Cats and fleas, what is the best way to get rid of the fleas once and for all?? HELP?

Question

We have two cats one of which is about 11 years old. We moved into a new apartment and they somehow have fleas although they are both inside cats. We have tried the sprays on the carpet and the cats and the flee collars and advantage. Nothing has worked. Last weekend we combed them both and got a wet-vac for the carpet, put new flea collars on the cats and yesterday i noticed they are both still scrathcing and I can find new black things on their fur. I am going insane and we cant complain to the apartment office because long story short: they dont know we have cats since they changed management, old management was fine with our cats and told us not to bring it up to the new management. Any suggestions would be very helpful, please keep in mind that one cat is really old. THANKS!

Thanks you all, all of your suggestions are great! hopefully we can get rid of them!

Answer 1

Flea Collars don't work. period. They simply make the fleas migrate down towards the tail.

Advantage should work, but if your apartment is infested it will take a little time. I suggest continue using advantage (you should always be using advantage - don't stop) and purchase a flea spray (most vets sell them, you can get one at the same time you get advantage) and spray your house. Remember to have the kittys locked in another room while you do this with towels by the door.

Answer 2

There really is no way to ensure that your cats will NEVER have fleas - you can pick them up on your clothes just by being outside and around other animals. But, having said that, you can eliminate what sounds like a pretty bad problem in your house. The first thing I'd do is a cheap and really tried and tested remedy: Get a box of Borax powdered soap. Mix it 4-to-1 with salt. (4 parts Borax to 1 part salt.) Sprinkle it over all your carpets and then work it into the carpet. (You may need more than one box, obviously, depending on the size of your place). Leave it for a week, then vacuum. The combination of borax and salt kills the flea larvae in the carpets. Vacuum all your furniture really well, wash your linens, curtains and any kitty bedding that you have (you should wash that every couple weeks anyway).

If your kitties will tolerate it, give them a GENTLE shampoo bath - the flea soaps really don't do much and are hard on their skin. I use an oatmeal shampoo that I get from Petshed.com and it works really well and softens their skin. THEN, put advantage on your little guys and it should be much better. You may want to treat the carpet a couple times over a few weeks since it sounds like you have a pretty bad infestation.

You should also brush your kitties regularly. It does several things - helps prevent hairballs, excess hair flying around the house, helps keep their skin healthy and removes flea larvae - oh, yeah, and makes them look gorgeous! Always use a gentle approach to brushing. My cats love it - they love having me brush their cheeks just cuz it feels good and then they will sit still for the rest of the brushing. And, frankly, they love the attention.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Indoor-only cats still get fleas. tat2dbeagle is right about Frontline, it's the best. You can only get it from the vet, don't bother with ANY petshop products, including housesprays - petshops are not allowed to sell the drugs that actually work, so their products are worthless.

Here's your step to step guide for becoming flea frea!

+ dose each cat with Frontline drops OR spray. Spray works quicker but is messier and hard to get the right dose. Drops must get on the SKIN not the fur - part the fur to expose the skin and put in about 5 different places on the back of the neck.
+ vacuum all carpets and dispose of the bag OUTSIDE. Then spray ALL carpets, sofas and pet beddings with a spray FROM A VET SURGERY (Acclaim, Indorex, Staykil), following the dosing instructions on the can carefully.
+vacuum again the next day
+repeat pet treatment every 4-6 weeks, and house treatment is every 6 months?

Don't bother with flea collars, they only work if the flea actually walks over the collar - which they rarely do! Flea combs are also only to check for the presence of fleas, they don't kill them.

Chalice

Answer 4

Years ago, I had moved into a house that had an obscene flea problem. (The previous tenant had 12 cats, and never treated any of them!) The exterminator told me he could only kill the actual fleas, not the eggs & larvae, so every few days, it would start up again as they hatched, and by the time he came around again, the new fleas would have laid more eggs that he couldn't kill. I was also hesitant to have my kids and pets rolling around on carpeting filled with pesticides.

I was finally able to get rid of them all, cheaply and safely for pets and kids by sprinkling everything with regular table salt. When the fleas hatch, they are hungry, suck on the salt, dehydrate and die.

I sprinkled it generously over all the carpeting and the furniture once per week (including under the bedsheets, on the sofa, etc, about one container per room) i let it sit for a week, then vacuumed everything up thoroughly, to suck up the dead fleas, and immediately poured the salt everywhere again. It took about 3-4 weeks to clear everything up. Each year, when it starts to warm up, I toss a little salt on the carpet to prevent a problem, and have not had an infestation in 12 years.

I've used Advantage on all my feline and canine pets since it came out. I prefer it over FrontLine because my vet told me that Advantage repels fleas before they bite your pet, as opposed to Frontline, which causes fleas to become sterile after they've taken a bite. However, I don't know if this is accurate--I only know it's what he told me, and it's always worked for me.

The flea drops you get at the store have never worked for anyone I know who's tried them, flea shampoos are rather harsh on kittiy's skin, and the collars will kill fleas, but only if the flea actually comes in contact with it.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 5

The best flea control I found was Frontline. They are tiny tubes that you apply directly on your cat's fur, starting at the top of his head down Thru his spine to his tail bone, like drawing a line. That lasts for approx three months. Kills the fleas and eggs, lice, ect. Most other flea products you have to repeat every so often or the eggs will hatch and start another cycle.Since the cats are indoors, I wouldn't think you'd have to do this more then twice, especially if you
cleaned the carpet and treated it as well. Most vets carry this product, or you may try buying on line. Good luck.

Answer 6

Flea collars dont work for the whole body, wet vac wont kill them either. The only thing that got rid of my flea infestation was frontline plus and a few days of good vaccumming with the flea collars placed in the bag.

I had 6 dogs and cats infested in a 2500 SQ house. You do not need to bomb! Your fleas will be gone within days after using frontline plus.

It is not true that frontline plus is only at the vets (where I am anyway). You can find it in most pet stores. I get mine from a seller on ebay from australia for HALF the cost though.

Answer 7

I had the same problem a couple of years ago when I moved into a new home with my two cats. I tried everything. I eventually took them to the vet to get a flea bath and while they were there I set off a flea bomb in the house. Then my mother took care of my cats for a day or so while I cleaned the house (wash sheets, shampoo carpets, etc). I don't know if you would have anyone that could keep your cats. If not the vet can keep them for a fee. I know it sounds like a lot of trouble, but if you love your cats it's worth it.

Answer 8

Board the cats, then de-flea the apt. Wait a few days to see if the fleas return to the carpet, etc. Infestation may be from one of the neighboring apts. I had a flea problem in an apt one time and had no pets at all. The infestation was in the building somewhere.

Answer 9

Frontline Plus is a must! I would bomb the apt, then vacuum well. Repeat every 4 wks. Should only take a few months to rid the apt of the fleas. BUT ... very important to keep the Frontline up, even after it appears the fleas are gone. They may be coming from another apt or in on your shoes. You don't want to given them an opportunity to re-infest.
Good luck!

Answer 10

Don't worry
I and my partner have two cats and they spend most of the time in doors.
we moved house and they also ended up with fleas.
The vet told us that if the other people had a cat flea eggs can stay dormant in carpets for months .
so when you move in the flea eggs sense this hatch then jump on to your cats.
we now use one spot on the back of there necks do this once
a month we got rid of the fleas and we now have happy cats