Fleas

Hi S., my cat has had fleas before, and the best thing we ever used was a product called Bio-spot, available at petco. Its a white and pink bottle and its safe for everywhere and everything. We spray the cat every few months to keep fleas away, but the one time we had the infestation I sprayed rugs, couches, everything! Works fast and safely and we didnt have to repeat it. Good luck!

If she is gone for awhile you set a flea bomb in the house. You will need to dust and vaccuum after but usually does the trick. The cat may need to be dipped too and this can be difficult. You may need her or another person to help you with it.

Yes fleas can live in rugs, furniture and bedding for a long time. You need to "bomb" the house with insect foggers (make sure the cat is not inside while you do this)and a flea bath for the cat would not be a bad idea either

Hi S.,

Fleas can become a major headache. The eggs can lie dormant in rugs for a long time if noone is there. If someone moves in the vibration from activity causes them to hatch and if there is a cat or dog to feed on they rapidly multiply. They usually are picked up outside in the grass by pets while outside that is why treating cats and dogs for fleas and ticks from the first thaw to the first freeze is importan

There are various treatments available. The most simple, and common, is to get the flea bombs from a vets office. You will have to relocate the cat during treatment then follow the directions. You should also have the cat receive a flea dip to treat simultaneously.

If the bombs are not effective then you could try "fleabusters" yes, that really is the name! The will come and treat the house. The method they use is putting down a powder of chrysanthamum petals and then pound it into carpets and upholstered furniture. The vibration causes the eggs to hatch and the fleas feed on the powder which acts as a desicant. They become dehydrated and die.
Initially there is usually more flea activity due to the hatching but in a couple of weeks all the fleas should be dead. Sounds complicated, but is is effective. Good luck

J. L.

Hi S.;

Yup, fleas can live in the rug! I believe the only way to get rid of them at this point is to "bomb" the house. Check out pet store for items needed. May take a second application to get all the flea eggs as well.

Good luck!

K. T.

we use a product called Frontline on my dog. You put it on once a month and it kills the fleas or keeps them away, I don't really know which since I've only seen one or two fleas in the six years we've had our dog. The only time I've seen fleas was when I forgot to put on the Frontline for a couple of months. It soaks into the animal's skin and protects for a month. You can get it from a local veterinarian or buy it online. I think there is a company called petmeds that sells it.

M.

hello! you have your hands full. i would recommend to get some advantage. it is over the counter & the fast working - starts in 20 minutes. I WOULD NOT GET ANY HARTZ or ZODIAC products. I was a vet tech we saw many cats with neurological issues after using these products. Using a bombing product would help get things under control faster, but if you are unable to, using advantage alone will help, but you will need to use the product for about 3-4 months straight to do so.
good luck!!!!

just want you to know that flea collars are useless and fleas can live anywhere.
to get rid of fleas you have to break the life cycle.

First you have to buy foggers to "bomb" the house. I highly recommend the Zodiac product from petco (follow the directions carefully).

Second, you have to buy flea controll product for the cat (the drops you put on their back) I recommend Advantage. available at petco without a prescription.

The third step is treating the outdoor area with a sprayer product. this hooks up to a garden hose and you spray the entire area around the house.

its alot of time, money and hassle but you will be completly rid of fleas within a few days. just be sure to use the Advantage on the cat every 3 weeks to start. then switch to once a month year round or the fleas will find her!

First, be sure they are fleas. Fleas are pretty small, they have very hard bodies (try to squish one - it's pretty hard to do), and they jump, not fly. If you notice them on your legs only, they are probably fleas - they can't jump up to your head, for example.

They prefer to live on an animal - in the fur - instead of on people. The best place to see them on the cat is if you can turn the cat over and look at the relatively hairless area of the belly. You'll see them scooting around. If the flea collar has repelled them, they are probably in the rug waiting for someone (YOU!) to walk by. Their bites are red and very itchy. Vacuuming won't get rid of them - and there may be eggs in the carpets as well.

The only treatment I know of is a "flea bomb" that you set off inside the closed house (windows closed). The fumes kills the fleas. You will have to leave the cat outside - very important. If there are any other pets, like birds, remove them to your house. For fish, cover the tank so no fumes from the flea bomb get in the water. Shut the house up for the amount of time it says on the product - not sure if one treatment will take care of it. But it's a good time to do it while your sister is away.

Good luck!

You need to flea bomb the house! No one even the cat cannot be in the home while it is done. Also I recommend a flea dip not just the collar for the cat. Check with a vet or groomer.

hi,
we had the same problem once. you have to call a pest control so they can spray the entire place. toss any area rugs. bombing on your own doesn't work. call a professional. then, put the cat on a flea control, not just a collar.

Hi S. L,
You should purchase some Frontline or advantage flea and tick remedy from your sisters Vet. and yes fleas can live in the rugs, She should probably flea bomb or spray the house when she returns from vacation. also bathing in tea tree oil helps but cats are not easy to bathe. Good luck!! G.!

I have has this problem in the past when my cat got out and came home with fleas and I got the flea stuff from the vet that you put on the back of the cats neck. I don't think flea collars work for cats that already have fleas. I believe the stuff you get from the vet is stronger than what you can buy at the pet stores and the vet will put it on for you if you ask, it should only cosh around $15. Then I would wait a day and then take the cat out of the house and do a flea bomb which you can get a the hardware store. You'll need to vent the house out well before returning the cat to the house. Afterwards you should wash all the surface areas down and vacuum well. One treatment should definitely help but it may not get everything the first time but then again it might. I once watched my friends cat that was covered in fleas and I didn't realize this for two nights so I thought that I was going to have to bomb the house. I just brought the cat to the vet had them put on the flea stuff and the next day all the fleas were dead. Hope this helps. Good luck!

My dogs had fleas and they are a pain to get rid of. Bombing the house and flea collars dont work because fleas have different cycles and can only be killed during a specific one. Frontline worked the best but it does take a while for it to work. Basically the dogs (or cat) is protected and the fleas have nothign to live on so die but like I said the cycle has to be right so it takes a little while. Good luck!

Your pregnant sister will be fine around the the house and cat as long as she avoids petting hte cat right after front line is applied and stays out of the house along w/ everyone and the cat while the house is bombed. If she is concerned they do make natural flea products that are available in most stores.

Use 20 Mule Team Borax it is a natural all purpose cleaner with many uses!Can be found in your laundry detergent section of any store.We have put it in a can with holes sprinkle on rug safe for pets and children leave on for a couple of day's vaccum up and re apply as needed.As eggs of fleas will hatch out you can use on furniture also.May have to go to your vet for front line for fleas an ticks.Hope this helps as it has for us.
C.

Hi, Oh yes fleas can live in rugs! Fleas can live for 110 days just about anywhere. In that time they need a blood meal to reproduce. Once they get it there's no telling how many fleas there will be! They multiply fast! I use Frontline (drops you put on the back of the cats neck) and they are all gone the very next day. It is a little costly ($45 for three tubes, each tube lasts for a month). Then spray the rugs and furniture with Raid flea spray. That ought to do it. I word of warning. Fleas carry many germs and also cats can get tapeworm if they are bitten enough.

HI

Sounds like you need to doa flea bomb. They can live in carpet, sofas, bedding. You can the bombs in the house hold iles with other pest control products. Best to get it done while they are on vacation because you need to leave the house for a few hours.

good luck

Umm yes fleas are a true pain in an outdoor animals life!
There is a reason why you were chosen to watch your sisters cat. Please - I have read the other 12 responses in hopes not to just be so redundent but allot of them say the only thing that will work is true. How infested the living space is how you have to go about this problem.
A flea dip for the cat is an ideal for the cat (preferably by a vet)then followed wth the Advantage applications wich go on the back of the neck.
Now to rid them of the house - you can do it yourself with the flea bombs from Ace Hardware or probably Wal-Mart has them too but there is alot of work to be done. Do not buy them sparingly one more is better than less.
"READ THE INSTRUCTIONS" and precations carefully.
You may be putting pillows in trash or stuffed animals in plastic bags for 7 to 8 days? It has been about 15 years since I had a problem. I had a dirt cellar then.
If money is available, yes call the pest controll. I think there is one in Greenland that is "Bio-Spray" which is allot more enviroment friendly. Call around for pricing. One more thing, please, STOP bringing the fleas in your home. With the little children you will have much bigger of a hassle to deal with in yours.
I realise that you wanted a quick fix but there is none. If you choose to try the Borax soap please tell everyone if it worked. I would be surprised but with allot of work I guess it might do. Call a professional (vet or exterminator)so it will set better with you for your choice. They will give you the egg life and facts on the bagging of toys etc.
Good luck - you are doing the right thing. For the cat and the house.

I had the same issue before. Yes they live in rugs and in many things. You would need to take the cat to have a flea dip bath. During that time you would wash everything in your house. In our case we flea bombed our cellar. You would clean teddy bears..etc. Advantage worked great for our animals. It's hard for an outside cat to not get any fleas, but maintenance is key. The Advantage worked great. Wash the rugs and maybe treat it. You might look into non toxic variations because of the children and day care.

Good luck
T.

Spread Borax over the carpet and let sit for a few hours then vaccuume.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf747531.tip.html

Good Luck

As a veterinarian who has treated many cases of toxicities from flea products inappropriately placed on cats, I would just advise you to be very careful. Be very cautious with pesticides including flea colors. Never use a product marketed for dogs on a cat, and be very careful about products that you buy from a pet store. Advantage or Frontline for Cats are safe for the cat and for the children. In many cases you might not even have to treat the home after applying one of these products, but sometimes a carpet treatment is also neccessary. Also your sister should have her cat seen by a vet because fleas carry tapeworms. The cat should be treated for tapeworms which can be done easily with a tablet or injection.

Good luck.

E.

Eeesh... Yes, fleas can live in rugs... And blankets, and pillows. If you have a bad flea infestation, you may need to bomb the house with a flea killer!

At the very least, the cat needs a flea dip and everything needs to be washed - some things need to be thrown away too. What joy....

Really and truly, shame on your sister for not taking care of her cat. It is terribly irresponsible of her not to be sure her cat is healthy and taken care of - and comfortable! (Can you imagine the discomfort of being infested with fleas?)

What a good sister and cat caretaker you are to try to help this animal. Please also check carefully for ticks as it seems she is doing nothing to prevent them either...

Why not give a vet a call and ask this question? I'm sure any one of them would be happy to have a conversation with you about cat care. Sounds like you need professional help here! (Maybe even call pest control to fumigate for you...)

This is a big job and I am sickened that anyone would be so irresponsible with an animal. It's totally unnecessary too - all that cat needs is some Frontline (though it is very expensive - as pet ownership tends to be.)

Please keep us posted about this poor helpless animal that is at the mercy of your sister!

If it is just a minor case we have done this.

Put the flea collar on when the cat goes out so it does not pick up fleas & the ones it has on it will jump off. Then take it off when it comes in the house. The cat picks up the ones that are there & takes them outside.

If you see one flea then there are 100 you don't see. They can definitely live in rugs.

If that doesn't work or it's more serious you need to flea bomb the house. Check a pet store for what they recommend.
Good luck.

Fleas do live in the rug. Fleas that have babies, have like a hundred at a time. Believe me, we had this problem 2 years ago when our cat had fleas. We had to get rid of the cat and sign up with Terminex. We also got a dumpster and threw out most of the things in our basement ( litterbox was down there ). I had alot of memory things I had to get rid of because of fleas. This problem is not taken care of by vaccuuming, they are still living in the vaccuum. Get professioals to help right away before the problem gets worse.

Hi there,

Go to the garden or feed store (or amazon.com) and buy some food grade diatomaceous earth. It is fairly inexpensive and non-toxic, but it kills fleas, mites, lice and even bed bugs by cutting through their exoskeleton and dehydrating them! It is perfectly safe for people and animals- even if ingested. (Just don't breathe it- like any powder, it could coat the lungs.) Rub it on the cat and sprinkle it all over the carpets, under furniture, etc. If they have furniture that can be vacuumed, vacuum the furniture and carpets before doing this. Leave it there for several days and then vacuum it up and reapply if necessary. Your sister can even add some DE to the cat’s food to help repel fleas (also can add garlic.) This really works and eliminates the need for yucky chemicals!

You’re really thoughtful for wanting to take care of this for her while she is away!! Let me know if you need any more details!

M. Kaye
Healthy Homes Cleaning
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www.healthyhomescleaning.com