FLEAS ugh

Of course I would find fleas today because the universe has it out for me, I am home alone with my 9 week old and 21 month old recovering from extremely painful pancreatitis and gallbladder surgery and now there are fleas on both of my cats and I found a dead flea in my son's bed, it's making me sick to my stomach. DH is on his way home from work so we can take the cats somewhere. WHERE can I take them to get a flea bath and what should I do for my home that is safe for my babies as well?

Re: FLEAS ugh

When i found fleas on my dog and cat we used Frontline on them and the fleas were gone in maybe a day or two. We vacuumed and washed all bedding.

I believe if you bring your pets to petco/petsmart they do flea dips theres

Re: FLEAS ugh

I know that feeling! We discovered fleas on our INDOOR cats the day we brought our newborn DD home from the hospital!

My DH nearly died- he was freaking out they;d get on the baby!

We did Frontline-it worked pretty quick but we made sure to use the full 3 courses just in case any fleas were still left in our house somewhere, etc

Message edited 5/31/2012 10:33:43 AM.

Re: FLEAS ugh

Frontline is the way to go. Extremely safe and stops many of the lfea's life cycle stages, which is what you want. A flea dip will only kill live fleas on the cat, and your cat will come home and just get more fleas b/c they are already in your household (along with their eggs and larva).

So get to your vet to get Frontline and it will break the cycle, which is the ONLY way to get rid of fleas. And frontline is safe to use around the baby, you just keep the baby away until it"s dry.

Trust me please...fleas dips can be harmful and don't do anything about what is going on in your home. I speak from experience so please get FRONTLINE from your vet (NOT ONLINE AS THERE ARE MANY knock offs that may actually say frontline but are NOT!!!).

HTH

Re: FLEAS ugh

I would highly recommend the Victor Ultimate Flea Trap. It is the best invention ever. We are a multi-cat home, and these flea traps start working the second you put them down.

Re: FLEAS ugh

frontline stopped working for us. Just started using advantage for cats. Praying it works! Heard the fleas will be bad this year!

Re: FLEAS ugh

So we used Advantage as per my SIL who was a vet tech up until recently. We put it on them as directed but are still finding a flea here and there and the cats are scratching every once in awhile. Is this normal? We called our exterminator and he said that he wouldn't spray the house unless it was bad. He says he goes to peoples homes and their white socks turn black just by walking in the home, he says THAT'S when he will spray because the situation is bad. He said finding one or two every few days isn't that bad and that they will bite the cats then eventually die off and to let the cats roam every room and not keep them out of places so that the fleas can jump on the cats to eventually die.

Does this sound normal, is this how it works? The Advantage box said they would be dead in 12 hours and it's been a week, they aren't dead lol.

Re: FLEAS ugh

Yes it is normal b/c you have various life stages of the flea inside your home already. The fleas laid eggs before the advantage, so yes, you will still live fleas.

Does Advantage work for all life cycles of the flea or just kill adult fleas? Thats why I recommended Frontline, since it kills 3 stages of the flea's life cycle.

Re: FLEAS ugh

FLEAS ugh

Just bumping this...I found three fleas in my house this week. My cat was treated with frontline (saw the fleas where he was sleeping after I treated him with frontline) but I think I am getting bit now. This is super frustrating!!! We have had cats for like thirteen years and have never had fleas before. I am absolutely terrified of an infestation! I have treated the kids bedrooms and the living room. Wish me luck!

Re: FLEAS ugh

Re: FLEAS ugh

Vacuum alot and wash the cat's bedding, etc, often in hot water and dry it.

Apply the Frontline monthly, and within a few mths all should be ok.

Frontline may make you see more fleas b/c it makes them hyper excitable and I have found the actually jump OFF the pet when you use the Frontline (but dont worry, they will die).

FLEAS ugh

Judy's quick update, I went into the vets today to talk to someone and sh told me that this year is terrible for fleas and there is an epidemic in the uk because of the crappy weather this summer. She also told me that the fleas seem to be immune to frontline this year so I got something called advantage. I have washed, vacuumed and treated the whole house, but I seem to be getting bitten. I wish they would disappear soon!