Am I correct - are they cat flea bites? or is DH correct - there is something wrong with me?

[bozza]

We have had a kitten since August. She has had fleas and I treated her with stuff from the vets on 17 October. However I am still getting bitten. I must have had 60+ bites which come up like mosquito bites. DD has had two on her head (I checked her for head lice and am sure she is OK), DS has had none and DH has had two on his arm. So a bit of an unfair distribution.

The kitten is long haired and I groom her with a metal toothed comb. She goes out and spends a lot of time with next door's cats who are her mother and sister - especially the sister because they play kitteny games together.

Can I treat her again yet? What else can I do to prevent them. How do I make grooming her effective? I was awake and itchy a lot in the night. Would insect repellent have any effect?

Oh BTW DH says that there is something wrong with me because I am getting bitten and maybe it is not cat fleas. But I assume this is bollocks and they just like me. Always seem to get bitten more by mozzies on holiday than the rest of them.

You usually have to treat every month or so with stuff like Frontline - and you have to treat the house too, otherwise the fleas just stay in your carpets and soft furnishings and jump onto the cat or any passing person.

Are you getting any flea droppings when you groom her - little black gritty bits? If so then she still has fleas.

Treat the cat again, then spray the house from top to bottom - you can buy sprays from the vet or the pet shop. Insect repellants won't help; you have to get rid of the fleas and until you treat the house you won't do that.

I thought insect repellants might stop me getting bitten until I manage to get rid of the root of the problem. I am getting bitten all over as well not just ankles as suggested in the book.

I did get droppings out before I treated her with the vet stuff (initially treated her with Asda stff) and also a few live fleas which I drowned but I don't seem to be doing now. I thought there might be some in the bed but I stripped it and hoovered the mattress but I suppose they could be on the carpet. I assume her initial infection came with her, so I suspect the cats next door may be infected as that is where she came from.

Shitehawk is right - cat fleas live in carpets and bedding and warm places like the cracks between the floorboards. They just jump on the cat when it saunters past have a nibble and jump off again later. If you want to test your bed for fleas put your arm under the duvet, leave it for a minute or two, then whip off the duvet. Little black specks? guess what.

Fleas are fussy eaters - they don't like humans but when they can't find cat they will put up with a bit of whatever they can get their fangs into. You are obviously delicious!

do the HOUSE - consider getting pest control in but you can do it yourself. if you diy you have to be very thorough.

do the cat again at the same time, and then every month. You might find Frontline cheaper from Pets At Home or a countrystore although you can get it from your vet.

Am at work now so don't know what the stuff from the vet was. It was tubes and he told me to do her once a month for four months. The last time I did her was 17 October so might do her again tonight.

And will look in pets at home at lunchtime for stuff to treat the house.

we have a long haired cat too and we get stuff from the vet called 'advantage' and it does work but bella the long haired cat is a really small cat and we get the adavantage stuff for cats under 4kg, we also have another cat who is huge and he gets the stuff for over 4kg, and we swap them, the under 4kg does nothing for bellas fleas and shes half ferral so going near her with a brush is not an option, the vet does a spray for the house too, cant remember what thats called but must get some soon as dd is allergic to the cat fleas.

your bites are definately from fleas in the carpet.
Frontline only kills fleas that land on the cat/dog. Ones that are alive in the carpet and have yet to jump on the cat and be killed, will still be alive and well.
So, you have managed the fleas on your cat, hance the lack of black specks on her, she is obviously flea free but you need to hoover every bit of carpet and then spray with a household flea spray, a strong one from the vet.

Kitten is very lovely and friendly, and purrs away while being combed. But I am sure I must be missing bits all the time because she has so much fluff.

I assumed that the books refer to fleas biting ankles etc is because they reside in the carpet, but I do get bitten all over (arms, legs, back, neck, stomach etc).

They will be in your furniture too. And possibly the bed. Hence the bites all over.
You need to do eberywhere. They will not be living on the cat if you have Frontlined within the last month.

We don't have much soft furniture as the suite is leather and the chairs are hard. But cushions and curtains and things. I never expected it to be such a problem.

I've heard that the fleas are attracted by hormone levels in teh blood - hence you being bitten more than your husband. Also he may be being bitten but not having the allergic reaction to them that you are obviously getting. My DH and I are the same with mozzies - he hardly notices being bitten whereas I come up in great big itchy lumps!