F L E A S update: it is NOT over yet

[lizbud]

I would recommend Frontline Plus too, it works very well at my house.
My Vet stopped selling Advantage that I used to use, but this stuff is even
better & the cats don't run because of the smell. I can get close to them
with an open dose & put it on them easily. (added points in my book)

If you already have fleas inside, you'll have to clean their bedding &
everything else inside. It's a real pain, but a 2 front approach works best.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Thanks for all the good advize!!

We have NO carpetting in the house, because both our children are allergic to dustmites. All tiles here.
The vet said that it isn't necessary to do any special cleaning in the house. But I don't believe that at all; so today I have been changing all the beds (humans), and lots of vacuuming has been done too. I don't think it is any use though to vacuum fleapowder, because we have a central vacuuming system. Meaning: there is a central huge container for all the dirt in our garage, so there is no dustbag on the vacuumer itself, there is only a long hose that can be connected to the system in every room of the house (sorry for the long and maybe bad explanation, English isn't my mothertongue).

I feel so bad for not having noticed this flea situation sooner.... . My cats get Frontline on their neck every 6 months; I had NO idea that this wasn't enough...! I also interpreted the bites as musquito bites.

I hope I can get this under control as soon as possible

Thanks again for your help!!!

ps. Only 2 of our cats are indoor-outdoor cats: Maya & Inka. The other 2 Zazou & Snoopy are strictly indoor now (remember Zazou's missing?) !!

[sasvermont]

I think the application is one a month. Did you know that? Also, although the other two cats do not go outside, the fleas could still jump on them if they arrive in the house, on the other cats. I would suggest giving the flea treatment to all of the cats for the warm months. Just a suggestion. That's what I do......and it has worked so far. Once the first frost arrives, I stop the treatments until spring time.

F L E A S

[lizbud]

I think the application is one a month. Did you know that? Also, although the other two cats do not go outside, the fleas could still jump on them if they arrive in the house, on the other cats. I would suggest giving the flea treatment to all of the cats for the warm months. Just a suggestion. That's what I do......and it has worked so far. Once the first frost arrives, I stop the treatments until spring time.

F L E A S

I agree. Especially since you've already seen fleas in the house. Appy on
every cat once a month & you'll finally get rid of them. My indoor cats never
get outside, but I have two dogs that go in & out and can carry fleas from
the yard into the house, so it's good to use flea treatment on the indoor cats
too.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

it's good to use flea treatment on the indoor cats
too.

DONE

one more question: do I use a flea's comb, to get rid of all the remaining dead & alive creatures??? I did it on Snoopy this morning, and there I got a big living flea EEK!!!!!!!!!! . She got her Frontline last wednesday ( the cat did, not the flea hehe).

oh one more thing! It is useful to make the cats wear a ant-fleas collar?

[sasvermont]

I don't use collars, and as far as I know, they are not necessary if you use the topical treatments. I would use the comb and dispose of the fleas quickly and carefully. I recommend you quickly put the flea and the hair in a zip lock bag and then pinch the flea to death.....then dispose of the contents in the toilet.

The sooner you get the fleas off the cats, the faster your problem will be resolved.

Gosh, I hated having fleas....thank goodness for the topical treatments. Once you get rid of the fleas, the monthly applications will seem easy! My cats don't like them, but hey, the don't have a choice!

Good luck!

[Catlady711]

Don't use flea or any other type of parasite collar. They have lots of harsh cemicals in them, and honestly I've seen fleas at work crawl right over the darn things anyways, they don't work.

If you're using the Frontline PLUS you don't really need to comb out the live fleas as they WILL die. But combing out the flea dirt and dead fleas would probably help keep your critters cleaner.

Also if you have fleas like that, you may want to watch your critters in the next 3-6 weeks for signs of tape worms. They are small rice sized segments that may be on your pets stool, or stuck on the fur of their backsides. If you see those you need to call your vet for some medication for them.

[ksschultz]

When our cat got fleas when our son and his cat were here, both of them got Advantage at the vet, but it did nothing at all! We found out that, at least around here, they are saying that the fleas are now resistant or immune to whatever chemical is in it. We also found out that, even though it didn't work, we couldn't use any other product on them until the whole month was up. But we HAD to do something quick, so, in addition to bathing them to get rid of the adult fleas on them right then, we got a Flea Zapper Comb (made by Epilady, who makes the women's hair removers) and used it several times a day. I don't know why they aren't sold locally here. Someone told me that, since they only take 2 batteries which last a long time, there is no need to keep buying things to put on them every month! Our Angel absolutely loves being combed, and it was so gratifying to hear and see each flea we found on her "fry"! Gradually we found fewer and fewer fleas each day and no more black specks. It took about 2 months, a lot less time than I thought it would.

I read in one of the earlier postings that the larvae can live in carpets, etc. for up to a year, so I will continue to keep my eyes open for fleas and "flea dirt."

Also, it has been very good that we have now gotten into the habit of brushing her. She enjoys it so much, and now she is having a lot fewer hairballs from ingesting so much hair with her fastidious grooming. We should have started this years ago. We have just found out that she may have a life-threatening illness, so it will be even more important to enjoy every minute with her that we have from now on.