Flea Problem?

Question

We have 3 cats and a huge flea problem. I have spent many, many, many dollars going to the vet, over the counter stuff, and high electric and water bills trying to rid our house of these pests. We vaccuum everyday AT LEAST once, most of the time it is 3 times a day. The kids' bedding and mine is done daily and the mattresses vaccuumed. The pillows are put in the dryer for at least 30 minutes. All stuffed animals have been placed in bags out in the garage for almost a month now. We still have the problem. Once cat is even losing hair and has sores from the fleas. Yes, he has been to the vet many times. All three cats have been to the vet many times and like I mentioned many of dollars spent. I am sick of spending the money and NOTHING working, plus the high utility bills are getting outragous with the summer here and the AC on now. Please if anyone knows of anything else please HELP!!!!

Answer 1

What products have you used from the vet? Even if you've been using Frontline correctly (it MUST get on the skin, NONE on the fur) if you've got a serious infestation (which you obviously have) this won't work unless you're implementing the correct regime.

Vacuuming is not really going to do much. You need to get a house spray and spray all carpets and furniture, and wooden floors even. Get a proper spray from the vets like Staykil or Indorex, don't even bother with flea bombs or ANYTHING from a store.

This is my tried and trusted regime that has been recommended to a thousand clients. It's designed to break the flea lifecycle of feeding-breeding-eggs hatching-pupae-adult fleas-feeding:

+ Use regular Frontline on your cats, once a month. You MUST part the fur and get the stuff on the skin - put it in at least 3 different places on the back. You may need to get someone to hold the cat still so you can do this carefully!
+ spray your house (carpets, sofas, floors, cat bed) with a decent spray. Hoover after 24 hours, and dispose of the bag! Repeat this process at least once more. You need to leave the spray down for 24 hours with no vacuuming!
+ once you have dealt with this infestation, use Frontline Plus on your cats every 6 weeks to treat both them and the environment.
+ follow this regime exactly, very important to get the application of the Frontline correct and not to vacuum the housespray up so quick!
+ note that if your house is warm (have you turned the heating up?) that's encouraging the flea eggs to hatch, which is OK as long as you've sprayed the house but if you haven't the fleas will be having a field day in your nice warm house!
+ be sure to follow dosage instructions on the spray can exactly (it'll say how many square metres/yards a can will cover)

Chalice

EDIT: please don't waste your time with Dawn Dish Soap - God this really annoys me - it washes the fleas off, it doesn't kill them! Obviously the fleas are in your house so once the cats are dry from the stupid bath new ones will just jump right back on them!

Answer 2

I know you don't want to spend more money but you can get a pill that will take care of the fleas within one hour of the cat taking them. The name of the pill is capsar (sp). Than you need to follow up with a monthly treatment. The one I used last summer was revolution it not only work for fleas but also heartworm, hookworm,roundworms and ear mites. I have been using this ever since and have had no more problems. Get a powder for you carpets let that set on your carpets and set bombs off in your house. They have a spray that is all natural comes in green and white bottle I used this on my beds and furniture. And make sure to give them a bath before you do the monthly treatment. As for the cat with the sores the poor thing is allergic to the bites put on an anti-itch cream just like you would use on yourself for a bug bite. Good luck. Just so you know the fleas can be carried in on your shoes and laces you may want to think about treating your lawn for the pests as well.

Answer 3

Flea collars/sprays/powders are poison. Your dog has an open incision so any poisons that you put on her have a direct way to enter her body. I wouldn't do it. Truly the bath is a better idea. Warm water onto her incision will not hurt it at all. (No high pressure, no hard rubbing). Get a mild dog shampoo at any retail store (while you are there get a flea comb).. Don't use people shampoo. Wash your dog in a warm place with no drafts. Dry her gently with towels and keep in a warm area until fully dry. Comb her with flea comb, killing the fleas you catch (you can dip the comb in rubbing alcohol to kill the little devils or you can squish them with your fingernails or tweezers). Fleas like dirty dogs. You can apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment to the incision when you are all through. Vacuuming the floors is very important

Answer 4

first take your cats to the vets and have them dipped and have Advantage applied to them. While they are at the vet have bug bombs ready and fumigate your house put a bomb in each room making sure all pilot lights are out. I'm sure that the cats are going outside and bringing the fleas in so put sevin dust all over in your yard, and don't let your kids walk bare foot in it. You say you vacuum everyday, but do you change the bag every time you vacuum? After that try spraying down everything with Lysol, I find that it kills just about any insect that comes across it. My neighbor had this same problem and this is the only thing that worked for her.

Answer 5

Take your cats to the vet. Get some advantix or something. As for the house Ortho makes a product called Flea-B-Gone. Works great. Spray it on everything. Carpet, furniture, etc. Fleas will be history in no time.

Answer 6

Perhaps you should call an exterminator to get rid of the fleas and your family and the cats all go away for awhile while the house is exterminated. I know that sounds a little drastic but you said nothing else has worked so far.

Answer 7

my family had the same problem last summer. what we did was take the cats to a boarding place for one night and 'flea bombed' the whole house. it takes a few hours for the stuff to wear off, which is why the cats should be out of the home overnight...cats are sensitive to things like that.
dont forget to get them bathed in flea-killing shampoo before entering the home. hope the fleas go away.
good luck hun.

Answer 8

I agree with the guy above me about bug bombing the house and all that. Also, make sure that you treat your cats every few months with the Advantage, or you'll get fleas again. You may also have someone come out and spray around your house for fleas to try to kill the ones outside.

Answer 9

I had the same problem and used a steam cleaner it worked great..on the house not the cats lol

Answer 10

for the house, i would try getting a flea fogger...like at walmart...you have to leave your house for a while, as it's fogging...but it kills fleas and other pests in your house...
for the cats, try using DAWN..yes the dish washing detergent...its the same thing they use on seals during oil spills...but with my pets, i wash them with dawn..and you can see the fleas fall off of them, it kills them instantly....you should only wash your animal once or twice a week with the dawn, definantely no more..b/c it can dry out their skin.
both of these products work great for me! i hope you give it a try.