Fleas Help!!

I know how you feel. I have 3 cats and had a huge flea problem. If you go to www.BestNest.com, there is a product called "the ultimate flea trap". What it is and does is this... Its a round container, electric, with a "hood" on it. In the hood is a nightlight. On the bottom is sticky paper. The fleas are attracted to the light, they jump to the light, fall onto the sticky paper, and stay there. I had a huge infestation a few years back, and bought one for each room in my house and the basement. Within 2 weeks, most of the fleas were gone!!! I had so many fleas on the sticky pads that I had to change the pad after 4 days. I also treated the cats with Frontline, or Advantage flea product. I still treat them because they do get outside once in a while. And I still use the flea traps as prevention to another infestation. I still catch a few fleas, and have never had one jumping on me since I started using the product around 2 years ago.
I think they are around $15 each,and you can buy refills of sticky pads, but they are way less expensive than calling the exterminator. Good luck with getting rid of the pesky little things. they are nasty!
You can also bath the cats and dogs in DAWN dishwashing liquid. My vet told me about that one. It works like a charm. If you make the water warm, and go gently with them, you CAN bathe them without too much mess. It would help to have an assistant when you do it. I did it to all three of my cats, then put the Frontline on them and did the trap thing and it's all been good.

Hi,

We had a similar situation a couple of years ago. After trying all the home remedies, we finally had to call an exterminator, because the problem got out of hand, and the fleas multiply quickly. Your cat will also need to be dipped. Unfortunately, there isn't any way around it. :(

Hey M.,
We've had fleas from time to time as well. It usually happens when I slack off on the frontline on the cats and dog. I put moth balls inside the vacuum bag (vacuum them up) and the fleas die in there so you don't have to change the bag all the time. Vacuum, vacuum and vacuum every room every day and then the upholstered furniture too. Treat the animals with frontline or something like it and brush them often. When you brush the animals you will see the black spots (flea poop) that the fleas leave behind on the brush or comb, when that goes away you know the fleas are gone on the pets and should be gone in the house too. Within two weeks all is normal. Moth balls aren't exactly good for you but I'm more comfortable with them than a bomb. Good luck getting rid of those pests.

H.

Hello,
Take it from me, you MUST call the exterminator. My house was once infested as well. The only way to get rid of them when they are that large is an exterminator. The bombs don't work well. Good Luck.

There are a lot of safer chemicals now than there used to be, so consult a reliable exterminator and explain that you have young children. Ask about the ext's certification for different treatments and be sure he/she has been to recent classes. Go for an independent person and not someone who's part of a big franchise as they often charge more and promote their own particular products. You do need to get serious about eliminating them because they multiply quickly and, if they can't all find their way to the cat, they'll munch on you!

As for being "paranoid" - here's a good test for flea bites. They are really itchy, they are not flat on the top like mosquito bites, and, on YOU, they will be from the knees down unless you have been sitting on the floor. Fleas jump, they don't fly, so your bites will be closer to ground level. However, they jump really well so up around the knees is very possible. If you've been sitting on the floor, then of course the bites can be elsewhere on your body.

When my parents took the family dog to the kennel and went away, I used their house, and the fleas who were missing the dog really enjoyed me and my husband. It was awful. The only solution is some sort of flea bomb -set it off and take the kids to the beach for the day. Good luck.

You need to treat your dog too. Any carpets you have vacuum vacuum vacuum you can get a natural spray at the store to treat your furniture and carpets with, wash the animals' bedding. Don't wash the animals too much because their natural oils help keep fleas away. Once you've treated your animals the best defense you have is to vacuum daily and toss the bag in the trash every day.

So sorry that you have fleas!!! They are very tough for get rid of. We've had them twice and the first time we were infested with them. Call an exterminator ASAP!!! Once they come, you'll have to vacuum your house every day for atleast a month. I put a piece of flea collar in my vacuum bag and put the bag in the freezer after each use (it was expensive buying new vacuum bags since you're suppose to throw them out after each use - but this seemed to work). I washed all the bedding, stuffed animals, rugs, sneakers - anything that fleas could leave eggs in and were on the floor. My house was never so clean!! BTW: the chemicals were safe for the children - I asked the exterminator about it. I had a 1, 2, and 4 year old at the time. Also, I suggest paying for a follow up visit after a month and get a 6 month guarentee - so they'll come back to exterminate for free if you see them again. One more thing, I used a flea comb on my dog every day - after using frontline and taking him to a groomer for a flea bath. Good luck!!

Hi M., Not sure if this will work, but there is a good chance it will since I used it to get rid of big black ants and it DID work fantastically!! Shaklee's Basic H2 is a concentrated non-toxic cleaning product - just mix some up in water and wash your basement floor (I would wash all your floors with it to make sure you haven't tracked any fleas or flea eggs into the rest of your house). Bugs seem to have trouble with the coconut oil that is a big ingredient in Basic H2 - it kills them. It certainly can't hurt and might just be the answer. It is non-toxic so is very safe for your family and does an awesome job cleaning. I would also clean the baseboards and lower walls with it as well as any furniture legs. If you have indoor/outdoor carpet down there, you can wash that also but be very sure to dry it thoroughly with a wet/dry vac and fans to prevent mold/mildew. Shaklee does not make Basic H2 as a bug killer or deterrant, but customers have discovered this property by accident. Some people bathe their cats & dogs with it and swear that it helps keep fleas & ticks away. Yes, I am a Shaklee dealer but wash my floors with Basic H2 all the time as it keeps the black ants away and really cleans the floors. If you live near me (I am in Georgetown), I will be happy to drop off a bottle if you wish to buy it; or visit my website www.emilytaft.com and click on "home care" in the left-hand menu - then click into Basic H2, and you can order it right there to be sent to your home. Please feel free to contact me with questions at ###-###-#### or ____@____.com I really hope this helps. E. Taft

M.!!!

I hate fleas!!! We had them once, I took my dog to a house that was infested!!! So now our house had them everywhere.....I brought her to the vet to get treated. I call exterminator for our home. Then vacuum away!!! Nasty little things!!!

D.

Fleas are horrible little creatures. They can get into everything. To rid of them, without the expensive aid of an exterminator, you will need to vacuum your house and furniture everyday. You will need to use the frontline on him and reapply two weeks after first application. If you read the directions it usually says the if they are infested you can reapply in 2 weeks. It may not be a bad idea to buy a spray called knockout and completely spray the basement area where the cat hangs out. It will be a battle but you can get rid of them on your own. I had fleas for about a month and a half with my dog. I would have got rid of them sooner but the flea medicine I was using didn't work that great. I actually prefer Advantix but I am not sure if they make it for cats. Make sure which ever one you use says that it kills fleas in all stages....because even if you get the adults the eggs can have and produce more and they reproduce like every 36 hours. Good luck!!

This may sound odd. But my mother- in -law told me that one time that the family cat did the same to there house. And she heard that if you pour beer in a glass and put it in the middle of the floor the fleas are attracted to it and they climb right in. Then you just pur them out into the toilet. I think she said she did it at night when they went to bed and in the morning sure enough they were all in there. You may have to put the cat in a carrier just in case. ha Not sure which kind of beer either. Maybe you can buy a can or two of different kinds. Dark and light. I am curious myself if it works. Can't hurt to try it. Let me know. Good luck!

Hi! I've had this problem and tried EVERY home remedy. I also have a best friend who is a dog shelter director and rescuer for over 15 years. You've got to hire an exterminator in addition to treating the cat. Get the frontline on him so that the fleas won't bread on him. The fleas in the carpet and rugs will stay alive and will really go after your little ones. If you get everything exterminated and keep your cat up to date on his Frontline, you should be able to have this problem behind you permanently within a couple of days. I dealt with this for months. You also don't want the risk of the fleas spreading disease to a young baby or causing a reaction with the bites.

I just went through fleas with my dog a couple of weeks ago. I used the hartz cat and dog flea spray and it worked wonders. Not the one only for the house, but the one you can spray directly on them -- much less toxic. Then I went the vet and got advantix. That cannot be used on cats, but I'm sure there is something similar (perhaps the frontline) for cats. I caught them early on the first day they came in, so I was lucky, but it wasn't that horriffic for me. good luck!!

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Last summer was my 'summer of fleas'. Fleas got in our house through open windows, infected our indoor cat and our house! I have never spent so much time cleaning in my life. After treating the cat, and house with store bought chemicals/medications, the fleas were still there. Our kids had fleas jumping all over them. I ended up calling an exterminator. It was expensive $350, but it worked. Even Still I had to vacuum the entire house every day for weeks! This year the cat is back outside but is treated monthly with tick/flea mess starting in April.

I typically use all natural products for my home and yard and wasn't happy that the fleas could not be beat without proffesional help. Good luck.

I have had problems with fleas in the past and have always used flea bombs. They do work you just have to read the directions and get enough to cover the square footage of your house. Fleas are the worst! I sympathize! Good Luck!
-A.