Flea problem

[yetanotherworry]

I have a flea problem that I can't decide how to treat.

I have 2 cats: cat 1 goes outside about 20% and stays mostly inside. Cat 2 likes to be outside - he is a big long haired cat.

Both get flea treatment monthly. We used to use Frontline Combo (i.e. strong stuff on prescription). We kept seeign the occasional flea on cat 2 and I was getting bitten about 3 weeks into each months treatment. Cat 1 is always clear of fleas. I decided that maybe treatment is not effective on cat 2 because he sheds his coat regularly in Summer. Switched to Advocate 2 months ago.

Beginning of this week I have been bitten again and cat 2 has fleas again. Cat 1 is clear.

What should I do? Vet says we should spray the house but I think he's picking them up outside so spraying the house will not work. When he is in the house, he sleeps in 1 space which is regularly hoovered. Cat 1 sleeps there too and surely if he was re-infesting himself with eggs/pupae formt hi spot then cat 1 would get them as well.

90% of any flea problems unfortunately in the house particularly at this time of year when we all warm our houses up hatching out more of them.
I would also suggest spraying the house with either Indorex or Acclaim. I would also suggest you keep using Advocate every 4weeks.

Forgot to mention that we used Advocate beginning of this week (due date coincided with me being bitten) and found a large adult flea tonight, can't see any sign of anything else.

Lonecat, this is why my vet suggested treating the house - I just don't think we have a problem with the house. The areas he goes in has just been newly built and has a nice wooden floor down. The only soft furnishing is the a pale cream sofa. He literally comes in the house through utility room, eats some food, jumps on sofa (2m away), has a nap, then goes back outside. The other cat thinks the whole house belongs to her and never has any fleas - my vet has checked her over whilst telling me how hard it can be be for us normal people to spot them and then looked very surprised that cat was clear.

You can have a potential problem with any house. Eggs and fleas go in cracks that you could barely see (eg in the floor/skirting boards) lie around in tiny dust bunnies and so on and so on.

Get the hoover out and use it within an inch of its life - with particular attention to edges and cracks. Then Indorex spray.

And repeat.

Treat the house. All the house. Flea eggs are sticky and will be carried round on feet etc.

Are you using the correct size advocate on both cats? "Big cat 2" may well need the 4-8kg size.

I suspect cat 1 is a more fastidious groomer and just removes the evidence. Cat 2 is too busy living it up outside to waste time on personal hygiene

Both cats have the 4-8 kg packs. Will go back to the vets tomorrow for house spray even though I'm still not convinced. Cat 1 does groom a lot more.

We have discovered that next doors cat is apparently undergoing treatment for a flea infestation. Apparently he was covered in flea dirt. Our cat does spend lots of time in their garden, yet again adding to my suspicions. Our cats also like to spend time playing with rodents. I think I'm going to be fighting a losing battle.

The winter weather might help - they're not going to be using the same patch of dry warm earth to sit or have a snooze in the sun.

Are you on good enough terms with the neighbours to have a companionable chat about flea treatment?

cozie, we have had a chat... neighbour had taken her cat to the vet cos it looked under the weather and was off its food. The vet used a piece of wet cotton wool on cat's fur and it turned red from the flea dirt. She had been using Bob Martins but has now changed to prescription stuff.

The other reason to treat the house if they are bringing them in from next door you don't want them setting up residency in your house after all the live flea you have seen may have already laid several hundred eggs.

This is part of my day job! The cat goes out and the lodgers hop on. The flea needs a blood feed (ik!) before it can mate and then gets down to ttc on the host. Mummy flea lays eggs on the host but that is all that happens on the host. The eggs are smooth and fall off so host is like a 'pepper pot' shaking them anywhere and everywhere it goes. The pupae, larvae and finally newly hatched fleas all occur in the house and this is why treatment of the house is important if you want maximum control. Treating the cat too is important as you are trying to prevent them biting. The saliva is acidic and irritating as anyone with a vet bill for Flea Allergy Dermatitis will know! As Cozie said you need to vacuum until you're dead, spray and then (trade secret) leave it down for as many days as you can bear before vac-ing again. It will work much better this way. If you are too fastidious in the days after, you lose the effect. It's toxic to birds and fish so follow the instructions. Fleas are an incredible life form and it is now widely recognised that the eggs can lay dormant for up to 17 years in the environment until vibration, warmth, moisture and CO2 in the breath denotes a host and out the little feckers hop. Grim but interesting.

Hi guys I have the same problem with fleas all around the house, we have tried all different flea sprays around the house, drops and flea collars on the cats but nothing seems to be working!! We have them in every single room in the house, I'm going to call for an exterminator tomorrow as try are driving me crazy and we have a 12 week old baby and 4 year old boy in the house also and are all getting bitten!! Hopefully it will work because I can't take muh more!!! Just wondering what flea drops anyone could recommend because I've heard from a few people that frontline doesn't work!!!

Why don't you take the cat to to the vet for prescription treatments? It works out cheaper in the long run than wasting money on over the counter treatments & they don't poisen the cat.

Unfortunately Flea treatments are really a 'buy cheap buy twice product'. A good quality household spray that includes an IGR combined with a decent product Activyl, Broadline, Advocate, Prinovox or Bravecto should sort your problem out. Unless your flea collars are Seresto the best place for them is in the Hoover bag.