Indoor Cat with Fleas... Suggestions on Defleaing Her and House

This is REALLY simple and will only take about five days total to have complete freedom. Go to Holistic Pet on 82nd DRIVE and get a container of diatomaceous earth and then follow the instructions at this web page.

http://www.freshwaterorganics.com/uses.html

I have a ten pound bag given the fact that there are hundreds of uses. I primarily use it for pest and parasite control. I have not seen a single flea in two and a half years....which is when I bought my first can of DE from Holistic Pet on the hopes it would stop a horrible infestation. I now buy it from that website because it is much cheaper and I know it is safe for human consumption as well.

Frontline is good, and there are some good websites that sell it cheaper than the vet will, like Petmed.com. I found that initiallly to vacume the house every day for a couple of weeks will eliminate the fleas and some eggs. They will actually die in the bag.

There is this great non-toxic, safe for kids and animals spray called Flea Flea. You should be able to find it at a feed/animal store. We had a flea prob. and the bombs did NOTHING (believe me we did enough to do in an army!) but this stuff had the problem in hand after 1 treatment! Also Penny Royal Oil around the bottome of outside doors and windows keeps out all kinds of little pests!

Advantage on the cat is a must! We had a bazillion fleas. We used the Advantage (those over the counter ones don't work so get the one from the vet) and then we had our carpets professionally cleaned. He put something in the shampoo that got rid of the eggs and fleas and we were never bothered again. Keep up on the Advantage treatments. I do vacuum often and put a few moth balls in the vacuum because I vacuum up spiders and other bugs too and don't want any chance of any creepy crawlers coming back out of the vacuum!

Definitely keep treating your cat and consistently treat her, regardless of whether or not she is an indoor cat. You can actually bring in one or two fleas from the outdoors, if you spend anytime outside at all and give them to your cat, who will provide a great environment for flea breeding.

Also, it is absolutely essential to treat your house as well. They have powders and sprays that are natural. Treat many times within a few weeks, just to ensure baby fleas are gone as well. We had the same issue (with a dog and 2 cats) and have open kitchen cabinets as well... and didn't want to use the bomb. I don't remember what we used, but I think we got it at a pet store- or maybe even Walmart.

Good luck!

If the kitten is very young, be careful about treating her with chemicals...check with a vet first. We took in a 5 or 6 week old stray kitten once and he had fleas covering him so I started washing him with flea soap. All of a sudden he started foaming at the mouth. So, I quickly rinsed him very thoroughly and he was ok other than acting dizzy for a while. I then consulted a vet and was provided information about a safer treatment for kittens (I don't remember what it was because it was quite a few years ago).

Oooooooooooh, been there! Our household likes "Frontline Plus" the best. It has been the most effective at getting rid of those little nasties for good! I have also read on a number of occaisions that putting a branch of eucalyptus under couches, pet beds, etc. is a natural flea deterrent. (Sadly, I am allergic to eucalyptus, so I cannot verify this.) I hope it goes well for you! God bless you and yours! :)

I asked a very similar question a few months back and got a ton of responses, if you can find it in the old requests.

Our favorites were feeding the cat brewers yeast and applying avon's skin so soft oil to the cat and ourselves (also helps with mosquitoes)!

Since there is no chance you would be pregnant and then abort from this feel free to do it.

Pennyroyal all over the floors in the entire house. Buy it at the herb shop or a health food store. It takes about a pound of the herb to cover a living room and dining room. Put it down on all your floors first thing in the morning. Leave, take all children and other adults with you, closing the house up tight. Take kitty with you. Put other pets in the garage.

After dark come home vacuum the house. Not a single flea will remain. Air out entire house. Vacuum everyday.

I never have used flea or bug spray and this does it every time.
L.-Maggie

Hi M.,

I, too, an a grandmother. Just to let you know, you can't get rid of those fleas completely until you have your house professionally treated. We have a condo that wa infested with fleas from cats of the last tenants. The new tenants have been bombing the condo, but still have fleas. We finally resorted to professionals. They said that the fleas lay eggs that won't hatch for months, so a stronger treatment is required. As far as your cats? I don't know anything about cats.

Definately bomb, then be ready to do it again in three weeks and again in three weeks if you have to. Keep your cubords closed generally fleas don't go in there, they are looking for a host environment. I am highly alergic to fleas and have not found a bomb that doesn't have to be done at least twice. Fleas are incidious, kind of like cocroaches. Once you have them in your house it take diligence to get rid of them.

I would get and use the flea drops from the vet. They work the best. Use the bug bomb on your whole house. If you want to just tape some newspaper or cloth over the open cupboards that would keep the dishes clean. Otherwise just take them out and wash them when you're done bombing. Be sure to vacuum in and under all furniture thoroughly after bombing. Also be sure to vacuum all other carpeted areas after the bomb. The eggs of the fleas don't get killed by the bomb but the vacuuming will take care of it.

If there are a lot of fleas in your house it may take 2 or possily 3 times of bombing to get rid of all of them. good luck!

Hi! So sorry you are having these problems with the fleas, but if they are in the house, they are in your carpet, furniture, etc. & will have to use the bomb. I, too, had the same problem & that was the ONLY way I could get rid of them. You only need to leave the house for awhile. A shopping trip to the mall would be good, or maybe a picnic?? Good luck!

1. Bug bomb your house (take kitty out or into garage so she is safe from chemicals).
2. While you are out, take kitty to vet for flea dip - or wash her yourself before you leave.
3. Get her onto Advantage or Frontline immediately.
4. Put a flea collar inside your vacuum bag and a new one every time you change the bag (kills fleas that hatch in there).
5. Wash all your linens and vacuum frequently.

This works for us. Unfortunately the fleas come back (and we have an indoor only cat too), but it's our own fault when we fall off the Advantage/Frontline routine! When we stick to this routine, it ALWAYS works, kitty is flea-free and itch-free and so are we! It takes one weekend or so of dedicated work to get this all done (we do it all simultaneously so the fleas don't have a chance). As for the cupboards, remove your food/dishes or cover with plastic sheeting or towels/sheets that can come down and be washed later.

I'd go with the advantage if there aren't ticks involved. The Frontline burned my cat's skin at the application site (not pleasant for the cat!). Once you put the advantage on the fleas will start dying within a few hours. On the same day you treat the cat get a spray for the carpets and any fabric surfaces. Apply, then leave the house for the recommended number of hours. If you don't treat the house at the same time the eggs can hatch later and start a new infestation. (I have used the spray instead of the bombs because I don't want to have to reclean all of my cooking surfaces) Don't forget to spray the curtains as fleas like to live there too.....

Good luck!

Please don't do flea bombs. The malathion that kills the fleas can trigger asthma and respiratory problems. It happened to me. A good way to get rid of the little pests is to sprinkle borax powder liberally on the carpet or floor. Leave it overnight, and then vacuum it up the next day. Wait a few days, and if you still have them, repeat the process. The borax is so dry that it dessicates the fleas, and the environmental impact for people and pets is so low as to be non-existent. I have developed severe sensitivites over the last few years to cleaning products, and bug sprays, and other things, and the borax worked wonders on our flea infestation. It killed the fleas but not me!

When my cat and her kitten got fleas when I was a teenager, my mom found a recipe for a home made flea killer powder that she sprinkled on the floor and couch and everywhere that fleas were. The powder had to sit for a little while, then she would vacuum up the fleas. I think she had to repeat it a couple of times, but it was better than chemical bombs. Remember that any chemical stuff that you use in your house your granddaughter will breath in. And if she is mouthing and eating stuff, she'll ingest remnants of it, too.
I don't remember what was in the mix, but I know that if you google for natural flea killers or remedies, the information is out there. I remember something about baking soda and flour, but I don't remember what else.
In the meantime, if you see them on the surface, you can use a piece of packing tape to pick them up, then just fold the piece of tape over.
I hope you are able to find a way to get rid of them without too much trouble or chemicals. Good luck!

We have had the same problem in the past. I've found that Frontline usually works wonders. Put it on the animals and within a couple of days all of the fleas are gone-even in the house. I also read once that you should put a flea collar in your vacuum bag to help keep the ones you vacuum at bay. I hope you have luck getting rid of them.

Hi!
I'm a veterinary technician and if you have a flea problem, you really nip it in the butt, no pun intended. First off I suggest you take your kitty to your local veterinarian, our clinic does but not all will give you a free dose of advantage. She'll also need vaccines even if she is indoor. Distemper is an airborne disease as well as upper respiratory infections.
Back to the flea problem, treat your cat with advantage, frontline or Revolution. They all work great and are safe for your kitten and your children petting your kitty. Flea collars, pet store flea sprays, hartz, top spot and biospot do not work and may be toxic to your pets. Next you need to treat your house. In my own experience, my daughter is severelly allergic to fleas, and I've tried knockout, zodiac and other flea home treatments from pet stores and NONE of them worked. Take the family on an outing and flea bomb your house. I recommend Raid bug bombs and remember to take your pets out of the house too. One last thing is if your cat has fleas, your cat will also have tapeworms. They are transmitted by fleas, so once again, take a trip to the vet and get him dewormed as well.
When you bomb your house and you have open cupboards, just cover everything with towels or blankets and your dishes etc will be fine. Pull pet food and water and put them somewhere safe until the bombing process is complete.
If you have any questions, feel free to message me, and I can refer you to my clinic as well.
Good luck!

Ugh--that is horrible--we went through the same thing with our two indoor cats, and of course they got the fleas when my baby was just a couple months old, so it freaked me out every time I would see one of those things on her or a blanket, toy, etc. Yuck! Quite honestly, they can live and thrive anywhere there is residual cat hair, dander, skin...so the best place to start as far as getting them out of the house is by thoroughly vacuuming and cleaning the areas where the cats lay and hang out the most. Even if the cats are being treated, the fleas can survive on other surfaces. I of course did not want any chemicals in my house but I needed to get these things out, so I compromised and we scoured the house with boric acid--it is a known insecticide but it is, apparently, "natural". Still, I had to leave the house the entire day with my daughter as my husband sprinkled the stuff all over the house, then vacuumed it up. If you dont have a child living with you, try that and wait a couple of days before bringing her in just so the dust (it is a powder) is out of the air and all surfaces are clear of it. The flea products from the vet will work, so treating the cats and being VERY proactive in cleaning everything in your house (especially fabrics and carpet) is your best bet for eradicating them from your home...good luck! Those things are a pain! (I was also allergic to the bites and also had them all over my legs and ankles...ick!)

The flea stuff that the vet gives works awesome!!

Raid has this carpet powder that I swear by. I have only found it at Winco and it is always a different weird place (either with the cleaners or sometimes the automotive stuff). You sprinkle it onto the carpet, wait for a bit, and then vacuum it up. I have used it on the furniture as well. It works immediately.

You need to take your cat to be professionally defleed, and bomb your house. Make sure you put any and all food in the refrigerator. After you bomb, wash any dishes that were exposed. Then VACUME VACUME VACUME!!! Wait about one week and then do it ALL again. I would ask the vet for a flea treatment that is applied monthly. they work the best, and find a powder that you can apply at all the entrances to your home. Fleas can come in on you as well as your cat. Even if you are only down to the baby fleas now, it won't matter. You only need ONE flea in your home for them to spread. They are basically BORN pregnant.

My cat got fleas, and once they are in the house, you have to bomb. Even with closed cabinets, all dishes left in the house will have to be washed (at least I did not want to take any chances of ingesting any of the poison). What we did was give our cats a flea dip, and then took them straight out to to car so they could not get re-infested, and then set off the bombs. Clean up is a big job after wards, but it is better then fleas! Good luck.

We had a problem with fleas awhile back and because I couldn't stomach using poison (bombs) where my kids and my pets would be afterwards, no matter how much I aired it out - we toughed it out. We got some carpet sprinkles made to get rid of fleas (yes it is poison too, but not as much as the bombs and it won't get into bedding and food) and we vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed several times a week. We only put the sprinkles down once per room. Also, you have to empty out/change the vacuum bag - amazingly the little _____ can get OUT of the vacuum! It took us 2 weeks to get rid of them - at least the bulk - and what ever was left we didn't notice.

We put advantage on the pets (after a bath to get off the adult ones) and only had to do one course (one month) and we continued to vacuum like crazy for awhile, as well as wash anything that could be washed and shampooed the couch.

The vets say that fleas don't bite humans (but I had those spots on my ankles too so I don't believe them). Fleas' eggs also can stay in hibernation up to 1 year! before hatching. They are attracted by the carbon monoxide we (and our pets) emit and vibrations from movement.

I haven't used the advantage (or anything else) in over a year. We have 1 pug and 3 cats. One of our cats is an inside/outside cat and of course the dog goes out to potty all the time - we have not had a flea infestation since.

GOOD LUCK!

Hi - Yuck. This is never any fun! But, as mom's below have also said the solution is simple, although it is an expense and annoyance! If you want to be sure to get rid of the flea issue once and for all and not have to revisit it, there are three steps:
1. Schedule extermination company to come in and de-flea. It has more of a cost than you bombing yourself but they use better quality and safer chemicals and are experts in this area. I would prefer to pay them to do it rather than take the chance of having to go through it all over again because I didn't get it done right the first time. By the way, most exterminators will spray the exterior of the home (yard/front areas, etc) as well to eliminate reinfestation.
2. On the day the extermination company is coming, drop the cat at your vet for a de-flea/dip. Also have them administer the Advantage at that time.
**This way you have the house done with cat out of the house and cat comes back all deflead to a clean/deflead home.
3. Put your cat on the regular Advantage plan. Simple to do, well worth it for all. Administer it at night since everyone is sleeping and you will be certain the cat won't get handled by your grandaughter while the meds are absorbed fully (and not transmitted to anyone through petting).

Hope that helps!

Yes,, i do,, borax,, it is a soap you buy in the laundry detergent ,, the same isle,, just sprinkle a little all over the carpet,,and salt too, it cuts the eggs and adults it is not harmful, as for your cat,, call around to animal agencies and thy can give you a free drops for your cat,, good luck,, or you can buy it,, shop around,once you get the drops for your cat,, with in 24 hours all fleas will be gone!!!! vacume all done,,, D.

There is a product you can get at some Veterinary offices called "Knock-out" that should help get rid of fleas in your house. But you've got to get them off the animals first-- it sounds like you're on the right track there (front-line is great.) The other thing to do is vaccuum, vaccuum, vaccuum. All the carpets, furniture, bedding. Trust me! My husband is a vet and I am a vet tech.

pour borax laundry detergent onto carpets and sweep in. Let sit for a few days before vacuuming. The chemicals in the detergent will dehydrate the fleas. You will never have fleas again. I have used this technique on all of my homes and it has worked great for me. Hope this helps you. Also, I have heard if you give your pets garlic it wards of fleas.

Go to your health food store, or pet store and ask for a natural flea repellent. Tell them you have them in your house and on you. My sister got rid of them by vacuuming her rugs and furniture every 3 days. She also washed all she sheets, ets,. Good look.

Years ago when I had roomates with cats we had flea problems. We paid lots of money to get rid of them and found out they were simply spreading Borax laundry soap around the carpets and in the cracks of the hardwood floors. I would never use flea bombs since there are so many chemicals that could make you sick. How about the flea medicine you can get from the vet?
I think there is a site called petmeds.com where you can order without seeing the vet.I'm not sure since I don't have pets. Good luck! A.

My name is A. I am a mother of 6 with 2 dogs, a cat and a lizard. My husband works for a pet store chain and our house is free from fleas. The best thing that has worked for us in the case of a small kitten is use a flea and tick spray we use zodiac for dogs and cats in the pump spayer on a rag. Hold the kitten in the rag head out you will be able to smell it fur should not be saturated. The harm comes from to much in there system if they lick it when saturated. Do this before you use the advantage and wait a day. Vacuum everything this makes the eggs hatch so vacuum thoroughly throw vacuum bag away. Then you will need to spray the carpets with flea and tick spray by zodiac for carpets. Repeat in 1 week then 1 more time should the trick. After you get a handle on the fleas in your home. Keep using the advantage.I treat the fleas like head lice. Staying on top of them gets the best results. Good luck and God Bless.

One of the things I would suggest is to get some Advantage from you vet to get rid of the fleas on your cat, which you mentioned you were going to be doing.
To get rid of the fleas in your house...I know that Basic H from Shaklee helps with mosquito bites and is also a good repellant...So it might help in getting rid of the fleas in your carpet and on your furniture. It also helps getting rid of ants. (2 drops of Basic H in a 16oz spray bottle and lightly spray your carpet and furniture)
If you want anymore information on Basic H feel free to give me a call at ###-###-#### (I live in Myrtle Creek) or email me at ____@____.com
Hope this works,
I. L