What is the best way to get rid of fleas from cats, carpet and furniture?

Question

We have 2 indoor cats so the fleas must be coming in from outside on us or our clothing, there are not a ton of fleas (we can't see them jumping on the cats or furniture) I have tried flea collars, flea baths, bombs, sprays for the house etc... nothing seems to completely get rid of them.

Answer 1

Step One. Any flea treatment will be less effective if the home is not prepared properly by completing the following steps:
* Remove all items, such as toys, clothes, and pet food from all floors.
* Remove all items from under beds and in the bottom of closets.
* Wash or replace pet bedding.
* Vacuum all carpets and rugs thoroughly, including beneath beds and upholstered furniture.
* Clean all wood, tile, and linoleum floors by sweeping and mopping.
* Clean concrete floors with soap and water in the garage, basement or enclosed patio where pets rest or stay.
* Remove all pets including birds and reptiles. Cover fish tanks with a damp towel and turn off the air pump.
* Replace any pet bedding outdoors and make all shaded areas, crawl spaces, etc. available for treatment.
* Arrange to be out of the home for several hours until the treatment has thoroughly dried.

Step Two. The homeowner needs to arrange for treating the pet. A number of products are available, and should be used under the direction of a veterinarian.

Petcor is one of those products on the market and it contains natural pyrethrins to immediately kill adult fleas and ticks, plus Precor� IGR, an insect growth regulator that kills flea eggs for 63 days after application. An effective addition to a flea and tick control Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy. Approved for use on dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. Convenient- Spray as needed.

Answer 2

You want to do a thorough job, and in the end it will be less expensive because the fleas will not return!

Fleas spend very little time on the animal. They feed, hop off, and lay eggs. The eggs hatch in about 3 weeks, jump back on and start the whole process again. The eggs can also lay dormant for up to a year.

What you need to do is give the cat a bath, rinse very well, and blow dry.

An alternative is to ask the vet for Capstar, which will begin killing fleas within half an hour. There are some very good flea prevention products on the market. My favorite is Frontline Plus. This kills fleas and prevents more from hatching. You apply it once a month.

In addition, you really need to treat your home with a flea “bomb”. My favorite brand is Zodiac with Precor. Kills the fleas and contains a growth inhibitor to prevent more from hatching. Lasts for 7 months. Then apply a premise spray under any large furniture, such as your couch.

If this is an outdoor cat (hopefully not), you may want to treat around your house as well.

Here are a few sites where you can buy these products:

www.jefferspet.com Jeffers Vet Supplies (Dr. Jeffers & vet techs answer questions, too)
www.petedge.com/PetEdge
www.drsfostersmith.comDrs. Foster & Smith

Answer 3

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Hey, Even if your landlord knew you had pets, they probably wouldn't treat your little infestation. But you can treat it yourself. =) There are a variety of flea powders, sprays, and wall plug ins that you could use. There are some that specifically say "Safe around pets & kids". You can buy these at Walmart, Target,, Hardware stores, etc. They're not very expensive. If that doesn't work, call a local exterminator & they have a spray that smells like an orange grove & kills the fleas within 3 days. Also, treat your cats with Frontline if you haven't already. Once you notice dead fleas on the carpet, start vacuuming every day. Vacuum your couch with the attachments. Sprinkle flea powder under the cushions. Wash all of your clothes & bedding in hot water. Wash anything you can with bleach. Wear pants & long sleeves & put "Off" or a similar product around your ankles, wrists, and ears. And until your little problem is gone, don't visit anyone else with pets-- you could spread them to your friends' houses. We're in the process of buying our first house. We've been in apartments for the 2 years we've been married. We also have a cat the landlord doesn't know about b/c a non-refundable deposit & a monthly fee is ridiculous. So I understand your position. Good luck!

Answer 4

Hi Laura...fleas have a lifecycle and there are some inexpensive solutions, however none are as effective as using either Frontline or Advantage are ideally the best solution. You can purchase these directly through 1800 Pet Meds http://www.1800petmeds.com/cat.asp?LV=10.

For some supplemental over the counter solutions consider sponge bathing a cat by using a damp washcloth with Pert Plus (not plain Pert) daily for a week...The human shampoo Pert Plus kills fleas but has little or no residual effect. In general, if a product contains pyrethrins and the label states that it is safe for cats and kittens. http://greyhound.marinar.com/html/faq.shtml (See section Special Medical Issues - 3rd paragraph).

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/greyhounds.html#smp (fourth paragraph)
Products containing Pyrethrins are generally safe to use... Additionally, the human shampoo Pert Plus kills fleas on the cats, although it has little or no residual effect. Lather, wait a few minutes, and then rinse.

Be sure to thoroughly rinse all shampoo residues so that the kittens do not ingest as it may still be upsetting for their sensitive systems.

For around the home use Borax (boric acid) on the flooring found at any grocer or drug store...kills fleas both by causing dehydration and by acting as a stomach poison in a matter of minutes. In laboratory tests boric acid damaged sperm and caused miscarriages. Just sprinkle and vacuum up and repeat two weeks later. http://www.pesticide.org/fleas.html (See section Less Toxic Chemical Controls)

Answer 5

First thing you want to do is put the cat's on Frontline Plus. Advantage works, but it only kills adult fleas. Frontline Plus kills adult fleas, larvae, and eggs....and it prevents more fleas from infesting your cat for up to 30 days.

For the carpets, try a specially formulated carpet powder. The nice thing about the Frontline Plus is that the fleas that are still in your home won't be able to reinfest your cats, so all you've got to do is purge them from your fabrics. I read an answer on here once about a woman using Dawn dish soap in a steam cleaner. She said it killed all the fleas in the carpet, but you have to make sure you rinse it really well or it will leave a film.

Answer 6

Are you ready to wage war? Cuzz that's what you are going to have to do. Here's what you have to do:

- go get some Adam's foggers. They are the best. You can find them at pet stores, and they kill the flea eggs. Unquestionablly the best fogger on the market.

- drop the cat off at the vet. Let them know that they need to dip it, and get them to put the Frontline on. Advantage doesn't work nearly as well.

- While cat is at vet, wash every linen on every bed you have in super hot water.

- After you have gotten all of your linens in the house either in the dryer or the washer, set off the foggers in every room of the house and open the closets.

This should do it. I had a flea infestation at my house on the beach due to my g/f's lack of diligence to nip this thing in the bud quickly, and this process worked. You will have to use the Frontline every month to make sure this never happens again too.

Answer 7

The best way to get rid of fleas from cats is to use this.. http://www.amazon.com/Bayer-Advantage-Large-9-Pound-6-Month/dp/B004QBDO0M/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&tag=gymp-20&ie=UTF8&qid=1407569322

It works really well and should rid your cat of those annoying, blood sucking fleas. As for getting them off your furniture, others here have given great suggestions.

Answer 8

Add a small amount of garlic powder in the cat food each day. Fleas hate it and they will eventually die off. I do it all summer long and never had fleas since.

Answer 9

quite the task indeed... i used the stuff you get at petco, advantix.. after about 2 months the fleas in the house began to die off. And vaccum regulary. And I tried carpet power to kill them.. I couldn't tell if it worked or not.

Answer 10

i have four inside cats and every season i use adams on them and they sell a carpet spray that i use on all my carpets and furniture us vacum it up and throw away the bag also around all your window screen by one of the flea bombs but don't use as a bomb and spray the screens every couple of weeks.