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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

ruddy fleas

54 replies

pettyprudence · 28/05/2012 21:57

Anyone got any help and advice for the flea infestation my cats have gifted me? I've never had a real flea problem before - couple of doses of frontline and a few sprays of the house and job done (kind of every 2 years), but this time it is going ON and ON and ON and I am covered in bites (never had that before either!) and itching like crazy! We are about 6/7 weeks in of treating with frontline and now advantage, bombs and spray. Arrgh!

OP posts:
alsteff · 28/05/2012 22:53

It's a nightmare - been there. Did the bombs, constant spraying, washing everything I could feasibly wash on 60+ degrees, had the bites (antisan seemed to work best on those btw) and in the end found a link that said most fleas are now resistant to most of the products. We finally got rid of them using Bob Martin Gold (which is supposed to be the toughest product) on the cat and then going through the whole cleansing process AGAIN. Lasted for way too long and in all that time I only actually saw ONE freaking flea! Plus it was expensive! good luck, you need to wage WAR!!

ProcrastinateWildly · 28/05/2012 22:54

advocate from the vets is working here (fingers crossed)

LynetteScavo · 28/05/2012 23:02

Advantage works really well IME. How long ago did you apply it?

Original poster
pettyprudence · 29/05/2012 15:20

Advantage - Last application was 1 week ago, 2 weeks before that and 2 weeks again before that! Might treat the cats again tonight. Also constant spraying of anything fixed and washing anything that can be pulled up!

alsteff I've only seen 2 of the buggers too! When the cats have been infected before they have been crawling with them but me and the house have been fine. I found one on DS bedroom carpet and drowned it in spray and the other was in his hair Blush. DS only had one or two bites whereas me and DH are covered!

AAArghhhh. Anyone tried using moth balls? Read about it on an American site

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 29/05/2012 17:35

Advantage is for dogs, advocate is for cats iirc.

I think you can get longlasting injections off the vets for fleas.

Antihistamines are good for reducing the itching.

LynetteScavo · 29/05/2012 17:43

I use advantage for cats and rabbits over 4kg (they must be some big fat rabbits, lol!)

Fleas die within 2 hours of biting a cat which has been treated with advantage. I really think it works, so wouldn't bother treating again.

The fleas are probably hatching around the house.

I have sprayed with Genitrix (along skirtings, under sofas and beds- the stuff is toxic though, so be very careful. Combined with advantage, it really worked. DC had been sent home from school because they were covered in bites We had a real problem two years ago Blush and this is what sorted it.

Daisybell1 · 30/05/2012 21:36

When my neighbours cat left my house with lots of little jumping friends I got the council's pest service in - they charged a one off fee of about £30 for which they treated the whole house and guaranteed that they would keep treating it for free until all the fleas were gone. It may be worth calling them if you're struggling with over the counter products.

Original poster
pettyprudence · 02/06/2012 13:56

ooh council sounds like a good idea, will call after the lovely long weekend (have escaped to my parents house, hoping I have left the fleas at home!)

OP posts:
Selks · 02/06/2012 14:07

I'm having the exact same problem. My cat occasionally had a few fleas but they never before caused the problems that they are now - I never used to get bitten but do now. Sad. Cat is on advantage and seems flea free but there are still a few in the house.
I've cracked and have called in environmental health. Have got flea traps around the house currently (although they have caught absolutely NONE so far and I found one of the little buggers running across my chest yesterday Shock - first time I've actually seen one) and they are coming to spray the house next week. Cost is fifty quid and if that sorts the problem then it's money well spent.

suburbandream · 02/06/2012 14:09

Our cats have the program injection at the vets. It's done every six months and we've never had any problems. Expensive but totally worth it.

Lizcat · 02/06/2012 17:27

I'm loving the Seresato collars and I don't have to think about fleas again for 8 months. Plus bizarrely seems to have cured posh arrogant boy's multi

Lizcat · 02/06/2012 17:28

His multiple personality disorder .

Daisybell1 · 02/06/2012 22:02

The council guy was lovely too, I cried as I was so embarrassed Blush

CafeNoitSilVousPlait · 05/06/2012 09:45

Indorex spray for the house stuff and cats bed

SeasonOfTheWitch · 20/06/2012 19:34

what is going on with fleas at the mo?! we have got exactly the same situation here minus the bites touches wood frenzedly Cat is on advantage (or similar) from vets but have seen 3 fleas hopping around this week. have never seen one before.

LineRunner · 01/07/2012 15:58

God I had this last year. This year is a lot better. One of the cats can't have the injection because she's allergic to effing everything, and the other one is a massive bruiser with machete claws who we can't even get to the vet...

So we rely on spraying/hoovering/wiping down everything and Frontline (or similar) when we can get in on them.

I love them very much, I hasten to add.

Viviennemary · 01/07/2012 16:03

Frontline is the only thing that worked for our cats. They are usually the 3 month ones. This time I noticed DH had got 1 month. So must do it again. Those bomb things were absolutely useless I found. Haven't seen a flea yet this year. Touch wood.

ThePinkPussycat · 02/07/2012 09:28

I comb the cat out with a child's nit comb, catching the fleas on a piece of blu-tac (you have to be quick, before they jump). The cat loves being combed out. The fleas hatch in straw and stuff (and carpets, obv) and as she was going to the allotments every day it was clear that she would keep getting them. We didn't have them in the carpets though.

I find catching them v therapeutic

ZombieBelle · 11/07/2012 13:39

we have that at the moment. We only treated the cats (2 ) last night but little cat has them crawling on them. We have sprayed the house, I'm just going mad.

Roughly how much are the injections? Might be worth it. Going to have to spray again :(

TitsalinaBumSquash · 12/07/2012 16:03

I'm with you all, we have 2 kittens and a big cat, they are all wearing flea collars, we. Hoover every day and have tried bob Martin spot on and front line, sprayed the house. Today the whole house has been bombed for the second time and yet as I sit here on little bastard flea has jumped on me. Problem is little black kitten gets sore skin from anything topical. Has anyone had any joy with the flea tablets?

Original poster
pettyprudence · 18/07/2012 11:38

We still have bastard fleas! I think they are hiding inside the sofa and popping up for a nibble.

So far I have had all clothes and bedding, inc duvet washed at 60 degrees, mostly in one job lot at the laundrette.

At the vets suggestion I put the heating on, vacuumed and then sprayed every nook and cranny with Indorex spray (I used 2 tins on my small 2 bed house) - this seems to have worked a treat on the carpets and bed but several treatments of the sofas and rug are bloody useless.

Last night I steam cleaned the sofas and rug downstairs (living room is laminate - ugly but useful in times of flea infestations!). I got bitten while I did them but don't seem to be bitten while i sit and mn.

As the last straw I have booked for the council to take away my old sofas in a few weeks time and I'm just going to replace the bloody things (after much more liberal spraying and steaming of the house!) (nb my sofas are knackered due to cats and a reflux baby anyway, the fleas were the final straw)

Anyone else had any luck getting rid of the bastards?

OP posts:
dobby2001 · 19/07/2012 09:24

Funnily enough, I just logged on to see if anyone else had tried the johnsons 4 fleas tablets, as I have just treated one of my cats with one that a neighbour left behind (the tablets not the cats Smile) and 15 mins after taken it the fleas were teeming off her Shock She has very soft downy fur and there was no apparent sign of fleas, you could just feel alittle flea dirt near her collar and she was scratching alot, hence why I thought I would give them a try.

She is curently banished to garden until she stops jumping around and excessively grooming Wink

Am off to shops to buy another pack to treat cat 2 and have 2 tablets in reserve follow up treatment.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 19/07/2012 14:23

I've just started my last ditch attempt at DIY flea removal, all bedding in a hot wash, mattresses sprayed to high heaven with flea spray, all 3 cats tableted and in the garden. Carpets covered in the flea powder, sofas and sofa cushions sprayed.

If that doesn't work then it's council for me tomorrow to see how much it's going to cost to get rid of the buggers.

Original poster
pettyprudence · 19/07/2012 19:09

My council quoted me £92 for a treatment, but I know that Europest charge about £130 and come out about 3 times to make sure that the buggers are really gone.

After all i have spent on sprays, replacing the sofa now seems like a cheaper option Grin

OP posts:
CharlotteBronteSaurus · 19/07/2012 19:15

we have had fleas this year, after missing one (!) dose of advantage
we used Acclaim spray everywhere, on the recommendation of our vet,
and it seems to have done the trick.