Is it flees? It scratches but there are NO flees to see on me.?

Question

Dear People, a young, homeless cat is regularly visitting me, and I think he brought flees into my house. I've treated him with fronline yesterday (but most of it went on his hair instead of on the skin), and I cleaned and sprayed the house. My problem is that I scratch and I have a feeling that some mini insects are in my hair and on my skin -especially neck, legs, arms, genetials, back, I also have red marks. But there are absolutely NO flees to see. But I did find eggs and 'flee-****' on the cat blanket (which i have thrown away). My question is IF IT CAN REALLY BE FLEES OR NOT? It also scratches when I am at work (where it's very clean and there are no animals) but I thought that I would NOT be able to carry the flees or their eggs around with me, on me...PLEASE HELP so that I can do something fast! Thanks.

Answer 1

Sounds like Fleas. Wash the cat bedding and dry it throughly. Meanwhile take a antihistamine for yourself because it sounds like you may be allergic to cat Fleas.

Answer 2

It's time to g get some flea and insect "bombs". We're doing it today. It means everyone and all pets have to leave the house for several hours, while the bomb is killing insects in your home with some kind of nerve gas. Then it has to be aired out properly according to instructions.
It sounds like your homeless cat had more than just fleas. Can you take him to a groomer, at a place like Pet Smart, while your home is being bombed for fleas?
I went through this last week. When I took a bath at night, three times I found a flea in the bath water.
The Frontline drops should work, even as you continue to use them.
Good luck.

Answer 3

Often times sudden skin irritation (itching) can be attributed to a change in diet or sometimes an allergy. Hard to say if either one of these is the cause for this particular episode, but may be a good place to start your problem solving. Have you made any recent changes to your dog's diet? Has your dog been introduced or exposed to anything novel or new that perhaps triggered some sort of allergic reaction. I'm not a vet so I would never recommend any specific medication, but I have had dogs in the past with similar skin issues that would arise time to time and my vet recommended benadryl. If it persists I would definitey seek out a vet before any hotspots form.

Answer 4

Frontline spray is ok if you use it properly. Otherwise you would have been better using a spot on like Stronghold (revolution in the States). One simple application will kill them. Hpowever you need to also treat your home with a suitable product and then stay on top of your cat's flea medication for around 3 months in order to rid the place of fleas.Flea eggs will be in the carpet, your clothes, the furniture, the cracks around the doorframe etc etc. If the cat has fleas, he will also have tapeworm so you need to see your vet about getting an appropriate and effective worming regime going on.Treating the cat will certainly get rid of the fleas on him now, but they won't kill the ones living in your carpat and furnishings and neither will it kill the eggs and larvae living in those either.
I have never quite understood how people have so much trouble getting rid of fleas. I have 12 cats and 6 dogs living in my home and have always managed to get rid of fleas at the first sign of them. Perhaps that's the difference. The first sign of a flea and I treat the animals with a proper veterinary treatment immediately and repeat as necessary. I don't have carpets or curtains and I use a proper spray on the furniture and wash their bedding. Catch them early and it is easy to get rid of them, leave them until the house is well and truly infested and you have a major problem.
It won't be easy and it won't be cheap but go to the vet and tell them of the problem and buy a good treatment for your home and for the cat (spot on is easiest with cats).

Answer 5

ok if you have done frontline and sprayed your house if there is fleas they will be dead very soon, could you be getting bitten by something else like bugs outside in the garden? a chemist or doctor will be able to tell you if your bites are from fleas,
fleas can't live on humans only on animals so I think maybe you have some other kind of thing biteing you

Answer 6

You are right when you say you cannot carry the flea around with you,but they are hard to find when they do bite as they jump so quick.They can bury themselves in your carpets and lay dormant for a long time. Go to your doctor,the itching could be several things.If you are going to take the cat on as you own take it to the vet and get it treated . Good Luck

Answer 7

Hi, i have 3 cats and and was a breeder in the past.
Firstly.....you don't catch fleas, you can be bitten by them, which leaves you with an itchy red, inflamed skin, normally arouund the ankles and knees. i certainly think you should take your cat to the vets and yourself to a gp. from my knowledge you may have scabies.
Fleas love warm and humid environments, like your cat's fur.

Examine your cat's coat carefully especially behind the ears and towards the tail for evidence of fleas.

Even mild flea infestations can be spotted easily. While it is not always easy to spot an individual flea, it is usually easy to find flea droppings on a cat's coat. Flea droppings look like black specks of "coal dust" powder. to check for this, put a damp kitchen roll underneath the cat and rub its fur briskly with your fingers. Any flea dirt falling onto the wet towel will quickly dissolve to show a dark red smudge ( abloodstained circle spreading outwards).

Also, please beware of these horrendous fleas, as they are harmful to the cats.

Fleas are red-brown, wingless, jumping insects. They are visible to the naked eye but love your cats fur....where he sleeps....where u sleep.....blankets, clothes rugs....anywhere warm (central heating).

Adult fleas feed by sucking an animals blood and causes the cat to scratch and bite itself. On a serious note, the bites can provoke a severe irritation, leading to hair loss and thickening of the skin.

Please take the cat to the vet for more advice ( if u are using frontline...it must be sprayed on the skin, not the fur)

Vaccuum your carpets daily and get someone to defumigate your house.

ps: obtain a flea comb, to brush the cat regularly and seek help for yourself, please.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

Yes it definitely could be fleas. If you don't get Frontline onto the skin, it's pretty useless - and there's no guarantee you'd see the fleas, they bite then leave. I'd seriously consider getting a pest control expert in to defumigate your house, and if you're sure the cat's really homeless, take it to the vet and have it checked over and de-flead before letting it in your house again.

Answer 9

Meanwhile, for your own scratching relief
Please call your doctor. I am sure he will prescribe a shampoo for your whole body - and you can get over the itchy feelings...

Also, bomb the house for fleas - keep the Frontline protection up - and wait for the first frost of the year (if you get frost where you are)

and the very best luck to you.

Answer 10

A flea can bite you, then hop off and bite another area before you can react to notice it.

You will probably have to bomb - fumigate your entire home to rid yourself of fleas entirely. Spraying will not get rid of the eggs, just the fleas..