Help! Cat and impossible fleas?

Question

I hope someone can help, I am at my witts end.. my hat has OCD and on top of violently pulling his hair out, he has developed this flea problem in the last 4 months, and I mean to tell you nothing kills them.. he gets monthly treatments of frontline.. we bombed our whole home, we tried collars with the frontline, fleas spray, flea bath, we even shaved his tail which seemed to be the problem, anyway he looks horrible, he has lost weight and I feel like nothing we are doing is working.. why cant we get rid of him.. I am taking him to the vet today, but she will just say he pulls his hair from his OCD, I am so discouraged, I dont know what else to try, I dont want to get rid of him, but in 3 weeks I will have a newborn , and obviously they dont need fleas! help

I am certain he does have fleas, I combed him last night, and no he does not go outside!

Answer 1

First, are you certain that he still has fleas? One flea bite can set off a pretty violent allergic reaction in susceptible cats that can last a long time, especially in cats who are obsessive groomers.
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/lick.htm
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/news/fleas.htm

Try using a flea comb on his fur (look for a very fine-toothed comb from the pet store that is labeled a flea comb), and look for the pepper-like dried blood flecks that indicate the presence of fleas.

If he still has fleas, try using Advantage http://www.nofleas.com/
instead of Frontline (in my experience Advantage has been much more effective against fleas than frontline), and ask your vet about Capstar - it's a pill you give your cat that will kill all the fleas on him immediately. You can also put him on Program, which is an oral flea control that will sterilize any fleas that may make it in to bite him, so you won't have any fleas reproducing in your home. That will make bombing and spraying the house unnecessary. Stop using the flea collars, sprays, baths and bombs - cats are very susceptible to pesticides, and all those extra poisons may be making his hair-pulling worse (by irritating his skin) and may be making him ill. Plus, it isn't healthy for you or your baby on the way. Do you have any other pets? Make sure to treat all the pets in your household with Advantage. If all the pets in your household are treated, you can get rid of residual fleas in your home by washing all human & pet bedding, and vacuuming the house thoroughly (especially the furniture, under the cushions, and cracks & crevices in the floor), then wrapping the vacuum bag up in a plastic bag & throwing it away outside. Do not leave the vacuum bag in your house, or the fleas can get back out.

Do you have a yard? If you do, it's possible that stray animals, local wildlife, or neighborhood pets coming in your yard are dropping fleas & eggs in your yard and continually reinfesting your yard. If that happens, whenever a person comes or goes through the yard, the fleas can jump up on the person & hitch a ride into the house. The safest & most effective way to treat your yard is with predatory nematodes - little tiny things that eat flea larvae. You can get nematodes from some garden stores, and spray them on your yard, or you may be able to find a local 'green' exterminator who will treat your yard for you.

Answer 2

When you take the kitty to the vet ask about an oral medication they have to rid them of fleas, while kitty is out of the house bomb your home again. Vaccum everything even if you have hardwood floors, inside the couch, corners...EVERYTHING. Wash any bedding he uses, including all of your bedding. If he has an area that he uses alot to sleep, such as a closet etc...make sure you get in there REALLY good with some flea spray/powder then vaccuum like crazy. If kitty goes outside I would suggest not allowing it anymore, even if he is being treated with a monthly preventative he can still carry them back into the house which will cause a reinfestation once it wears off. Also have the kitty groomed, preferably by a professional groomer before bringing him back into the house or ask the vet to do it at the same time as the appointment.
As for the OCD, there ARE medications he can be put on to lessen the problems. My cat also has this and will never stop pulling the hair on his belly out, BUT with the help of medication he has stopped destroying himself. If your vet will not help, I suggest finding a new one. There is always a solution, I hope this helps! Good luck :)

Answer 3

Fleas are such a pain in the ****. I have yet to find a reason why God created these pests.

Having said that. You cannot bomb your house just ONCE. You must bomb it every third day for at LEAST a week. Eggs hatch every 3 days and trust me, fleas are EXTREMELY prolific so the egg laying is constant. So while the first bombing killed the living suckers, there will be eggs hatching....the vicious cycle continues if you do not kill off the new population as it occurs. I have used the type of bombs that require water activation. They seem to work the best. And when I did bomb, I used a TON of them. At least 4 per floor and I have 4 stories counting the attic.

If you are a brave soul, you can dip your cat in Malathion. I have done this quite successfully. It takes two people because you do NOT want your cat's head to get in the mix. Dip the cat all the way up to the neck. Let it sit in the warm mixture for a few minutes. You will notice the fleas running for the head. Take a Q-Tip and rub through the head with alcohol or a flea product. Blow dry the cat after it is RINSED. You MUST rinse the cat in a second bucket of clean water. Malatihion tends to repel fleas from returning to the cat. It is highly poisonous so due caution must be used.

You need to remove yourself from the house for at least 3 days to bomb twice. Then again in another 3 days. In the meantime, board your cat at the vets.

Fleas are so terribly virulent to the point of being insidiously evil when it comes to getting rid of them. Cats can die from flea anemia in a VERY short time. You must attack this problem aggressively. Weight loss could be sign of anemia or depression from the miserable attack it is experiencing.

Remember fleas absolutely MUST have water to survive for even part of a day. Always check around your cats eyes FIRST. Fleas gravitate to the tear ducts for moisture. Hence the premise of the flea collar dividing the body from the head/eyes.

For the scratching and hair pulling, get an "Elizabethan Collar". Your cat won;t like it much, but it will preclude access to the body and tearing of hair.

Flea infestation is a terrible nightmare to go through. Devastating to say the least. I will say an extra special for you as I know how horrible it can be. Best of luck to you and your "baby".

Answer 4

The reason you keep seeing fleas is that when the flea is in its pupae stage they're in a cocoon in your carpets, your animals bedding, and your furniture until something triggers them to emerge. Things that cause them to hatch are vibrations from you walking around and from the vacuum, warmth, and carbon dioxide from you and your pet exhaling. If you're house is severely infested it can take a while to completely get rid of all the fleas since there is no way to kill the fleas during the pupae stage. The flea can stay in its pupae stage for up to 6 months. Once the pupae hatches they immediately search for a host and bite within minutes of landing on its host. Your best bet is to keep him on the Frontline because it does work. Make sure it's Frontline Plus which kills adult fleas, larvae, and eggs. Another powerful flea medication is Capstar which is a pill you have to get from your vet. This kills adult fleas within 30 minutes of pill being ingested. You may want to bomb your house again as well. Fleas are tricky critters so patience is the only answer.

Answer 5

It sounds like you've tried it all, although hopefully not all at once because many of those products shouldn't be combined or used at the same time. There is another product like Frontline you might try, I think it's called Advantage. Also, I have one cat who tends to do the same thing and she actually has a flea allergy, which is a fairly common problem in dogs and cats. Her tail was nearly as bald as a rat's before we figured it out. Now, if it flares up, the vet gives her a shot (I think it's cortisone, but I'm not sure) and some pills and it soon clears up.

Answer 6

Anyone in the house complaining of flea bites? I know you had the house bombed, but they are persistent little buggers. Do you keep your cat indoors? If not, one of his friends may be the culprit.

I have never heard of a cat with OCD. I find that interesting. You seemed to have tried everything you can to help your cat. See what the vet says, but what I say is, you don't need fleas or a crazy cat around your baby. Sorry, I'd put her down.

Answer 7

Take him to the vet and get one of those white collars that prevents him from chewing his hair out by scratching. It sounds horrible, and I'm sorry that you have to deal with all the stress of a cat that has problems like that, especially if you are about to have a baby. One thing that seemed to work when my cat had fleas real bad was to rub rubbing alcohol all over him (basically dipping him in rubbing alcohol) twice a week. That seemed to kill the fleas and keep them off... Hope that helps...

Answer 8

well go buy the good flea stuff at the vet thats real high and soak him in it dont mix nothing with it and then get a flea comb and do it whenever you possibley can cause itll work i did it and it worked trust me i know and put a collar on him and theyll be easier to get with the comb cause they huddle under the collar and MAKE SURE WHEN YOU USE THE COMB THAT U USE IT OUTSIDE AT ALL TIMES OKAY cause they just jump off the comb and into the house lol? you dont want that

Answer 9

I'm not sure if it works but somebody said on here they smother the flea patches with honey and put the cat in a hot bath and the fleas come out.

Answer 10

I raise Bengals and Toygers, I find that the best way to rid cats of fleas is by using 'Dawn' dish washing soap (the original blue), it is safe and several organizations use it on animals that have been covered in oil from spills. I live in a sandy location that can sometimes over- whelm us with fleas. I also mash a fresh garlic clove in each of their feeding dishes twice a day. Please try this and retreat your home, just be careful using any "bug bombs" they can leave residue that can harm you and your pets.