Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

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

Original poster

i need some serious flea help :-(

37 replies

MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 10:04

Ok its a nightmare, my bedroom is awful. Here is what I have done:

Stronghold on cat

Acclaim sprayed whole house

Used entire can of indorex in my bedroom

Washed bedding etc

I'm STILL seeing them Sad

I have two more cans of indorex on their way, but is it normal to still be seeing them after all of that?

I'm at my wits end, I can't sleep as it icks me so much, we are going on holiday in two weeks and its just awful.

What else can I do? Help please, I am truly desperate Sad

Is it ok to put cat in our room so they bite him and then die?!

Thanks for any help, I need it!

OP posts:
Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 10:07

Sorry meant to say, stronghold and acclaim was last Saturday, indorex was last night....

OP posts:
Dahlen · 21/07/2012 10:11

Yes, put the cat in your room. In fact let him go everywhere you think you have fleas. Allegedly stronghold/frontlining the affected animal will work by itself if you give it enough time, though I don't know anyone who can vouch for this claim personally and some people are finding that their animals are resistant anyway. But it can't hurt. If the fleas bite you, they get a meal; if they bite the cat they should die.

Are you vacuuming daily and have you hot-washed everything that isn't nailed down and can fit in a washing machine? When I had fleas it took me an entire weekend to make sure I had washed/vacuumed everything to within in inch of its life - and you need to do the whole house even if it seems that just the bedroom is affected.

Indorex is great stuff and nearly always works eventually, but if you can't face hanging on til it does, what about calling your council to come out and deal with it? It usually works out a lot cheaper than buying several cans of Indorex TBH and involves a lot less kerfuffle on your part.

Good luck. It's the pits.

Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 10:43

Thanks so much Dahlen, I called the council and it would be £48 for 6 rooms, but as we are off on holiday in two weeks I am confuddled about what to do as they will come back for free but only within two weeks so I was thinking might be best to leave that until after holiday to take advantage of the free follow up visit.

Just got in the car to bring Ds swimming and found one in there so I think I'm going to have to go and get some more indorex and do the car today, I'm picking up my parents from airport, I don't want to give them fleas.

Oh my god, I feel like I've got them, its truly awful Sad and its costing me a small fortune too, I wouldn't mind if I knew it was working.

Is it normal to still see them after using indorex do you know?

Thanks Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 12:58

Just done the car and upstairs again. Saw some dead ones but also unfortunately some live ones

Feeling a bit better, this will work won't it?!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 21/07/2012 13:03

It will work, I only indorexed everything the first time he had fleas, now I advocate him every month and leave him to it.

Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 13:41

Thank you, he has a vet appointment on Monday for some more stronghold, hoping he can have some more the day we go away and then have free run of the house....

Bloody fleas Sad should I worry about clothes or will indorex and stronghold be enough?

I'm shutting the cat in each room in find, he's not happy, but then neither am I!

I've set up home made traps under our bed, just water and soap. Caught nine last night, not sure if that's good or utterly terrifying!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 21/07/2012 13:43

I think cats can have a 6 monthly flea injection, would that be any better for you? it would last through flea season.

Dahlen · 21/07/2012 15:05

Sounds like you're doing everything right and it will work. Due to the lifecycle, it takes up to two weeks to eradicate them as the Indorex only works on eggs and fleas and doesn't affect the pupae, so you need to wait for all the pupae to hatch out before they're truly gone for good. Vacuuming can help speed this up as the vibrations encourage it.

Hang on in there. Smile

Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 20:14

Thanks so much for making me feel better! Have put homemade flea traps in all the bedrooms, the kids have been helping me!

I'm going to spray again and treat the cat again on the day I go and hope that it should do the trick. And I'm NEVER going to forget to treat the cat again!

OP posts:
Original poster
MelodyPondering · 21/07/2012 20:15

Oh I will ask the vet about the injections too Smile thanks

OP posts:
MakesCakesWhenStressed · 21/07/2012 20:18

We had fucking awful fleas when ds was 4 weeks old (just what you need after a c sec). Use Advocate, it's a bloody miracle stuff. Let cat go everywhere that's infested so the fleas get dosed and repeat in 4 weeks. Keep hoovering, wash being and things at 60. Stay positive.

frontline is rubbish. You may as well use water.

MakesCakesWhenStressed · 21/07/2012 20:20

Wash bedding, obviously.

I cracked when I saw a flea hop onto my tiny new born baby son's head. Shudder.

CornishKK · 21/07/2012 20:24

I think there's a lot of it about this year, I was using Frontline on my cats but it just didn't seem to be working. I have done the carpets/house with RIP Flea/Acclaim every other week for 2 months & switched to these collars (recommended by a Mumsnetter) Flea collars

We are now flea free!

I buy household flea spray online, much cheaper than the vets.

violetwellies · 21/07/2012 20:26

I went out and bought a sebo dog and cat, actually quite,enjoy vacuuming now, and have been flea free for months .. shouldnt have posted that, ill get invaded :)

Sighingagain · 21/07/2012 20:28

when this happened to us I called out Rentokil, they cost less than the fortune I had already spent trying to resolve myself

MakesCakesWhenStressed · 22/07/2012 07:38

I blame the mild winter and damp summer

Grumpla · 22/07/2012 07:59

Have you put a flea collar or something in the Hoover?

Have you boil-washed everything ?

We eradicated a hideous infestation by taking all curtains, bedding, cushions, very item of clothing we owned, rugs, etc to the launderette and washing on hot, tumble drying.

Lost a few jumpers and cushions Sad but coupled with smoke bombs in every room a fortnight apart daily hoovering it did the job.

I also steam-cleaned the carpets.

Airing cupboards, wardrobes, back of fridge etc all need to be done. No good just doing the room itself, has to be all the nooks and crannies.

Can you do the council one and ask a friend to let them in to do the second batch while you are away?

Original poster
MelodyPondering · 22/07/2012 08:06

Thanks so much for all the replies Smile

Shit, do I really need to do all the clothes? That might just push me over the edge! I have to say I'm feeling better (despite finding a flea on me at 6am) the ones I am finding are dopey and I can catch them, also I don't seem to be getting them in the traps anymore.

makescakes its just vile isn't it, I took Ds swimming yesterday and after his lesson there was a flea in his hair, it must have been there the entire time? That was a 'phone dh and sob' moment...

How much was rentokil sighing (desperatly hoping I've almost cracked it though!)

OP posts:
Original poster
MelodyPondering · 22/07/2012 08:09

grumpla I sprayed some indorex in the Hoover. I've washed all bedding, hoovered mattresses, got rid if my rug, washed a lot of clothes (but not everything, that would take me weeks, should I start now), sprayed indorex and acclaim and used stronghold on cat. Plus there are traps everywhere....going to Hoover the Hell out if the car today as well as the house again.

How long did it take until you all stopped seeing fleas?

OP posts:
Rikalaily · 22/07/2012 08:13

You'll need to wash all cuddly toys on a 60 wash, for some reason they will hang around them, spray all the edges of the rooms, into any cracks in the skirting boards, under rugs, spray the edges of lino or all laminate, under beds, hoover the sofa and spray loads into the corners and edge under the cushions, especially if the animals sleep on the sofa, there will be tons of eggs there. You literally have to get everywhere.

We had them bad last year after Frontlining for years, I acclaimed every 2 weeks, did it about three times and gave the cats 2 months of Program to break the lifecycle before switching to Advocate. Have been flea free since.

Original poster
MelodyPondering · 22/07/2012 08:19

Oh cuddle toys?! Fuuuuuuuck! I might just use it as an opportunity to get rid of some....can they go in the washing machine? (Apart from both Ds's precious ones. Those will need to be very very carefully handwashed.

I. Hate. Fleas.

OP posts:
Original poster
MelodyPondering · 22/07/2012 08:21

Doesn't indorex kill any that hatch for two months? (Still spraying again in two weeks either way, mind!)

OP posts:
Grumpla · 22/07/2012 16:09

Honestly I would just wash EVERYTHING.

You need to do it all at once at the launderette otherwise the fleas will just merrily hop from one pile of laundry to the next, the little bastards.

You can also freeze things if they can't be washed - needs to be for quite a long time? Might be an option for precious cuddlies.

Handwashing in tepid water won't do it. Needs to be hot to kill the bastard things.

You have my sympathies you really do!

Grumpla · 22/07/2012 16:11

After I did the great launderette / smoke bomb mission I only ever saw dead ones, by the way.

If you are still seeing live ones they are still breeding. The two weeks needs to be from the last live flea IYSWIM.

Grumpla · 22/07/2012 16:13

Also (sorry for disjointed posts) I "quarantined" clean stuff in sealed bin liners with a sprinkle of flea powder stuff in each.

Swipe left for the next trending thread