Ack! Talk to me about de-fleaing please!

I found a flea today and I am freaking out about an infestation. I highly doubt we have one, but I want rid of them!

Any tips would be really appreciated!

TIA!!

Re: Ack! Talk to me about de-fleaing please!

If you have one, you can and likely will get an infestation. I am not kidding.

All you need to do is take your cat to the vet, and the vet will give you flea meds. The cat will take the flea meds (frontline, maybe a pill too depends on the vet). The fleas WILL jump on the cat. The fleas will get sterilized, and the flea life cycle will be broken, preventing an infestation.

That's all that is WORTH doing. No dips, no crazy vacuuming. It's that simple.

I would also wash all pet bedding in hot water and dry in a dryer.

I would not delay in getting to a vet if you seriously want to prevent an infestation. And flea baths DO NOT WORK BTW and are unsafe for pets.

Also invest in a flea comb and try to find live ones on your cat. Use a clear cup of water and dish detergent such as dawn. After combing your cat with a swipe, dip the comb in the water and submerge it to drown any live fleas. Works well to kill living fleas that you catch on the comb (combs work great btw).

I can't stress enough to you to get to a vet for flea meds (unless your cat is a kitten and too young for the meds but check with your vet first).

Message edited 2/3/2011 4:59:01 PM.

Re: Ack! Talk to me about de-fleaing please!

I had a total and complete flea infestation in my home. my indoor cat got fleas. a friend brought their dog to my house and along with the dog came the fleas.

fleas actually do not live on the animal. they just feed off the animal. fleas can also live in a dormant state for up to 2 years and can come back to life. they can sense the vibrations from movements or sound and are attracted to that.

had i just given my animal medication that would have done nothing. my animal needed a flea bath, along with flea medication (and I also had her tested for any diseased that could be carried by fleas, thankfully all came back fine) and since the fleas were ALL OVER my home, that needed to be taken care of.

I also had to kill the fleas in my home.... as they all fall into different stages of life this can be a tricky task. Most bombs and the such only kill the actual flea and not the other stages of this parasite (even if they claim to kill all stages, they do not!). so the larvae turn into eggs the eggs hatch and the fleas are there. so killing the fleas isn't simply enough. you have to kill ALL stages or you will have an on going flea problem for a good time to come. remember like i said..... they can live dormant for up to 2 years!!!!

the ONLY product that worked for us was SEVIN.. it's a flour like powder substance sold in the gardening section. it's mean for outdoor usage but is perfectly safe inside the home. i had it on my couch, rugs, furniture, bed, etc. you name it. we put it down. left the home overnight and came home to vacuum it up the next day. it works by dehydrating the fleas in all their stages. we tried everything and this was the only thing that worked!!! it was a miracle find.

now if the flea issue isn't a total and complete infestation then you might just be able to get away with just giving your animal the medication. do this monthly, very important. if you caught it ontime, this should be sufficient. if not... then I'd go with the SEVIN.