Can someone help me?

Question

I have 3 cats, and we live in an apartment, and my cats have fleas, but i dont know how when they all have flea collers. and its getting to the point where my family is getting bitten by the fleas. what shoud i do to get rid of them and how much will it cost?

Answer 1

Flea collars rarely work. It could be that the cats had them since kittenhood, or the fleas could have migrated from another apartment in your complex. Whatever the case, there are a few things you might try.
1. Buy a flea treatment from your local vet. (Hartz sells a similar product. It is a type of cream in a little tube that you apply between the shoulder blades. The kind sold through the vetrinarian office is much more effective.
2. There are over the counter bug bombs. These will work, but you will have to keep on top of it. (You may have to set them off a couple of times...two or three weeks apart).
3. Treat this infestation as a lice infestation. Wash all clothing and bedding that may be affected. Tie up stuffed animals in plastic bags for three weeks, (that will ensure that any larvae that hatch will die).
4. Use an over the counter rug powder for carpeting. I believe the instructions tell you to let it set on the carpet for a period of time. Vacuum all carpeting and mattresses.
Fleas are carriers of tape worm, so if you notice your cats having what appears to be little rice pieces in their litter box, you will need to get a pill from the vet.
If you prefer a homeopathic way to rid yourself of fleas, pure garlic rubbed over the cats work, but, that all depends on if you want to deal with the smell, hehe.
Best of luck....
Teri

Answer 2

Okay...One way to do this is to get frontline from the pet store ($50 for one cat for three months, or three cats for 1 month), and call an exterminator (about $120). It's the most expensive way, but it works best.

You can try the cheaper drops, they don't work as well, but they do help ($10). The fleas are in you r carpet and bedding, etc... keep the temperature in your house set for as cold as possible. Then vacuum thoroughly all furniture and the rugs. You can get some flea powder for $5 and sprinkle it on the rugs and such about 10 minutes before you vacuum. Change your bedding and wash it every day. If you're getting bitten in bed, fut flea powder on the mattress before you make the bed and try vacuuming it. This is the cheapest way to handle it, but its a lot of work. It usually takes about a week to take care of it. If it's not working, you'll probably have to use a de-fogger, which is a lot of work to actually (you've got to remove anything from the area that you might eat off of or touch and then get in your mouth. Mostly a lot of work in the kitchen).

Collars don't work. Only the drops on the back of the neck work (Frontline's the best version). Baths will kill every flea on the cat, but don't work really at all beyond that. And considering the hassle and hostility your cat will have as a result, I'd avoid that route.

Answer 3

You may want to try a flea product such as Frontline which goes on the cat. I picked up a vial with 6 cat doses ( 2 months for 3 cats) for around $14 at the local humane society. When this happened when we lived in an apartment, we did have to use a flea bomb (or fogger?) in conjunction with treating the cats. Not sure how much it cost, but you HAVE to read the directions and not overdo it!

Answer 4

Fleas can infect any animals that go between inside and outside, even if the animals have flea collars. If your carpet and/or furniture is infected with fleas, it won't matter if the animals carry fleas or not, the people in the house will still get bitten.

To totally get rid of the fleas, you will have to professionally clean the carpet, get the house sprayed from Orkin or another comparable company and get the cats cleaned at the veterinarian's office.

Then you need to keep the cats in the house all time time, or don't let them in at all.

Answer 5

Flea collars are not very effective in treating fleas and have even been known to poison cats. Get a good long lasting flea control for the whole body such as Advantage or Frontline. They need to be applied monthly. They have always worked wonders for my cats..kills the fleas within 24 hours. You may also need to buy a product to treat the fleas in your house, carpeting, drapes, sofa, etc. A good bug bomb usually does the trick. Keep in mind you will have to vacate your pets and yourself while you bomb the place.

Answer 6

You may have rodents that are bringing the fleas in. Fleas are only brought into the house by animals but the eggs can live for months in the carpet until disturbed. Or possibly you have neighbors that have animals that go outdoors? Vacuum the hell out of the entire place then take the vacuum bag out and take it outside to get rid of it. Be sure you don't forget inside closets and under cabinets.

Here's a link to more info:
http://www.ehow.com/how_16644_rid-home-fleas.html

Answer 7

flea collars never worked for me. Go to the vet and get the drops for their back (several brands) Then you have to fog the apartment to kill the fleas !
The drops cost something like $40 for 6 months (in your case 2 months ...with 3 cats. But you will only needs the for the hot season!) Don;t get them from the regular store. They also don't work!

Answer 8

This happened to me when my daughters were growing up.
The flea bites on humans are horrible.
I had to get an exterminator and it took more than one time spraying for them. Everytime you vaccuum you have to replace the bag in the vaccuum cleaner or more eggs will hatch out. I'm sorry I don't know how much it costs now.