I have a horrible cat flea problem, what should I do???

Question

I have tried sprays, collars, baths, drops to the neck, and carpet sprays, yet cannot get rid of my cat's fleas. I don't know, is there another way? Anybody ever been successful in getting rid of them? Please help, my poor kitty is scratching himself to death!!

Answer 1

go to the vet and buy 'advantage'. its milder than frontline but powerful against fleas. definitely better than any drops you buy at the store. don't bathe him after applying this. you dont want to wash it off. it will quickly kill his fleas (comb them out) and it eventually kill the fleas in his bedding and carpet as he rolls around and spreads the advantage on contact. to prevent re-infestation--reapply every 28 days on the dot! be aware that cats gets worms from swallowing fleas, have him checked at the vet, the store dewormers are not effective against all worm types.

Answer 2

ok this is gonna take some work and time. first you have to stay on schedule monthly with something topical like frontline or advantage or even revoultion.

now you have to treat the enviroment also. the whole damn house!!! fleas have a 4 stage lifecycle and can control when they hatch! so you have to get a carpet spray that has an IGR in it. Insect Growth Regulator. this kills 3 of the lifestages. spray everything and everywhere. fleas will lay eggs in non high traffic areas. so under things and along base boards etc. wash all cat bedding in hot wather with bleach if possible. set off foggers not bombs with the IGR, foggers stay low to the floor, the bombs suck cuz they go up and back down. you may have to do this every 2-3 months for up to a year to get rid of all the pesky lil critters. but you want to make sure that you do indeed have fleas. just cuz your cat is scratching like mad doesn't mean fleas. allergies to food will do this also. good luck and hope this helps

Answer 3

fleas are horrible this time of year, for some reason. every person i know that had animals, had trouble with fleas at the same time. next year, be prepared with the advantage, sprays, carpet sprinkle, bombs, whatever you can think of. in the time being, (i just went through this) call your vet to make sure its safe to re-apply drops, bathe them every two to three days, (with most drops, you can bathe them after a few days without washing away the drops) use carpet sprinkle even under the furniture, under the beds, and use spray for upolstry. spray it down in the cracks of the cushions, on your curtians, wash your rugs and bedding, and even use the spray in your car. this sounds like alot, and may take a couple days, and if the shampoo for fleas is irritating thier skin,(could be why he's scratching so much) blue dawn does help. it makes the fur nice and smooth, and makes it hard for the fleas to attatch to, and is gentle on thier skin. and also, make sure your kitty is staying healthy, i'd take him to a vet and have him checked out. i got my cat from another home, and she was soo infested with fleas, that they made her sick. most of this stuff takes a couple days to work, but be consistent. most flea control products only kill the adult fleas,which is why it takes so long to get rid of the fleas. i'd get some stuff that kills the adult fleas, eggs, and larve (baby fleas). anyway, good luck with your kitty!

Answer 4

Ok...this is all the stuff I did to rid my kitties of them pesky buggers: bathe them with a very small amount of Dawn dishsoap in the water then after they are dry, apply ADVANTAGE for CATS, buy a flea comb and comb them out everyday (preferrably outside), buy a jug of salt and pour it EVERYWHERE your cats hang out...even all over the carpet and sofa...wait a day then vacuum it all up and throw out the vacuum bag immediately. Continue vacuuming every day (throwing out the bag each time right away). This worked for me, the salt thing is my Grandma's secret tip...not sure if the salt kills the eggs or if it's just a way to make us vaccuum every possible spot the eggs could be. It works though. When throwing out the vacuum bags place them in the trash outside...not inside or the fleas will escape back into your house. Good luck!

Shopping List:
Flea comb
Dawn dishsoap
Advantage for Cats
Salt
Vacuum bags

Answer 5

There is a medication called Capstar your vet can give to your cat to kill the existing fleas already on him. Advantage or Frontline should have worked, just keep reapplying it monthly. Once the fleas are finally gone, I'd recommend calling a professional exterminator to make sure the fleas are out of your home.

Also consider the possibility that the problem isn't fleas. Regardless, talk to your vet to discuss treatment options.

Answer 6

You have to use one of the remedies available only from your vet. I use Advantage and it keeps my cats flea and tick free for 3 months per treatment. I live in Floriduh, so the pests are of the atomic variety and Advantage wipes them our. Your cat won't talk to you for a couple of days, though because they hate the smell.

Megan makes a good point; it may not be fleas but a skin disease causing itching which in turn causes a LOT of scratching. Better check that out too, just to make sure.

Answer 7

I"m so happy your mum and dad theory throwing the cat out could help the undertaking,,it replaced right into a advise element to do. purchase some quite reliable flea powder..sprinkle your rugs and furnishings with it ...and vaccuum quite properly. Wash all sheets and linens in warm water. sell off the vaccuum cleanser bag at latest interior the trash and save doing this. as far because of the fact the cat is going..attempt to get some frontline and use that on the cat.

Answer 8

are you using veterinary licensed products form the vets?prescription products are the only products available that kill fleas. the drug store/supermarket/store products are not legally allowed to be strong enough to kill fleas and just repel. no use to anyone!!! if already used vet products then it sounds like you may have a huge flea problem and a fumigation may be needed. see your vet clinic for an appropriate product if not tried.
a huge infestation can have serious health issues for the cat if not controlled soon.
qualified veterinary nurse UK

Answer 9

use Frontline on the cat, vacuum the carpet daily and maybe call the pest control man to try to kill all the fleas

Answer 10

set off those flea bombs a couple times works great