How do you rid new kitty of fleas?

Question

We adopted a 3 yr. old cat from a well known store. We were assured she had all her shots etc. and treated for fleas. However she does have fleas. Never having to treat fleas before, I went to store, purchased a brand of flea control. They do not sell Frontline or Advantage there. Will this work? I shook out all her bedding etc. and have it in the wash. Can you tell me if Borax as treatment is effective for carpeting etc. I don't know what to do and don't want them all over my home. She is in a seperate room right now while being introduced to an older cat so they haven't spread and the older cat does not have them - yet. Does sprinkling Borax all over the carpeting and letting it sit for several hours or overnight actually work? Any other suggestions? Please help! PS. Kitty only has back claws but has scratched herself raw in the neck area. I keep combing her with a flea comb and constantly getting 5 or 6 off each time so I'm guessing they are in the carpet?

Answer 1

Before you get too Freaked and go overboard with treatments, I would like to share with you what we do at our Luxury Cat Kennel, which has plenty of carpet blankets and climbing trees for fleas to possibly hide in.

ALL I EVER USE IS PLAIN OLD FASHIONED ----- ADVANTAGE.

You can buy it online at Entirelypets.com

(NOT, the new Advantage PLUS or Advantix)

The good thing about Advantage is:

it is the safest in 10 years of me owning the kennel and using it on 1,000's of cats I have never had an emergency reaction to it. I have seen customers use supermarket and other vet product and have seen cat have to go in with emergency allergic reations.

The other thing that is good is it does not contain any repellents meaning the fleas will still be tricked into returning to the pet and eating and dying. The other products that contain repellents have a flaw for indoor pets. You see fleas live a major portion of there life off the host and in carpet etc.. and can go a very long time with out food. And they will just stay in the carpet and bite you possibly since your cat wearing a repellent flea product will seem un-apealing. SO if you use one of these OTHER products the fleas will just hybernate until the flea med wears off then they will return. That is why with these other products you must BOMB the house or use Borax etc...

At our facility we use only Advantage and we have never had a flea problem ever and I do not ever BOMB or hire exterminator it is way too dangerous and not necessary I promise.

The fleas that are occationally brought in by a cat are then tricked into going to a cat treated with the Advantage and then they DIE it is just that simple. We never treat the environment just the cats and the environment will also be "treated".

Answer 2

You've just demonstrated what I try to tell people all the time - PETSHOP FLEA TREATMENTS DO NOT WORK.

Veterinary flea treatments DO work. You won't find Advantage and Frontline in pet stores because they are not licensed to sell them.

Get some flea treatment from a vet asap - buy off the internet in future by all means, but there's no time to wait for it to be delivered at the moment, kitty needs help now!

Shaking out bedding will do NOTHING. Borax powder specifically states on it to keep AWAY from pets, so please don't put it on the carpet. Again, purchase a working veterinary house spray!

Once you've sorted out this infestation, Frontline Combo/Plus is good for treating the cat and the environment at the same time.

Chalice

Answer 3

Borax is the best thing you can do for your carpets to keep fleas at bay. It totally works. It dehydrates the bugs and keeps fleas from your home for a year. But you need to ask what kind of flea treatment the people you got her from gave her before you try a new treatment or you can kill her. I suggest you try a gentle flea shampoo and bathe her. that should help. then go to the vet and ask if you can now use advantage the sell them by the single packet so you can afford it. Make sure you use Borax all over your carpet and brush it in with a broom and leave it in there for an hour or so. before vacumning up.

Answer 4

You can by Frontline at Petco or other pet store, and even on Ebay as someone else suggested. Borax can help when sprinkled on the carpet in areas of flea infestation. You can also use Boric Acid or even diatomaceous earth wich can be purchased at any garden supply. One brand is Natural Guard. Leave on carpet for 24 hours then vacuum, being careful not to inhale anything you've sprinkled on the carpet.

Program is a flea pill which you can also purchase at a pet store or online. It begins to kill the fleas on your cat within 30 minutes. You'll actually see them falling off your cat. It won't kill the eggs though. For that you'll need the Frontline.

For the next few weeks, vacuum every day. The fleas will be dying off but you don't want to leave any eggs in the carpet. They can lay dormant for as long as it takes to find another host, or the same host.

It sounds like an awful lot I know, but using the Program pill and the Frontline will take care of most of your flea problem. Then the borax and frequent vacuuming will take care of the rest.

Answer 5

When you comb your kitty, make sure that it isn't in a carpeted area. That way, if you accidentally drop a flea, then you have some chance of catching it before it jumps away.
You could always try giving your cat a bath. Lukewarm water and a mild shampoo should do the trick! Make sure that you have a nice warm towel on hand, and that you are prepared to handle getting wet yourself. Tips:
-Scoop the water over her, and never get it on her head/face
-Close the bathroom door so that kitty can't escape
I believe this method works pretty well at killing the fleas, although cats don't typically like getting wet.
I'm not sure about the floor, but I am sure you can research it online.
Hope your cat gets rid of her fleas soon!!!
Good Luck!

Answer 6

If you don't have a regular vet yet, go onto ebay and order some good prescription flea drops such as Frontline Plus. Whatever you do, don't buy Hartz (OTC flea drops). That stuff is poison. I have never used Borax, but it IS important to treat your house as well as the cat. Most importantly, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.

Answer 7

This sounds totally off the wall but it does work. Go to Wal-Mart (or wherever) and purchase some lavendar scented dish soap. Even the cheap dollar store brands work wonders. Soap the cat with this and rinse well. You might also try spraying some lavendar oil around the cat bedding. Get lavendar carpet powder that you vacuum up (this may help in the carpet). I did not think this would work but it does. Hope this helps! Further, you can put some Neosporin on the raw neck area of your cat to help heal it up.

Answer 8

sprinkel arm n hammer deterdant on your floor and borex is good to but u might want to get some advantage it is like well i pay 58.00 for a 3 month supply and found it cheaper to do it like that the wall mart brand so not work u are throwing your money away u need to go to a pet stor and alot of groomers sell it cheaper and another thing that works is dawn dish soap hope this helps if u live in fl i could tell u a groomer that sells it reall cheap

Answer 9

I find this forum really useful for answering cat questions - its got lots of cat breeders/owners as members

purrfectchat.co.uk

Answer 10

you are going to have to treat the cat and the entire house. you can buy flea spray for a house or flea bombs.