A question about fleas...

[elminster20]

So I'm moving in to a new apartment in a few days. It is now empty but I've just been informed that the previous tenant had a cat who had/has fleas. So my question would be, before I move in, how do I disinfect the apartment before I move in and what steps can I take to ensure my girls don't get hit with it? Oh, and should I be worried about it at all?

[pomtzu]

So I'm moving in to a new apartment in a few days. It is now empty but I've just been informed that the previous tenant had a cat who had/has fleas. So my question would be, before I move in, how do I disinfect the apartment before I move in and what steps can I take to ensure my girls don't get hit with it? Oh, and should I be worried about it at all?

Since you haven't moved in yet, perhaps you should set off some flea bombs, just in case. If there are any there, that will get rid of them, and you won't have to worry about any infestations after you move in. It would be a whole lot easier to do when the place is empty, rather than moving in and finding you have fleas, and then try to get rid of them.

Good luck!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Well I would think that your new landlord would have to make sure that the apt. is flea free before you move in. I'm not sure what you should use on the carpet but you must make sure that it's safe for pets. I'd put advantage on your cats to make sure that they won't get any fleas. I live in a condo and I use it every month on my cats and so far I've never had a problem. Good luck.

[catmandu]

A good washing with ammonia will help a lot to kill the fleas , and I would spray the floors too with a good flea spray from the Vets!
Fleas are so darned hard to kill ,we are hoping that Your Girls wont get any of those damned pests!

[elminster20]

Thanks for the advice, I certainly appreciate it, helps calm me down some. Luckily there is no carpet in the new place, it's all tile and 1" hardwood which will hopefully make things easier. I thought about getting a couple of those flea collar things? Aren't they supposed to help kill fleas on your pet? And the flea bomb idea is a good one, it's empty now so it's just about perfect to do... Ugh, I've never, EVER had a problem with fleas so have no experience with it. Even on the farm we never had fleas!! I have no idea how someone could let an indoor cat get fleas...

[Nomilynn]

Please don't use flea collars! They are not safe for your kitties. You might want to go to your vet and ask them if they have a spray that is safe for you and your cats. But like previously mentioned, doing something before you move in is a great first step! You can also get a few months of flea treatment from your vet and make sure you use it on your kitties for the first couple of months you live there, like Advantage or Revolution!

[elminster20]

I didn't know there was a problem with flea collars, what is it about them that's so bad? The pesticide used or something else?

[krazyaboutkatz]

I've never used flea collars but I've been told that they just don't work. Since my cats are indoor only, I used to think that they would never ever have a flea problem. I was wrong because if some one else in my building has an animal with fleas then they can jump on me and then I can bring them in to my cats. You can also bring them in just by being outside in the grass. Now I buy the large dog advantage over the internet and then I measure the correct doseage for my cats. Since I live in a fairly mild climate, I have to use it year round. I've never had a problem since. Good luck.

Please don't ever buy any over the counter flea drops like Hartz or Bio Spot. This has been proven to kill cats and dogs. I still don't know why they continue to sell this. I only recommend using things that vets sell in their office.

[catmandu]

My Vet sells Ova Collars and the only trouble that I had was with My Cats who would tear them off.
They are very effective IMHO in keeping fleas off Our Cats.

[kokopup]

If you want to rid the apartment of fleas first spray with a flea bomb or mixture
for indoor pest control. If you do not spray with something like Precor then you will have a fresh batch of fleas in just weeks after spraying. Precor makes the flea egg incapable of hatching therefore the cycle is broken. Use an indoor pesticide then use Precor or mix them together for just one spray. If you use
Precor every 2 months year around you will not have fleas. Precor is not a poison so it is safe to use in an occupied space.