Argh! Fleas. Help.

[treaclesoda]

We recently acquired a six month old cat (rehomed from friends who unexpectedly had to move away at short notice) and we had it at the vet for the first time today and discovered it had fleas. Lots of them.

We can't understand where they came from as it has always been indoors as not neutered. And it wasn't showing symptoms, wasn't scratching excessively or anything. But no matter. They are treated now.

But what now? Do we have to burn our house to the ground to make sure they're not in our house? I wasn't expecting this, it's all new to me.

You can order indorex off amazon or online pharmacies cheaply. One can is enough for a 3 bed house if you dont go nuts with it like I did

You can carry the eggs in on clothing or shoes etc. The fuckers can live for years just waiting to hatch.

Are you going to neuter the cat?.

Wash any throws where the cat sleeps, then Indorex spray, and hoover like a demon. And wear white socks round the house so you can catch the little feckers jumping onto your feet and then drown them in cup of warm water with a dot of washing-up liquid to break the surface tension which is very satisfying and not at all a wierd thing to enjoy doing good luck...

Lol - I've had cats for 30+ yrs, every now and then we have to treat for fleas - it's not a big deal. My current lot haven't been treated for over a year - they go outside, they've been to the vets, no sign of fleas. It's not a big deal, really. Some people treat regularly as a preventative - I prefer to only treat when it's a problem - but that's my choice. If you treat the cat every flea that leaps onto it will die. Eventually.

Yes, cat is booked in to be neutered .

Ok, is a relief to know that I don't have to actually dismantle my whole house. Of course, since the vet told us, the entire household is itchy from head to toe .

It was such a surprise as I hadn't noticed anything. But then I'm new to cat keeping, so it is all a learning curve I suppose.