Fleas - help!!!

[toastytea]

Our cat had fleas when we first got her last year. Initially I used frontline and then switched to a vet prescribed flea treatment that we get monthly. This seems to have treated the cat. I now need to treat the home but I really don't want to use chemicals as I have two little ones and we can't leave the house for any great length of time for obvious reasons.

We have a mix of carpets and hard floors. I've been washing all bedding at 60. I steamed the sofa and hard floors and have been vacuuming regularly. This morning I put salt everywhere and will leave it there for a couple days before vacuuming

If anyone has any tips or anything that worked for them please let me know!! I hadn't previously actually seen the fleas, just been bitten. However for three days in a row I have actually seen them!!

Our lovely cat is a keen hunter and has long grass beyond our garden to explore and this seems to be the culprit.

you need indorex spray, get the cat and kids out for 2 hours, spray and then it's safe (I think it's 2 hours, check the can just to be sure)

the salt could be more damaging if it coats the cats paws

@lubeybooby looks like I'm hoovering the salt up then! Thanks!

Not keen on indorex if it can be avoided unless we were leaving house for a few days or something, which we're not! Anyone aware of more a natural remedy?

If it’s been going on for an entire year, the fleas are also probably inside your sofa, mattress, in the cracks of book shelves, tables, chairs.

I think it’s time to call a professional and potentially have the house fumigated.

@PlanDeRaccordement we got her in the winter and she was flea treated before she came and monthly after. The frontline didn't work. I'm not sure when the fleas arrived. I also can't be sure they weren't already in the house cos we haven't lived here that long!

Either way, you're right, I reckon they're everywhere!

The treated cat should help clear the infestation as the live lice will die after contact with the cat. What are you using on the cat? Indorex is supposed to work well

I mean fleas, not lice

Because of you concern for chemicals, that is why I’d call a professional exterminator firm. They will use the least amount that will get the job done as they will pick a spray based on flea species. They will also know which ones are safe to use in a house with young children.
There aren’t really any natural remedies that kill both fleas and their eggs. There is such a thing as a flea trap though which attracts flea by a changing green light source. Rentokil uses them combined with sprays.
www.rentokil.co.uk/fleas/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas/

You can make your own flea trap, I cant remember how something to do.with washing up liquid but I'm sure if you google it you will find out.

@dementedpixie using bravecto and she appears flea free. Those were my thoughts too.

Considering a professional but don't think that will be possible until lockdown is over and would prefer it when I could leave the house overnight and put cat in cattery.

Washingup liquid flea traps are an old wives tale. They don’t work. Nor does spreading salt.

Frontline is useless. You need a treatment like Advocate. Indorex spray will kill the live fleas but you will still have the chrysalis stage in your carpets, in gaps between walls and floors, in the gaps of your sofa etc. When they sense heat and movement, eg your cat walking past, they hatch and jump on. So you have to repsray 2 weeks after the initial spray. Unfortunately you will never get rid of them by natural means, sorry, its either Indorex yourself or pay a professional firm. Not ideal at this time but you'll just have an infestation on your hands otherwise (been there myself, not fun)

Im sure I've that a treated cat can clear the infestation in a few months. Indorex wil help clear it faster. OP is now using a vet treatment which should be more effective than frontline

I've read*

@RestYourHead thanks. I'm using bravecto and have been for a few months. Will have to see about getting someone over. Did you use a professional? How long did you have to leave the house for?

@dementedpixie tbh that's what I was hoping would happen with lots of vaccuuming, washing at 60 and steaming!

We had a flea infestation from our cat last year. I washed what I could (30 degrees is enough to kill the fleas in their various lifecycle stages), hoovered everything repeatedly and sprayed only the things that can't be washed with Indorex. Had to do all this twice because the first time it wasn't completely successful, but it worked the second time and we have been flea-free for 10 months without the help from a professional fumigator.

We managed to sort it ourselves eventually, but obviously were able to get out of the house each time we sprayed, we needed to re spray every fortnight for around 3 cycles I think. They do go eventually I promise! You just have to be persistent and thorough.

I’m afraid I think it’s a job for the professionals. We adopted 2 cats several years ago and unknown to us, they were covered in fleas. Treated the cats (several times including having spray downs at vets, poor things) but after several weeks the house was completely infested and we kept getting bitten. It was awful. We had to pay a professional to come in and treat the whole house. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth every penny and they guarantee flea free and a follow up visit (which they did). I suspect pest control ARE still working during this lock down but you’d just need to maintain sensible distancing for an hour or so while the house was treated (hope you have a garden?!)

Good luck, it’ll feel so good when cats and hour are pest free!

If it's just the odd flea and your cat is properly treated, to be honest, I'd not stress to much about it right now and sort it better once you can leave the house for a few days.
I've just flea treated my adult cat and suspect the room she sleeps in will also have fleas, so have sprayed that with indorex and shut the door for a couple of hours.

Diatomaceous earth food grade is supposed to be good at getting rid of fleas, dries them out, you use it like shake aand vac I think but you'll have to look into it and in not sure how safe it is around kids but you apprantly just brush it throughcats fur for flea treatment

I would look into sprinkling food grade diatomaceous earth around every where and the cat (please do your own research) Hoover, wash what you can. I have found that a shallow bowl of water with a bit of dish soap to break the surface tension set near a lamp does attract fleas as they are looking for water but obviously only going to kill a few,

@Beamur yeah, Id rather do it when we can go out for the day and in the meantime just do what I can by vacuuming etc.

I think i hadn't been bitten for a while and then the last few days I've seen them and been bitten so it must be a new cycle!!

It is actually really bothering me especially when I see them!

If you put bravecto on the cat it will get rid of the flea problem in the whole house - it absolutely kills them all, fleas bite cat, bravecto kills fleas.
I've always used it because it's so good and my cat has the kind of fur that really attracts fleas...short and silky.

@madcatladyforever you've made me feel so much better by writing that!!! How long will it take?!