Fleas? Help!

[Mewling]

We moved into a new house a few months ago. Upstairs carpeted, downstairs wood floors. We have an indoor cat that doesn’t go outside at all. The furthest they’ve been is to the vet and back.

I am being eaten alive by something and I’ve no idea what. The cat doesn’t appear to have fleas and is Frontlined monthly. My bedroom seems to be Ground Zero for the biting: I’m getting bites predominantly on my torso and around my bra and knicker line. I’ve binned the duvet, washed the pillows and bedding at 90 degrees, and treated the bedroom with a Frontline spray.

I’m still being bitten. I must have about 30 bites on me now. FWIW I don’t seem to have any bites on my ankles, feet or knees. What gives? Is this fleas or something else? Realise nobody can say definitively but any advice/words of wisdom would be gratefully received, before I simply nuke the house from orbit.

I would spray everything with indorex (only brand that works), use a stronger treatment like Bravecto on your cat as a one off and see if anything changes. But could it be bed bugs? Fleas would definitely get your feet and ankles.
If you want to test for fleas put on white socks and walk around key areas. You will see them jump on your socked feet if they are there. The one time we had an infestation this is how I knew for sure.

If there are fleas I would Indorex every room and failing that I would call in the pros. If it’s bedbugs I’d just call the pros.

Thanks for the advice, I’ll grab some Indorex.

I’ve yet to see any form of bug, that’s what’s baffling me too. I’m being annihilated by invisible bastards! I’d actually think it was in my head but my DC was bitten whilst in my bedroom a few weeks ago (on their scalp!).

I’m dreading bed bugs, if we’ve got them I’m assuming we’ve acquired them from the carpet (rental) as I’ve never had them before and I’ve got the same bed and mattress.

Sounds like bedbugs to me more than fleas. Are the bits clustered?

I thought bed bugs too. We were in a rented house with the same set up as yours - carpets upstairs, wooden floors downstairs. I could stand on the carpet and see the fleas jumping onto my feet and up my legs. We tried DIY measures but had to admit defeat and get the council in. What you've got is not fleas. Look for little dots of blood on your sheets and apart from the carpet look around the joints of the bed frame. Good luck. Anti histamines for the itch. Get the pros in

Yes sorry I agree - bedbugs, not fleas. Indorex is fantastic on fleas but no idea if it works on bedbugs.

Have you been gardening or lying in long grass or woodland? It could be harvest mites, they target the areas of soft skin you have mentioned. They turned up in the garden 2 years ago and have made summers hell for me. If you have a pet that goes outdoors check between their toes, ears, belly for bright orange dots. Your bites may have orange dots in the centre but you've probably scratched them off already. If you avoid the garden/outdoors for a few days you'll soon see if you kept getting bitten.

I have been gardening as it happens. I’ve just read up on “Chiggers”, apparently they cause a phenomenon called Summer Penile Syndrome if they bite someone on the penis. Wow, talk about every day being a school day…

The amount of research I've done on sodding chiggers to eradicate them and I never come across that term! Thanks for the laugh 😂

With the indorex it is very important that the cat is no where near the rooms you spray and not allowed in the room until it dries after a few hours. Open the windows too. It's very potent stuff.

The bites are a bit randomly dispersed - so, one here, three there. For example, there’s four or five down the line of my bra strap on either side, nine or ten on my abdomen, then one on my knee. Two on my back. Then a few along my knicker line. I guess they’re clustered?

I’M SO ITCHY. 😩

1% hydrocortisone cream and antihistamine tablet morning and night is your friend. It's a 3 day itch cycle for me.

Yes Frontline isnt enough,indorex for all carpet etc but get another flea treatment from the vets not just frontline.hoover daily and wash all bedding and clothes on hot wash.repeat and repeat.if fleas the cycle is 2 weeks so you have to keep going or they just come back.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I think as it’s bed bugs/chiggers/fleas I’m going to use the Indorex as a flame-thrower and burn the house down. 🤣

One way to test for fleas. Wear white socks and walk around. Fleas will jump on them.

That is bedbugs. Fleas do not bite like that.

Definitely haven’t seen anything jumping, I did the white sock trick earlier today when I was hoovering the bedroom. I think the fact the cat seems fine is leading me more towards bed bugs/chiggers.

Indorex all the way, no matter what.

It even kills spiders! Sounds mean but we are prone to false widows here and several years ago my foot ballooned and I needed IV AB. The wound took months to heal.
So if I can't hoover and ditch, I'll do the entire room.

It was my only relief from fleas, still is with 2 cats.

Advantage spot on, or... In my huge male cats case - tablets in a gourmet selection as I cannot get near him.

It doesn't sound like fleas though, bed bugs or grass gits but if it's ongoing, Indorex is your friend. As is Sudocrem. All over! Apply thickly. It's so thick, that when you're asleep, anything trying to bite just gets stuck.

We had fleas so bad at our last rental that you'd sit on the toilet (in bathroom!) and you could see them jumping on your legs from the lino. They were everywhere. That was pre-pets!

Sorry, went back in to my flea hell rabbit hole. Rabbit never had fleas 😭

It doesn’t sound like fleas, I had a cat that had them years ago and you can definitely see them jumping.

Did the last owners have cats/pets? Sounds like they left you some small presents!!

If its bedbugs they can live in the wallpaper too my auntie had them once her wooden bed had black spots on it they was living in the wood on that so if you've got wooden wardrobes or bed frames etc check for spots on it also check your mattress. I cant imagine how you feel im itchy reading this post I would burn everything lol.

I'm so sorry to hear you&your Beloved Child have suffered from these bites
I've only just seen your comment/post so I'm unsure if you've yet found reliable remedy & solution to ommit these insects - Whatever they might be
God Bless You&Yours
💚✨💚

Take the cat to the vet and get some better flea treatment. Also, spray everywhere with Indorex (Amazon) - rugs, skirtings, stairs, anywhere the cat goes.

Had cats for 44 years.

I was going to say chiggers, or just plain old garden midges. If you are being bitten around underwear lines, very much a midge thing, and boy are they itchy. You probably got them in the garden, so your bedroom doesn't need a flame thrower, and you didn't need to chuck your duvet, or spray your room...... Oh well.

Try getting a lemon or citrus moisturiser till you get the problem resolved. Tea tree is also a repellent but does have a unique smell.

As others said, it reminds me of when my parents had bed bugs infestation. You may not see them, but you may see spots of blood on your duvet, mattress protector or bedsheets. Those would be the squashed ones, after they were well fed. They wait for you to be asleep and then feed. Vile and hard to get rid. We had to have 2 rounds of professional treatment to get rid of it. All clothes need to be washed at at least 60 degrees to kill them. If you have a steamer, try steaming your bed frame/bed and see if anything starts crawling out. It makes me itch even now thinking about it...

This ☝️☝️☝️. We had fleas and this is how we knew. The brands described are key...Indorex is the best stuff...vets tell you to use... literally strip the house of all soft furnishings and wash and spray this bad boy EVERYWHERE including skirting and bottom of furniture etc...it will kill fleas as they hatch up to 6 months and then repeat to be sure. Contact vet...get cat checked and start using prescription level cat spot on. At my worst I had a bowl of water and drowned the fleas in that when I caught each one. For me they were on the cat and around the bottom of my couch... waiting to pounce 👌. It's going to be emotional, but you sort it with perseverance 👍

Ps my 3 year old kept getting them on his back and neck. I found them in his hair because he's short 😭😭😭