ruddy fleas

[pettyprudence]

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!

PLEASE TRY THE COMBING OUT METHOD. IT WORKS FOR HEAD LICE ON HUMANS, AND, IN MY HUMBLE EXPERIENCE, FOR FLEAS ON CATS

also IMHE cats can host, albeit temporarily, fleas other than cat fleas. When my cat had her one and only serious infestation, and I tried combing them out of her for the first time with the kids' head-lice (nit) comb, I found big yellowish fleas, which I suspect were dog fleas or somesuch. After that, I combed her out regularly, she enjoyed it, and the fleas I found were smaller and black (matching her fur) - these I believe to have been the true cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis.

I may once have had fleas from my rats one summer, they only had them the once, I brushed out the fleas and used head lice stuff once and once only. / Twas a damp summer I think, I wonder if that could be part of the problem?

Fleas tend to congregate on the back of the cat's neck, and at the base of her/his tail, AIUI this is because they need access to water, as well as the blood they suck when they bite.

Must go to bed. Night night, sleep tight, mind the fleas don't bite

To be clear, I did not use the head-lice stuff on my pet rats, only on me! The rats seemed to sort their flea problem themselves, with no help from me, by the end of the summer.

Although I may have dusted them with rat flea powder - twas a very long time ago...

ThePinkPussycat - the bloody cats are the only things that don't have fleas now I think! I used to enjoy combing the cats - twas satisfying trapping the little fleas, but now I can't get them to sit still long enough (cats and fleas!)

Sat here still itching!

Yes, petty, twas v soothing combing out the cat :)

What other animals do you have then?

No other animals pink but I have sofas full of fleas. New sofas arriving on tuesday after another thorough spraying of the house. Yipeeeeeeeeee

Aha! sounds like the fleas are hopping on for a quick bite of mammal blood, then off again. I looked up cat-fleas on Wikipedia, and the fleas lay their eggs on the cats, but they are not like nits (lice eggs) - rather than the flea attaching them to a hair of the host, they are unattached and come out of the cats' fur for the next life stage: ie in your case, into the sofas!

This is hopefully my last day of fleas as new sofas are arriving today but the littlest cat seems to have sensed that its time for worming and de-fleaing and has done a runner. I will never again be lax about treating the cats!

If this doesn't bloody work, I think I will up my insurance and burn everything in the house - grr!

Make sure you have 'new-for-old' contents cover

Have the sofas come, pettyprudence, and are you now flea free?

The sofas are here and I am [touch wood] flea free. Im still itching though but no new bites - yipee! On the down side the bastard cats are clawing the sides of my lovely new sofa. Arrghh!

I'm reading this with interest. All my life I've had cats and never had a flea problem until now. Must be the wet summer.

Can anyone tell me if flea powder and flea spray is safe to use around children ( and me) with asthma?

I have seen a flea on each of the children today and we are supposed to be visiting friends. I will be mortified if they see a flea on my kids. Should I still go?

Indorex flea spray is safe around children. Obviously you wouldnt have them in the room when you are spraying, but after ventilating the room for half an hour afterwards it would be fine.

I know how you feel about not wanting to go anywhere, I'm still in the midst of trying to get rid of fleas and am paranoid beyond obsession, so I'm not the right person to answer that!

We use Stronghold every month on ours and I haven't seen a single flea ever (touch wood)

Mil had a flea infestation (not from our cats) and had to have a professional visit to spray the house from top to bottom.

www.flea-free.co.uk/page/1gsy6/About_Us/FAQ_about_Indorex_spray.html

This has some info about using it with asthma...

That's great, thank you everyone. We visited our friends but didn't stay long and I will have nightmares now about having infested their home.

I have only see one flea on each of my children but my youngest has a few bites or heat rash, so I'm not sure how bad the problem is. I feel very embarrassed though.

Oddly enough, I've had cats all my life and only this year have I ever had a problem with fleas. Do you think it was all the rain we had?

When me and ex had the rat fleas, we were due to visit his parents. We fessed up to his DM, who worked in a chemist and supplied us with the relevant chemical I suppose I must have taken the rats with us, but they'd been dusted.

Have been to the vet today because I have 8 cats and usually the flea problem is completely under control, but this last month or so they are all starting to scratch even after treatment (Frontline Combo).

Vet says it is not possible to become 'immune' to Frontline, and has given me a long helpsheet. It says it can take between 1 and 3 months to get rid of fles completely once they have really got hold, and by the time you see them or get bitten yourself, they really have got hold.

They are not just on your cat, they are in your soft furnishings, laying eggs which in turn will become new fleas.

Helpsheet recommends frequent combing, vaccuuming (of the house, not the cat), and also says the Frontline you can buy at the supermarket or pet shop is not the same as Frontline Combo (but then I suppose they would say that, wouldn't they?).

It also says there is no point keeping a cat out of a recently vaccuumed room in the hope that you will keep fleas out - if the cat has been treated it is best to let it wander everywhere because it will then hoover up fleas (who prefer to be on it, rather than in th carpet etc where there is no food) and kill them.

Right, thorough treatment and combing of 8 cats will take place tonight. 7 will be happy about it, 1 will involve 3 people, a very large towel, a pair of heavy-duty gauntlets and possibly a trip to A&E

Good luck cats. Did the vet recommend a particular spray for soft furnishings? My fleas (I seem to have become attached to them) buried deep in to my sofas. Grrrr. I'm still not entirely sure we are flea free but other than my earlier comment about burning everything, not sure what more I can do?

same here - my legs look like I've got measles and I don't usually get bitten! I've hoovered and sprayed ... got visitors for a couple of weeks and I did warn them, fingers crossed they haven't been bitten yet - so I narrowed it down to my bedroom and stripped and sprayed bed (again) and under it.

We haven't had anything like this for about 10 yrs - awful

I am still itching!!! I can only assume the bastard fleas are still living it up in my house. How are they not dying??? Im not sure if i can spray any more indorex, vacuum, advantage etc.... (Ok i could probably vacuum a bit more...)

I have a large midge bit - maybe you have played host to another species?

*bite

I am beginning to wonder if its not something else now as our more recent bites are fewer but much bigger..... either that or my fleas are getting bigger and fatter on all the lovely blood they have devoured :)

Our vet told us that eventually Frontline stops working and he recommended Advantage for our Maine Coon. It doesn't help that she doesn't groom herself. They also gave us a comb, you comb through and then dip it into water to drown the fleas.