Chloe and Misty have Fleas!!! Help!!

[Donna]

Oh the shame :oops:

I dont know how it happened, but I forgot to Frontline the cats last month and now they both have fleas.

I havent seem them itch too much, but my first sign of something wrong was Chloe covered in scabs. At first I thought they were from Misty as they are forever squabling and hitting out at each other, but the scabs didnt go away, but more kept appearing....

Me being thick didnt put two and two together....

Well I used a flea comb and found one live flea on Chloe which started jumping all over the place, landing on daughter Emma - we were both screaming :oops: :lol: Was scary!!

Anyways think I caught it and flushed it down the loo, and didnt find anymore "live" ones, but did find flea dirt...

Frontlined them both immediately. Have been hoovering and washing everything today. Downstairs floors are laminate so washed them all. All bedding has been taken off and I am slowly :roll: getting through all that in the machine/tumble dryer...

Is this enough to get rid of everything? In six years of cat ownership I have never had this problem before so unsure if I have done things right. I dont want to spray chemicals around the house as the kids asthma is triggered by things like that.

Will Chloe just heal up re the scabs? It feels terrible. And why does Chloe have scabs and Misty has no scabs, but evidence of fleas too?

HELP!

[trick]

To find out if there are adult flreas in the house put a bowl of warm water on the floor before going to bed and as they are attracted to the warmth by the morning you may find fleas in it.
If they have layed eggs in the house you may need to use a chemical spray, one application round the skirting of your rooms usualy lasts a whole year. I have been told by a pest control man that its harmless to everyone but fleas???
Good hunting.

[Manyana13]

oh no :oops:

When we got our puppy the frontline wasnt working on her (we now use a differnt product on her), but we saught advice and cleaned everything, sprayed the skirtings etc. One thing we were told over and over, is to treat even the areas that the animals don't go to regularly like under the bed, behind the sofa etc as these larva's can sit dormant and 'come alive' when disturbed (by vibrations or noise), so can sit there for months if not treated. They lie dormant all over the house, but obviously on busier areas will come alive. We were also advised to hoover before we treat, as it awakens them all and then the treatment is more effective.

We did all these things and it worked. Good luck ;)

[angieh]

Fleas are horrid things. I would think that Chloe's scabs are because she has a flea allergy, whereas Misty doesn't. If you get rid of the fleas, the scabs will go.

Flea dirt is a mixture of flea excrement and eggs. You need to treat any pet bedding with spray and make sure that it is a sort that will kill the eggs and larvae. I found that those sticky rollers are very good at getting everything up off fabrics and you can use the rollers on human bedding, whereas you should not use flea spray there. Otherwise, it's as other posters have said - vacuum and spray, especially around skirting boards and carpets. Take special notice of the instructions on the spray can and use a spray that works, or all your hard work will be wasted. I found Acclaim works very well, it's expensive but goes a long way.

If you want to make sure that all live fleas are off Chloe and Misty, you could always try giving them a Capstar pill, which will kill all living fleas, but will not destroy eggs or larvae.

Good luck.

Recently, Dandysmom has used an electric flea trap to good effect. See http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=37072

[Mags]

I haven't used Frontline on Cassie for a couple of years now. My vet told me that he had received complaints from several pet owners saying that the Fronline treatment wasn't getting rid of their pet's fleas. He has now switched his flea treatment to Advocate, which is what Cassie has now.

Good luck Donna, I hope you can get rid of these little critters...:)

[dandysmom]

I won't use chemical sprays, but have found the flea trap works quite well. Also, if you can still find flea powder put some down and hoover it up, before and after; it will kill any fleas you vacuum up so they won't multiply in the bag. Good luck!!

[Kazz]

I haven't used Frontline on Cassie for a couple of years now. My vet told me that he had received complaints from several pet owners saying that the Fronline treatment wasn't getting rid of their pet's fleas. He has now switched his flea treatment to Advocate, which is what Cassie has now.

Good luck Donna, I hope you can get rid of these little critters...:)

I must admit I used to swop and change the flea treatments for the cats every 4-5 years as I swear Oscar's main associates in the cat world were the flea carrying kind:roll:. and although they did not bother him Cleo always came out in scabby lumps at the mere mention of fleas:cat1. the dog has always had stronghold.:-D

[lynz85]

eugh, fleas! nasty little poops! it took me a good 3 months to get rid of every sign of a flea in my house! i used to be sitting on the couch then suddenly they'd come jumping out from under *still shudders at the thought!*. yes, great advice given already, as said hoovering regularly is important, dont waste your money on they flea bombs etc. if you go to a pound shop, they should have a large container of ant powder(same ingredient as in the bob martin flea powder but cheaper), shut the cats out the way, sprinkle it all over your carpets, leave for a bit then hoover up. also for catching any you find bouncing about lol, a bit of sticky tape does the job, they take ages to drown!

[dandysmom]

eugh, fleas! nasty little poops! it took me a good 3 months to get rid of every sign of a flea in my house! i used to be sitting on the couch then suddenly they'd come jumping out from under *still shudders at the thought!*. yes, great advice given already, as said hoovering regularly is important, dont waste your money on they flea bombs etc. if you go to a pound shop, they should have a large container of ant powder(same ingredient as in the bob martin flea powder but cheaper), shut the cats out the way, sprinkle it all over your carpets, leave for a bit then hoover up. also for catching any you find bouncing about lol, a bit of sticky tape does the job, they take ages to drown!

A trick I used years ago when I had a bad infestation was to put a mug of boiling (well, just boiled) water next to me on the table, and as I flea combed the cat, pop it quickly in the water when I'd gotten a few ... killed the little ^$*#@)! immediately! :-D

[angieh]

..... or make a cup of tea!

One, two, three
Mother caught a flea ..................

[Donna]

Thanks for all the tips... I am still washing and drying clothes and bedding!! Machine has been on ALL DAY!! I have sprayed around the house too.

I put the frontline on them at around4pm yesterday and the cats are still acting like they have fleas.. Chloe is acting very strangely - she has wanted to be outside all day which is most unusual. She is acting very skittish and spending a lot of time licking herself and biting herself... Would of thought the fleas would of died after 24 hours of frontline?

[angieh]

Frontline MAY not be working ................. as Mags said. Same thing happened with me a couple of years ago. My vet no longer recommends Frontline and has just gone over to Advocate after a couple of years of Stronghold or Advantage.

Chloe's behaviour would indicate to me that she is still being bitten.

[Donna]

Frontline MAY not be working ................. as Mags said. Same thing happened with me a couple of years ago. My vet no longer recommends Frontline and has just gone over to Advocate after a couple of years of Stronghold or Advantage.

Chloe's behaviour would indicate to me that she is still being bitten.

Should they have died by now? I am so worried about this :( I have a cat flea shampoo - should I try this? Or will it wash off the frontline?

[lynz85]

she may be acting like this if new fleas are hatching and jumping on her and biting, once they bite her they will die and cant reproduce. i would comb her regularly aswell to get rid of any of these ones. its horrible to see them acting twitchy!

[Shelley123]

Should they have died by now? I am so worried about this :( I have a cat flea shampoo - should I try this? Or will it wash off the frontline?

Donna, the Cats will still be itching due to the bites they already have.
The only way to tell if there are live fleas are to comb the cats to see if you catch anything.
I wouldn't use another product like the shampoo so soon.
You are lucky if you have never had this problem before, they are a very common problem when you keep animals.

[Donna]

I cant bear to see Chloe suffering, but if I cant use anything else i am stuck!!!

[Shelley123]

Donna,
sometimes they can have a reaction to the flea treatment too.
If the behaviour continues after the weekend, maybe the vet can advise.

[dandysmom]

Keep flea combing them, I suspect also that the Frontline isn't working.

[Donna]

Keep flea combing them, I suspect also that the Frontline isn't working.

I just combed Chloe.. found one tiny one that I killed... she absolutely hates me combing her though and its a real struggle.

[dandysmom]

That makes it difficult! All of mine have loved being combed, so never a problem. Will Misty let you comb her?

[Donna]

That makes it difficult! All of mine have loved being combed, so never a problem. Will Misty let you comb her?


She not that happy about coming either.. but she isnt bothered by the fleas it appears... she has no scabs or anything...

Both cats are hiding out of my way!

[angieh]

I would try to keep up the combing and phone your vet for advice on Monday. But to be honest, when my poor elderly Merlin had fleas in his final year, the vets were no help at all. I used one Capstar tablet, household spray and sticky roller. Unfortunately the fleas had done their job and Merlin was anaemic. I couldn't really comb him because he was terribly thin by then.

Best thing is - learn about the life cycle of the flea and attack them at all stages.

I may have a few Capstar tablets left - if they are still in date, I would be happy to send you a couple. I'll check tomorrow and let you know.

[Donna]

I would try to keep up the combing and phone your vet for advice on Monday. But to be honest, when my poor elderly Merlin had fleas in his final year, the vets were no help at all. I used one Capstar tablet, household spray and sticky roller. Unfortunately the fleas had done their job and Merlin was anaemic. I couldn't really comb him because he was terribly thin by then.

Best thing is - learn about the life cycle of the flea and attack them at all stages.

I may have a few Capstar tablets left - if they are still in date, I would be happy to send you a couple. I'll check tomorrow and let you know.

That would be very kind - I am happy to send whatever they cost to you! Can the tablets be used in conjunction with the spot on ?

[angieh]

I am very sorry to say that my remaining tablets are out of date Donna. I would have been happy to send a couple to you no problem. However, out of date tablets are never a good idea (Nov 2009) as you can't be sure they will still work.

You can buy them on the Internet. I've had a look this morning and found this site (https://www.petcaremart.co.uk/Products.aspx?id=1&Product=Capstar_for_dogs_&gclid=CPOP-6fPgaQCFUc_4wodbFJR4Q). You only need to use one at a time per cat and you can use it in conjunction with a spot-on. I would ring your vet tomorrow and tell them the Frontline is not working and ask for an alternative. Stronghold is good, as is Advocate.

[Donna]

Thanks, I will order some tablets. I will have to get the vet to prescribe something better than Frontline, cos I cant go through this again!

[angieh]

Good luck - I know what it's like and sympathise. My OH, who in the past has not been troubled with flea bites has multiple bites just now. We think Harley is the carrier and have just given him Advocate yesterday (he'd had Stronghold before). Hope we have enough time to make sure the fleas and their "stages" are cleared before the central heating goes on, or we'll all be hopping!

Let us know how you, Chloe and Misty get on.

[Donna]

I have just ordered the tablets.. hope they come quick!! If the fleas dont go away after that I dont know what I will do!!

Will speak to vet about different flea treatments I think!

[fancyabrew]

capstar is also sold as 4 fleas (johnson & johnsons) and as a bob martyn product, they're all the same pill just diffrant name

[angieh]

Thanks for that fancyabrew - I didn't know that.

[fancyabrew]

be aware that if the cat has quite a few fleas it will go BONKERS after 30mins or so of being given a pill, and is likely to run around and scratch/lick for quite sometime after. It does say this on the packet, and is normal but it can look a little concerning

[random]

Hope you have the fleas under control now, it does take a few days for all the fleas to go after the cats have been treated as they will only die after they have bitten the cat and ingested the frontline, so all the fleas around the house and those just hatching e.t.c. need to bite one of the girls before they die, if that makes sense? So It will take a while if you don't treat the house. But take all the cushions up off your sofa and THOROUGHLY hoover EVERYWHERE, as DM said, bit of ant powder or flea powder in the hoover will kill them in there.

[Donna]

Hope you have the fleas under control now, it does take a few days for all the fleas to go after the cats have been treated as they will only die after they have bitten the cat and ingested the frontline, so all the fleas around the house and those just hatching e.t.c. need to bite one of the girls before they die, if that makes sense? So It will take a while if you don't treat the house. But take all the cushions up off your sofa and THOROUGHLY hoover EVERYWHERE, as DM said, bit of ant powder or flea powder in the hoover will kill them in there.

Well there appears to be less scabs on Chloe's back so that is a good sign. They do still scratch/twitch a bit so think there are less fleas, but not all gone. I know it will take ages to get rid of them so will make sure I am up to date on treatments from now on :oops:

I did spray around the house, and hoover and clean everywhere so hopefully I have minimized the problem.

The flea tablets arrived today - not quite sure how I am gonna get them to eat a tablet though as they have never taken one since they were born :roll: :D

Not sure whether to do the tablet now the fleas seem to be going slowly..

[dandysmom]

I think I'd check with the vet before giving (or trying to!) the tablets. It may be a bit of overkill; not sure if it would be good for them in conjunction with the dosage they've already had........ ???

[angieh]

IF you decide to give them the pill Donna - don't be alarmed. The cats will react to the fleas which twitch as they die. Doesn't last long, but would be concerning if you are not prepared.

I don't think it will hurt - the rescue centres use these pills routinely when they take in a new cat just to make sure there are none hopping. It won't kill eggs and larvae however.

[Donna]

I did give them the pill in the end.. both had it easily mixed up with some of their dinner... I didnt notice any strange behaviour so I assume there are not many fleas to twitch and cause the cats some strange behaviour!

I think I am over panic mode!

[angieh]

That's good news Donna. You just need to make sure that any eggs or larvae are hoovered up and fingers crossed, that should solve the problem.

[calismum]

Glad to hear they're on the way out.

[Donna]

That's good news Donna. You just need to make sure that any eggs or larvae are hoovered up and fingers crossed, that should solve the problem.

The kids think I have OCD at the moment with my cleaning :-D

[Donna]

Thought I would update as I was a bit OTT with worry over this!!

Seem to have things under control. All the scabs have gone from Chloe which must mean the fleas are dying/dead..

I sprayed the whole house and the frontline and flea tablet seems to have worked. I will make sure I dont forget the cats flea treatment again!!

Thanks for all the advice - it kept me sane!

[angieh]

So glad you have been successful Donna. It's horrid, I know - I don't blame you for panicking. Glad that us Catseyers could help.