Fleas!!!!!

I was sitting on the floor holding Shortie in my arms like a baby when what do I see???? A flea! :eek: :eek: I started combing her with a flea comb and I could not believe how many there were. :eek:

I immediately ran out and got Frontline for everyone (at $80 for 6 treatments). I hopped in the tub with Shortie and gave her a bath (her wails sounded like I was slaughtering her). The woman at the vet said flea season is very bad this year cuz we haven't had any frost yet.

I know it only takes one flea to hop a ride on your clothes. I think it came from when I visited my old rescue organization and schmoozed with over 80 cats. I took my clothes off immediately, but didn't wash them till 3 days later. So, it's my own fault.

Poor Shortie. She's hiding and looks like a wet rat. :(

Your brave hopping in tub with a kitty. I've used Frontline Plus it works great. I have no experience with Advantage.

Sorry Craftlady, it IS Frontline Plus that I applied. I changed it in my post.

Yeah, I guess I am brave hopping into the tub with her. But it was the only way I could control her. I basically turned her with her butt facing me, which gave me the control to bathe her. I've done that with all my cats when I bathe them. It's so much easier than wrestling with them in the kitchen sink.

I Hate Fleas.I am so sorry you are having a flea problem.We have flea season all year round in FL.

Thanks Zippy. I can only imagine how bad the flea problem is in Florida, it being so hot down there.

Fleas are such a bother! :mad: But don't blame yourself for bringing them home. A flea is like any other pesty bug.....it gets into your house! Flies get in. Spiders get in. And they are both MUCH larger than a flea. Fleas sneak in through cracks, screen, windows, doors and riding on you from the yard etc.

Catching it fairly early and being on the lookout for more will be your best defense.

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Originally Posted by moosmom

I immediately ran out and got Frontline for everyone (at $80 for 6 treatments). I hopped in the tub with Shortie and gave her a bath (her wails sounded like I was slaughtering her). The woman at the vet said flea season is very bad this year cuz we haven't had any frost yet.

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What a bummer!!

I don't know about the area you live in, but where I live flea season has been just awful this year!

BTW just remember not to use Frontline Plus 2 days before, or 2 days after a bath. A bath washes the oils out of the skin and that's how the Frontline Plus circulates, so bathing will limit the effectiveness of it.

Ever since I found fleas on Storm and my RB Pepper, I've been using advantage every month and I haven't had any more problems. I'd rather use it every month than be sorry later. Good luck.:)

I went online and looked up all about fleas. I'm a little concerned because I did bathe Shortie just before I put the stuff on. I called the toll-free number of Frontline and they said that as long as I dried Shortie after her bath, it shouldn't hinder the product from working. That's a relief.

I've been combing the hell out of all of them ('cept MooShoo, of course) still finding them moving :eek: I dip the comb in hot water and drown the little buggers! UGH!! I did catch it early which is good. I checked Fluffy (one of the outside kitties) and saw tons of flea dirt, so that's probably where it came from. I only wish I had enough money to treat them too. But, they're not my problem, MY cats are.

That dentist is SUCH a jerk!! :mad:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

I went online and looked up all about fleas. I'm a little concerned because I did bathe Shortie just before I put the stuff on. I called the toll-free number of Frontline and they said that as long as I dried Shortie after her bath, it shouldn't hinder the product from working. That's a relief.

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Glad you called the 800 number. Our sales reps and distributors have always given us the impression any bathing within that two day time period reduces effectiveness. But better to get that information from the actual manufacturer not sales people.

Frontline takes about 6 hrs to kill a flea, so just because you see one on a treated cat doesn't mean it isn't working, that flea will die. You should be seeing more dead fleas in the next day or two.

Well, they're still scratching, but I think it's from the bites. Everytime I see one of them scratching I immediately get out the comb and start combing furiously, looking for anything that moves on it. Since applying the Frontline Plus, all I see if flea dirt. I'm hoping by the next application time, that'll just about do it. Poor babies. :(

Yes, most people forget that a flea's bite will continue to itch for a while.

Hopefully that is all it is. Best to keep combing, though.

Everyone seems to have settled down now. I think I caught it early because I haven't been bitten at all.

All I see now is just fur, flea dirt and dead fleas. A good flea is a dead one!! :p

I feel bad for the girls outside. I want to use the Frontline Plus on them too, but it's expensive. Do you think I should chance going over and asking the dentist if he'd buy it and I'd apply it?? I've been kind of keeping my distance with them. I feed them (when the jerk is gone) and pet them, but not like I was. I'm just too afraid that another one will hop a ride on my clothes.

Since we're on the topic of the dreaded fleas, I have a couple of questions.

I had a BAD infestation of fleas this year, but it seems to be subsiding now. I couldn't bathe one of the cats because she was allergic to fleas and lost a lot of hair and was scratching so bad that she had open sores. She's doing much better now because I took her to the vet and got meds, etc.

Anyway, I'm getting ready to bathe all four of them and then apply the Frontline (that I purchased over a month ago!). Once I apply the Frontline, do you think that will get rid of the other fleas in the house since they'll jump on the cats and get killed from whatever it is that is in the Frontline? Or will I have to use a flea bomb or sprinkle that stuff on the carpet, too?

I want to get rid of these fleas once and for all!! The cats aren't the only ones suffering; I have a bunch of flea bites on my ankles and the itching drives me NUTS! :eek:

It is always ideal to treat both house and animals at the same time (for best results).

Hi Jen,

I'm wondering about both the flea bomb and the stuff you sprinkle on the carpet.

I've never done either and I'm wondering if they're safe? For example, what if you don't get up every single grain of the sprinkle stuff? Would it hurt the cats if it gets on their paws and they subsequently lick their paws?

Then, with the bomb stuff. Does that get all over everything in the house?

You would think in this day and age that the people who invented Combat would be have invented something similar to get rid of fleas!

I am not overly familiar with the carpet sprinkles. I would use the flea bombs. You DO need to be out of the house and so do the animals, but it sets off a mist that gets in more nooks and crannies than just the carpet.
Air the house out a bit (1 hour) before returning the animals. It should be safe. The one thing I would do afterwards is wipe counters off that would touch food.

Here's a great site that I read about fleas and how to deal with them. Jen's right though, it's best to treat all cats AND the house as well.

http://www.fleascontrol.com/

I have had my bouts with fleas this year too. Kloe went to the vet on Friday and she said we have been having horrible flea season.
When I discovered mine I was looking online for natural - quick relief for the animals. I found:
--BORAX - the laundry additive - remove the animals sprinkle on the carpet leave over nite or for 24 hours and then vacuum up. I don't think the Borax actually hurts the animals it just is better for them not to be faceful of it on the floor. The Borax eats thru the stomach of the flea - killing them.
--Cut up a lemon - pour boiling water over it and let steep overnite in a glass jar.. Spray over animal (I used this on Keegan) she smelled like lemonaid!
--When you are combing the fleas off - dipping them in the hot water is good but add a bit of DAWN dish soap to it and it really kills them instantly.
----It also suggested using the Dawn as a shampoo to bath the animals. Someone wondered if it was too harsh but someone on my LJ site said they don't buy shampoo for dogs they make their own using Dawn and essential oils. I used it on all 3 animals with no itchy skin or flaking skin.
Good Luck!
this was the instructions for Pet shampoo made with Dawn - says it is mostly for dogs - not sure if it can be used on cats - But I'll ask:
This simple recipe will give your dog a beautiful, healthy coat and is much cheaper than commercial products.

1 pint Ivory or Dawn liquid dishwashing soap
1 pint water
1 pint apple cider vinegar
4 ounces glycerine (available at your local pharmacy)
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Double the ingredients if a larger amount is desired.

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Originally Posted by moosmom

The woman at the vet said flea season is very bad this year cuz we haven't had any frost yet.

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A couple years ago I was laying on my couch with Kylie on my chest and I looed up and saw things crawling on her chin - it was my first intimate introduction to fleas and it was Christmas Day with snow on the ground!

Pardon the commercial, but I've had success with the Zodiac brand flea bombs. Just follow the directions exactly, and they work great!

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--When you are combing the fleas off - dipping them in the hot water is good but add a bit of DAWN dish soap to it and it really kills them instantly.

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That's exactly what I did too! I love to see them little buggers fight for air. :mad: The fleas, I mean. :rolleyes:

I bathe MooShoo and all my cats in Blue DAWN. It's the closest thing to their Ph.

The crew has stopped scratching, so that's a good sign. I never met a flea I didn't hate. :p

The best way to prevent fleas and ticks without using strange chemicals is to add a tad of white vinegar to their water; usually 1 tblsp. per gallon of water. So - adjust according to the amount of water you put down for the cats.

I have been adding vinegar to Naranj's and P. K.'s water for about six months. I use a glass loaf dish (so P. K. can't turn it over) and add an 1/8 tsp. of vinegar to fresh water each day. I take both cats out every afternoon for a walk and I have yet to see a flea in the apartment.

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Originally Posted by LittleOrangeKitten

The best way to prevent fleas and ticks without using strange chemicals is to add a tad of white vinegar to their water; usually 1 tblsp. per gallon of water. So - adjust according to the amount of water you put down for the cats.

I have been adding vinegar to Naranj's and P. K.'s water for about six months. I use a glass loaf dish (so P. K. can't turn it over) and add an 1/8 tsp. of vinegar to fresh water each day. I take both cats out every afternoon for a walk and I have yet to see a flea in the apartment.

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I tried this with Apple Cider Vinegar - Keegan (GR) drank it no problem.
When one of my cats was at the vet - who also "talks" with animals - I mentioned me doing this and that Kylie wouldn't drink it she said "well yea - she is saying she isn't going to drink that S#!T!;)