Does your cat have fleas?

[lljkk]

We are thinking about getting two cats, but suddenly I am phobic about the flea possibility. I am mildly allergic to their bites and react much more strongly (local persistent swelling) to cat flea bites than most people. In my limited experience UK cats rarely have fleas, but now I've found loads of MN threads describing chronic flea problems & the detailed measures people have to undertake to prevent & treat.

Is it likely our cats (would go out doors, rural East Anglia) would get fleas regularly?

Ours have (I hope) just been cleared of a flea infestation. They're 2.5 years old and this is the first time. But there are two reasons for this. One is out of our control - there are a lot of fleas around at the moment, the vet thinks due to the weird autumn weather we had. The other is something we can do something about, and should have done earlier. All the threads you might have seen saying Frontline doesn't work any more? Apparently not the paranoia I'd dismissed them as, I'm told the formulation of bog-standard OTC Frontline has been made weaker than it was.

So I'm fairly sure that with a better treatment (and a bit more rigour in applying it, that was my fault) we would have avoided this infestation.

Assuming the fleas are now gone (and I'm hopeful, DD hasn't been bitten for a week, and apparently she's the tasty one in the family) it wasn't TOO awful to treat. I asked for advice elsewhere and was horrified by some of it (washing and freezing ALL the cuddly toys, washing the curtains ...) but the more basic advice seems to have done the trick (Frontline Combo, which is stronger, spray for the house, and then a tablet when DD got bitten again).

I live in rural East Anglia.

Our cat is well treated for fleas.

We have had an absolutely killer infestation which took council treatment x2, flea bombs, boil washing the entire house, spraying with ££ sprays etc. The vet said it was the weather this year and a real problem with even houses without pets. He also said Frontline was no longer controlling the problem with lots of cats so there is something there. After the months of problems we've had this year, I wouldn't have another cat without a lot of thought. Mainly because dd was the one bitten and it was awful to see her reacting in the way she did.

Oh gawd, SOH, that is what I feared.
I don't know if I'm just having a weak morning or what, but I really couldn't face a constant vigil/onslaught. I grew up very flea-bitten, and can't believe now that I just tolerated it all of my youth. I can only think of one cat I've ever encountered in the UK that was flea-infested, and sort of had it in my head that British cats didn't hardly ever get them.

Then I read the threads on MN.

Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Mine have never had fleas, I don't treat for them either

Right.

I can't speak for anyone else but this is what I know.

I've very rarely NOT had a cat and have fostered an awful lot, owned (if you ever do own them) at least 5 myself since being a grown up! And grew up with one as well.

Frontline doesn't work. Many people are finding out the hard way! It's useless and shouldn't be sold any more.
Our cat has always had one or two fleas, that's normal, but you rarely see them or notice them as they live on her.

What you do is you treat your cat regularly using something like advocate or stronghold. We have only once had any sort of actual infestation (I mean visible flea eggs where the cat slept, the cat licking herself tp pieces, looking unhappy, unable to rest) and that was last summer, when we were using frontline and fipronil.

I was almost in despair, but took her to the vet and got Advocate and it works brilliantly. The entire issue was over in days. I was told to treat the house but I didn't, and after about 3 days she was no longer leaving a single flea egg where she slept, she was actually sleeping soundly, she wasn't damp and spiky from licking herself and it was such an excellent relief to know somehting worked!

I used advantage every month - it was about £40 for 6 months plus one free month, so not that dear, and you can buy a script from the vet and buy it for less online. Having multiple cats would be a problem financially though.

The only thing I would say is think about vets bills. Our cat has rarely had a problem but when she has, insurance has not always been helpful, if she had had it once before for example. So I scrapped paying for it and we chance it now.

Fleas don't worry me at all.

IME it's not the cats that are the problem, it's just the nature of fleas and our encouraging climate. Our cat wasn't infested. In fact he was fine, a bite maybe two. He is treated 4 weekly. But as cat fleas prefer cats, it took one leaping on him and getting inside, maybe two, few eggs laid and there starts the cycle. The cats might be fine but within a couple of months you can have eggs down skirting boards, nestled in sofas, well away from the reach of a normal hoover attachment and before you know it, it's taken over your house.

Sorry, ds is climbing on my chair. I don't use Advantagd. I meant Advocate. Sorry.

No idea if advantage works aby more, I used it a very long time ago, and it was Ok then, but so was frontline at that point.

Advocate is the business. Have barely encountered a flea since starting it.

Cats do pick up fleas from hedgehogs, other cats and so on unless they live very far from any other animals or don't go outside. So you have to keep on the defensive. but it's easy - once a month and you don't need to worry.

Showy, yes, they can infest the house however they an't live on human blood. They just can't survive. We moved into a house a few years ago which was full of fleas from someone's cat.

We didn't have a cat at that point. Our ankles got bitten for about four weeks, I would come down in the morning and pick them off my legs and put them into a glass of water, and pour them down the sink. It stops after a while as they just die off.

If you have a treated cat in the house it's often better than having no cat! As they should all leap onto the cat and be killed fairly quickly.

Occasionally fleas get out of hand and spraying works/may be necessary but I've not had to do it and the summer's infestation was pretty serious. Once she was effectively treated we didn't see anything or get bitten again.

I must just stress that we have always had cats. I grew up with them and have always had at least one of my own. I have only ever had flea problems in our house twice. And the first time round wasn't so bad. But this time round the fact that 4yo dd was reacting badly and constantly itching and sore and we had a newborn baby (huge number of chemicals went into finally tackling the problem), has made me question how I feel about it. It might be a one off but our vet said he was staggered by the increase in problems and the chap from the council said he could retire this year and live off this year's takings (he was 26 ) as it had been surprisingly bad.

It might just be the failure of the market leader. If people aren't aware that Frontline isn't doing the job anymore, we might just have a freak number of fleas until the message gets through.

We switched to Advocate when we had the first problem and the cat's been fine ever since. But I've seen fleas leaping round the garden this year. I live in a terrace and 5/6 houses have cats and they've all had the same problems.

Our current cat's only 4 and not going anywhere I hope so we'll continue to have a cat for as long as he's around, but this summer was a frustrating and upsetting battle against being bitten.

Jennifer, we have a cat treated with Advocate. The problem went on for about 3 months. The vet said they had the same problem in houses where people had lived for years without pets and even if they die fairly quickly or can't survive without a host, they can lay eggs first. And those eggs can lie dormant for months on end and hatch out when the sun comes out. Our cat was fine, vet confirmed no problem with him. But he must have brought something in with him. I don't think our problem was the number of fleas in the house either, more subjecting a child who reacts to flea bites to the pain and embarrassment of bites all over her.

Yes it does sound really upsetting and I don;'t want you to think I'm trying to suggest you could have dealt with it differently. I may be entirely missing the point. Just because ours wasn't bad enough to get the council out, it doesn't mean other people don't need to.

We were lucky! It did at the time, before I got the advocate, make me consider never having a cat again. So I know how you feel. I was really worried about it, she was so unhappy, it was horrible. We still barely got bitten but seeing her unhappy was awful.

sorry, crossed posts but still

In my experience all cats get fleas. It happens. However, cat fleas aren't interested in humans. OH always reacts badly to insect bites and all biting insects always go for him, but he was absolutely fine with cat fleas.

Well I think Showy has proved otherwise!!! I only said they can't survive on humans. They will bloody well give it a try though.

Jennifer, I didn't think you were suggesting a thing.

I have always been very pragmatic about fleas. Cats treated, they don't live on humans, it's always been fine. In fact 30 years of fine. But this summer was an utter shocker and as the op is finding, several of us congregated on MN to howl in frustration over how bad it was. I ripped up all of my carpets in the end. I do think cats are absolutely worth the ££ of regular treatment and it's usually enough. But if you're phobic and/or allergic to flea bites, it's worth knowing that it can happen.

Carpets did need replacing btw. Was on The List. We just did it sooner than anticipated.

We had a small flea problem with our cats when we'd only had them a few months. DH was gibbering and stockpiling flea powder, so I carted the mogs off to the vet to get an injection called program.

They have the injection done every 6 months and we've not had a flea issue since. Indeed I don't know anyone who treats with program who has flea problems. It also means that DH and I don't have to wrestle with two irate cats each month to put drops on the backs of their necks - which they really object to. With teeth.

Maybe have an indoor cat only? I have one indoor only (inherited) cat and one outdoor (rescued) cat. The outdoor cat goes into an outdoor run, so she doesn't get to mingle with other neighbours cats and doesn't get to kill the native animals. It also mean we avoid cat flu, toxoplasmosis and other cat nasties including fleas.

Our indoor only cat has never been treated for fleas as far as I know, and our outdoor cat was treated by the RSPCA when we got her.

I'm not convinced that keeping a cat indoors all the time is that healthy for the cat.

Just a couple of Q's about Advocate Oh Knowledgable Ones'

Is it prescription only?...only I have seen it for sale on Amazon.
Can I use it on a 3 month kitten...I am sure she has them as I have a couple of supicious looking spots on my ankles. Incidently..my ankles have swollen like a pregnant woman's....could it be a reaction to flea bites...ot am I just an old gibber who is overweight?

Add message | Report | Message poster Bunbaker Wed 28-Dec-11 10:59:25
I'm not convinced that keeping a cat indoors all the time is that healthy for the cat.

I have no choice as he has never been outside in his life - I inherited him in August after my Nanna died - and he's now 12. He is also a ginger Tom with pink nose and ears which spells certain death within a short time in Australia due to skin cancer. We did try to encourage him out doors when he first came to stay, but he went into complete hysteria. He once ventured outside by himself and the door unexpectedly closed behind him. He howled miserably until I could find him and he hid under the bed for two days after that.

Our other cat came to us by default. She was abandoned at a rental so I took her to the RSPCA - she was very very pregnant and they aborted the kittens but as she was so small and young the pregnancy gave her health complications of which she still has a heart murmur. The RSPCA were going to put her down but I decided to adopt her. She was only supposed to live for 12 months and that was 6 years ago. I am actually not a cat person.

We have her in a run during the day for her safety, our peace of mind and for the sake on the native animals. There are some rural areas where cats must be confined indoors or in a run/cattery and it's actually proven to stop the spread of cat diseases and increase their life span.

We bring a pot of grass inside every few days for Tom to chew on and he seems to be remarkable happy with his luxurious life.

I think when it's a question of a cat that has no choice, or owners who have no choice then far better to have an indoor cat than a homeless cat.

I've had a few indoor only cats, one I owned but he was very poorly to start with and died shortly after I got him. Another few I fostered.

As long as the cat is happy and healthy then it's no problem imo and better than living their lives in a cage at a sanctuary.

I'm a vet and I am allergic to flea bites (not any other insects just fleas). I am paranoid about fleas as my beautiful cats sleep on my bed for 14 years I have trested my beloveds every 4 weeks first with frontline then in 2007 I swtiched to advocate despite the fact that arrogant posh boy is a hunting shooting and fishing cat I have never had fleas on my beautiful ones. It is about being really vigilent and making sure you apply the product properly.

Yes. I appreciate that sometimes there is no choice. I didn't realise you are in Australia WCM. Sorry, I meant that sometimes cat owners just don't let their cat out of doors because they don't want to and that can't be healthy for the cat.

Thanks for your input, Lizcat, that's the type of thing I really needed to hear (practical experience of good management when you know you react badly).

I was a flea bitten child, if there are fleas on cat they will get on me & bite. Even in winter in UK I always have mystery bites on me from micro beasts. I have heaps of stories of me being miserable from mystery bites & nobody else affected. I am grateful it's my only allergy & a pretty mild one at that, but can still make me miserable. I totally get the ripping carpets out thing; I grew up in a house of hard floors (occasionally all tented & "bombed", common sight in 1970s California) & we still had loads of fleas!!

Indoor not realistic: I can't expect any of us to be that careful.

Now I find out that the kittens I had asked to meet are an hour drive away (sigh, not remotely convenient to go that way for another 9 days at least); In meantime I will ask my only neighbour with a cat (long hair) if she ever seems to have problems with fleas.