We have a neighbor whose cat is an indoor /outdoor cat that I have picked up and pet and I also babysit for someone who has an indoor/outdoor cat that had kittens and they had a flea investation, now we have fleas. My cats are indoor only. I have gone out and got Advantage for them, I bought 20 Mule Borax for the carpets, I bought Raid foggers and the raid spray for carpets and upholstry, what I need to know is what do I need to do AFTER I have sprayed, I mean, I know I will have to wipe down countertops but what else? Does all of our bedding have to be washed after we spray?What about clothing in closets and such? What about kids toys? Also my neighbor who has No pets now has seen fleas in her home...she has a very young child ( crawler) what is safe for her to use? Everything I have read has poisen warnings and says it is unsafe for small children. Thanks in advance any flea information is appreciated.
My cat brought fleas in a few years back and aside from treating her, I just vacuumed like crazy. I would do it once in the morning and then again in the evening. Then empty the vacuum bag/can and take it outside to the trash. Do this for a few weeks, and it should take care of the problem. From what my vet said, 99% of fleas will stay on the ground and infest in carpet if they don't have a host.
frontline works best for your pets and yes indoor cats can get fleas too.
B., we have a problem with fleas too. We buy all the stuff for the cats and dogs. we have even treated our yard. and We still have problems. but when we bomb it usually takes care of it and we dont wash our clothes or bedding. now i do wash down my counters and make sure i put everything away in the kitchen. but never had a problem. for your neighbor, i probably would wait to bring crawling baby back into the house for a few hours. I would sweep and mop before baby can get on floor and wash baby toys that would go in mouth.
I'm guessing none of what you've done will take care of the eggs in your carpet that will hatch at some point. (I've never experienced a problem with eggs in bedding, and anything hanging up should not be an issue. I'm guessing toys would only be an issue if they had some kind of pile like carpet where the eggs could be laid.) When I've had fleas in my house and used foggers, I've just left the closet doors open, which kills the actual fleas. The last time we had fleas in one of our rentals (I fogged the place twice, myself), I finally just called an exterminator, because the eggs just kept hatching, resulting in reinfestation. I will never attempt to tackle a flea problem again without calling an exterminator, and they can tell you exactly how long you need to wait before entering the house and allowing a child to come in contact with the carpet.
Call your local vet and get the flea drops they recommend and put them on your cats. They will keep your cat safe at least thru the summer. There is also a one-time pill you can give them that will make the fleas drop dead instantly.....but you still need to follow up with the drops. Also ask your vet what is the best thing to use indoors to get rid of live fleas.
We have cats and dog and have dealt with fleas! Yuk! We sprayed everything wood, tile and especially the carpets then washed the rest! It took us three times with Terminix to get rid of them. It would help to wash all the toys and if they have any cloth on them maybe put them into plastic bags and seal for at least two months-if anything lives then you can clean it out. The hard part is going to other houses-ask them if they could put collars on their animals or inform them you are bringing the fleas home from their place-now you might not be called back to sit but you will stop the fleas in your house. The problem is fleas will jump onto any surface and you are probably bringing them from the other houses. Your neighbor might want to call the pros in like Terminix or someone but she will probably have to leave the house for a day or two till the "juice" is dry and soaked into her carpets. This is the hardest bug to get rid of and without any effort can come right back-so think about where you are and what will keep them ot of your home. Fleas also carry diseases so think about it carefully.
it took a pro to eliminate the issue for us. But, be warned, once the fleas are in your yard....it will also have to be treated. We've had to treat our yard/house 4 out of the past 6 years. The exterminator said the fleas are on a 21day incubation. So once you go 3 weeks w/out seeing any evidence of fleas.....you should be clear.
Also the exterminator's tx was safe for children.
The advantage flea drops we get from the vet usually does the trick for us. We also have indoor cats. It is usually the rare times we take in a stray that we have had the infestations. It might take a couple of months. We have hardwood floors though.
Otherwise, if you are thinking of spraying I would have a professional do it. They will probably use less spray meaning less chance to contaminiation of your items and chance of harm to kids or cats. They will know how to treat your fleas with as little pesticide as possible to do the trick.
