cat gets fleas from time to time - frontline seems to do the trick along with bedding washing/hoovering and a spray of upholstery.

DD and DH seem immune, it's me that gets chomped on [annoyed]. I have red scabby lumps atm, last infestation was a couple of weeks ago.

agree ruty

little crawly itch inducing bastards

yep they devour me. when looking for our current flat i refused to buy anywhere where there had previously been pets, just in case they hadn't been deflea-ed. Refuse to go through that nightmare again. Not blaming anyone here, i know it is easy for pets to get them, but we just went thru a particularly awful time.

i have a really bad reactio to fleas, they always bite me, and i get enormous lumps, them and mosquitos.

Yrs back, my ex dh and I rented a flat, and the prev owner had a cat, and the place was crawling. We had to get it fummigated twice. It was so bad we slept in the spare room, left our clothes outside, and were really strict about traipsing thru the flat for one roon to another, in case of spreading them further. It was def this time of year too.

I have never heard of a better treatment than the frontline stuff. I have used that, and there is a spray you can buy, for your home furnishings, but that is v expensive too.

sorry i know how yuck it is.

Treat the house with Indorex spray from your vet and treat the cat with either normal frontline (no need for your vet to see the cat now, though did used to have to) or Frontline Combo (vet would have to see the cat if has not been seen recently) which then spreads an environmental treatment round to prevent the critters living in the house in the future.