Sudden flea problems

[DonutDanny]

I have had my cat since October 2024, dog since December 2024. My cat is in door cat, I have had no issue with fleas the whole time I’ve had my pets. In April time a family member I rarely see borrowed a suit case, they kept it for a while and returned it around 2/3 weeks ago I just put it in my room out the way, over the next few days every night/morning Id find small itchy bumps on me and then my children got the same, it wasn’t until I noticed my cat was scratching constantly that I realised it must be fleas, my cat had been sleeping on top of the suitcase in my room. I got some flea tablets the itching animals did reduce but wasn’t gone, so I tried spot on but then it seems to have got worse my animals are constantly scratching me and my family members are all being bit, I have treated the house, I’ve no past experience with fleas so I don’t know what works or doesn’t, so far I have used flea repellent shampoo, doc Martin dog and cat flea tablets, RSPCA spot on dog and cat and for the house buddy’s best carpet flea treatment. I don’t know what’s products are best to use that would be safe around my small children and pets. So far what I’ve used doesn’t seem to be effective enough I have been getting bit less but my animals are constantly scratching any help on what products are the best and will work the fastest please thank you

Presumably you’ve thrown the suitcase out?

We had an issue last year and used Serestro collars and they worked. Get from the vets not Amazon etc as there are fakes around.

Are you sure it’s not bed bugs?

Have you actually seen the fleas, or seen the flea dirt on your animals ? IME the only treatment that worked on the animals was the injection the vets give.

Throw the suitcase out if you haven’t already. Take the cat to the vet and get proper vet prescribed strength flea stuff. And buy indorex
from amazon and spray everywhere.

We use Advantage from the vets and it seems to work.

A vet will weigh the animal and that determines how much of the product needed. Big cats need more than little ones. ect

Wrt the house - let the medicated animals roam all rooms because when the fleas jump onto the animals and bite them it kills them.

Fleas don't live on animals as such, they feed on them. They can lay dormant for ages in cracks and crevices around the house waiting for an animal to bite!

Sprinkling salt around furniture feet, skirting boards, stair treads and anywhere a flea egg might lay will kill it by drying it out. Hoover it all up after a week or so and reapply. Good non/poisonous way.

I had cats and had the worst experience with fleas. Here is what eventually worked.

get indorex and spray everywhere then hoover every day for 7 days after. The hoover gets eggs to hatch then they are poisoned/hoovered up - something like that.

I bought peppermint oil and tea tree oil and sprayed by legs mainly and body to deter fleas - I do think it helped. I washed all clothes at 60° and put everything in the dryer also.

i bought Diatomaceous Earth from Amazon and emptied out a seasoning bottle with a shaker lid and poured the DE into that and shook it over the carpet and floor - I also did my window ledges so I could get rid of spiders at the same time. How that powder works is the fleas or insects eat it and it basically cuts out their insides and leave them dead. It’s Food grade though, so not harmful for people. It lasts for ages. I still see dead spiders and flies near my windows.

it did take awhile for them to go, but they did in the end. I ordered from Amazon, a flea light catcher killer thing - It was about 15 quid and it did catch some fleas and other bugs. Wasn’t super effective but it will hopefully catch some bugs and help you see what you’re dealing with!

good luck!

Put a flea collar in your hoover bag as well, stops any eggs hatching in the bag.

I used to work in a vets and have an animal science degree so I can give you my professional opinion. This will be a very long answer, hopefully it will be useful to anyone else struggling with fleas.

Fleas are particularly bad this year, they are dormant in winter which is why you won't have had an issue. My indoor ragdoll has got them and he doesn't come into contact with other animals at all. Fleas absolutely love all of this warm weather we have been having. They can enter the house through a crack in the window, they can attach to your clothes and you can bring them in that way.

As a general rule OTC flea treatments are ineffective, fleas over the years have become immune to Frontline, Advantage which are both OTC products. Advantage has had zero effect on my Ragdoll (I discovered the fleas when vets were shut and it was all I could get and it did nothing!) Please do not use Bob Martin products!! There have been multiple reported cases of Bob Martin products causing serious harm to pets. I cannot understand why it is still being sold.

If you already have fleas you will see lots of little black bits in your cats fur as well as some actual fleas crawling around. As you already have an infestation you will need to use prescription strength products. The 2 that my vets recommended to me is Stronghold Plus and Bravecto. Stronghold Plus is a monthly Spot On and takes around 24 hours to take affect. Bravecto starts to work within 12 hours and provides protection for 3 months. Prescription flea treatment are significantly cheaper from online pharmacies such as VioVet or Animed Direct. You will need to obtain a prescription from your vet which you will be charged for and will need to upload it to the website you are buying from. This is what I have done and it allowed me to buy a 12 months supply at a reduced cost.

It is also important to note that if you have not been taking your pet to the vet annually they will not issue a prescription without a consultation. The reason being, they are prescribing medication. If any adverse reactions were to happen and they have not seen your pet the vet is liable and could get into serious trouble.

Wash bedding, clothes, any areas your pets frequent with HOT soapy water this kills fleas. Hoover daily and thoroughly. I also recommend treating any rugs and carpets with a product like Virbac which kills all the fleas and eggs within 2 months and protects your carpets for 12 months. Buy a flea comb and comb them regularly.

Flea repellent shampoos aren't really affective unless they are medicated and even then only prescribed in extreme cases most that you can buy OTC contain ingredients that can be toxic such as Kernel Oil, Geranoil, Lavendar.

Please be really careful with natural remedies. ALOT are toxic to cats and most are ineffective. I have seen someone suggest that they use fairy liquid as a shampoo - this is an allergic reaction waiting to happen. There is a lot of really bad if not dangerous advice on the internet around animal care.

Nothing will be as effective as prescription items, pay a prescription fee and get it online. You can still get good products at affordable prices that way.

My vet charges £50.35 for a single pipette of Bravecto which lasts for 3 months. I paid £20 to get a prescription e-mailed to me. I was then able to purchase a 9 month supply at £23.50(ish) per pipette. All in all it cost me around £90 instead of £150 if I bought it from the vets. The prescription is valid for 12 months so I will be placing another order for next year before it expires.