I am fostering a kitten for one week. I didn't know he had fleas until I brought him home. When I brought him in the house I let him out of the carrier in our guest room. He has been contained to the guest room (w/carpeting) for the entire time he's been here. My cat has not been near him at all. Will just my guest room be infested when the kitten leaves tomorrow or will my whole house be infested? I plan to throw out the pet bed he's been sleeping in and the sheets on the bed. I did give the kitten a bath every other day using baby shampoo and a flea comb as he is too young for chemical flea treatment. I noticed that he didn't have as many fleas on him after the baths but he's still got a few. Do I need to treat my entire house after he's gone? I've been monitoring my cat that lives here full-time closely and so far so good but I'm still worried.
2006-07-04 14:55:16 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Yes, your house is infested. They spread terribly; They can jump over six feet high, and they lay eggs like bunnies. They can even travel on you or your clothing without you knowing it.
There is a chemical treatment that's okay. Use Feline Advantage. It's the best product, and it will de-flea your home, too, if re-applied every three weeks. It's important to remember that it is dosed by weight, so if the kitten is under nine pounds, use the orange. If it's over nine pounds, use the purple. Treat your adult cat, too. It doesn't hurt them, and it's much cheaper than bringing in an exterminator.
The way it de-fleas your home is because it not only kills the adult fleas on contact, but as they fall off of the host's body, the chemical medication continues to spread. Also, when the pet dander falls off of your pets, any larvae that has been laid will eat the pet dander, thereby infecting (and killing) themselves before having a chance to hatch.
After everyone and everything is officially "de-flead" reapply Advantage once monthly as a preventative until after the first or second hard frost. Good luck!!
2006-07-04 15:10:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I doubt your whole house is infested, but even a few will make you uncomfortable.
The best thing you can do is get a prescription flea treatment from your vet for your own cat (that's who's going to suffer from any fleas left around)...the kind that kills fleas and eggs when they attach to your cat. Then bomb the bedroom.
Steam cleaning carpets doesn't do anything for fleas. You will just have an unnecessary expense that won't reap many rewards. Likewise for throwing out your sheets. If you wash them in hot water and bleach they'll be fine. The pet bed will be the place that the fleas will congregate. Slide it into a plastic garbage bag and take it out, then bomb the room and wash the bedding. You'll be fine.
2006-07-04 16:21:55 · answer #2 · answered by yellow_jellybeans_rock 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably your entire house will be infested. Get rid of the fleas before this happens. You could try closing off that room and using products to rid that room of fleas. Then monitor your cat closely to make sure there are no fleas. If you use a product for fleas on your cat it should not get any. If this is a foster kitten inform the animal shelter of the problem also.
2006-07-04 15:01:41 · answer #3 · answered by papricka w 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are seriously wanting to get the fleas out once and for all, call an Exterminator and have them give you a price. Prices change according the area and also how big your house is. Ask them what your options are and what can be done. Also, these fleas are feeding off something (Maybe besides you) so I would address whatever it is they are feeding on, possibly a dog or a cat. If you have a housepet that has fleas that needs to be addressed so you are not wasting your money doing the house. Advantix or Advantage are both great products that you can safely use on your pets to keep fleas and ticks off them. Call an exterminator before your house is unlivable.
2016-03-27 04:09:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fleas jump and get on you and you carry them to the rest of the house. So they probably will be everywhere. I have been told that you can put a plate of water with some dawn dish soap in the room and put a lamp close to the water to draw the fleas and you will be able to tell how much of an infestation you have. I have advantage on my animals and when the fleas jump on them they of course die from biting that animal. I don't put advantage or any thing of that nature on small animals or pregnant animals. The other animals take care of the fleas as they don't stay on one animal. Eggs take 2 weeks to hatch so if you bomb, be sure and get the kind that kills eggs also. Read and follow directions. Don't throw out your linens, just wash them all. Don't throw out the dog bedding, wash it like your linens. If you don't bomb spray the room and wash all bedding this will help get rid of them. Be sure and wash your bedding and your animals bedding.
2006-07-05 02:34:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anna 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fleas run in cycles. You can bomb the room and 2 weeks later more get born. What I ended up doing was bombing the room to kill the live ones then covering the entire carpet with powdered sevin and left it on for about 6 weeks (this was in my cellar and we did not need to be in that area). After 6 weeks vacuum the carpet and steam clean it. Monitor the rest of the house closely. If they spread (and they can) you will end up bombing the rest of the house more than once.
2006-07-04 15:13:29 · answer #6 · answered by smgray99 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chances are it's only a matter of time before the rest of your home and current kitty are infested. I worked at a humane society for 4 years and recommend ADVANTAGE. It's the only flea treatment we used. If your kitty stays inside you may only have to apply it once or twice, one treatment lasts a month. I don't agree with flea bombs and sprays as they are too harsh. If you do use Advantage make sure to use the name brand stuff not the knock offs and always follow the directions and weight limits
2006-07-04 15:20:15 · answer #7 · answered by Katt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Steam all the carpet in your home and try finding some flea killer or treatment [maybe give the kitten a bath] wash all the sheets and rugs.
2006-07-04 14:59:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be safe I would suggest flea bombing the whole house. Fleas could have jumped on you and gotten into the rest of the house.
2006-07-04 14:58:16 · answer #9 · answered by theoriginalquestmaker 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe there is a very high probability that your whole house could get contaminated. Those fleas can really get around.
2006-07-04 15:01:52 · answer #10 · answered by FL 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋