We have fleas. They don't like the cat, they only eat me. My ankles and feet are HORRIBLE. Flea collars?

Question

Can I wear flea collars on my ankles while I'm in the house? It's just for a little while until the bug guys can come spray for fleas. They are EVERYWHERE. In our bed, On the piano, everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!!!! I'm being eaten alive!

Answer 1

First of all most vets will tell you that flea collars are ineffectual. In your case since you have such a bad infestation it is going to take an exterminator to rid you of these pests. Also you won't be rid of them with just one visit. It will take several to get rid of the fleas and then to be rid of hatching eggs. It's not a fun trip. I can guarentee your cat is being eaten as well and fleas can suck a cat dry. It's miserable for everyone.

Answer 2

NO collar, they are worse then useless. If they get wet they dump a load of pesticides directly onto the cat's neck skin, giving the cat an overdose and potentially doing liver damage. The drops are enough. They work, but the fleas don't die till they get on the cat and bite or are in contact with the skin, so any in the environment won't die till they go back on the cat. The dirt (specks) are flea poops, don't worry about them. If you used Advantage, Frontline or Revolution, the cat will be flea free in 3 days. If you used something else and not seeing improvement do NOT re-dose the cat or you could kill her. These are strong, dangerous pesticides and a cat can easily get a toxic exposure if they're used more than once a month. Bathe the cat in hot water and Dawn dish detergent, to get rid of the ones on her body, if she still has them after 4 or 5 days. Rinse at least two times, so no soap residu is on her. Vaccuum the furniture and rugs, floor boards and such to kill live fleas off the cat. Do NOT give garlic, that destroys cat's kidney function. Lemon juice doesn't work, neither do herbs.

Answer 3

No do not wear the flea collars...LOL
The flea collar is actually a very old school method for killing fleas, it doesn't really work! If you think about it, it only takes care of the neck area on dogs/cats....and one of the most common place for fleas is on the rear end of the animal...you really need to use a product like frontline plus....it should take care of the flea problem with your pets...now as far as your problem don't use the flea collar on your because the drug that is on it can actually hurt you, it contains something called pyritherens ( not sure if spelled right) this is toxic to you, me, and even your pets if used improperly. Maybe you could get a flea bomb, and vacuum your carpets every day and empty the bag, or if it bag less just dump it after each use...along with the flea you suck up, you actually are sucking up their eggs as well and if you leave them in your vacuum they can hatch out and affect you even more. Possibly ask your vet their opinion! Good luck!

Answer 4

You need something like FrontlinePlus...good source and cheaper than the vets is petshed.com...I use it so I know it works. A flea comb with a cup of hot water & a little dish liquid to dip the comb in when you comb your dog/cat. LOTs of vac bags and vac everyday and remove the bag and tie it in a shopping bag and take out of the house. This will work and you should see improvements within two months. DON'T use sprays, powders, house bombs, flea collars and over the counter products. They are dangerous and are full of pesticides and can harm you and your pet! ...cycle of the flea...They hatch from a cocoon like a butterfly...in one week they are an adult....as a adult they lay a egg every hour of their lives up to 1-2 years they live. The eggs hatch into a larva in about two weeks...they spend three weeks as a larva and then they wrap themselves into a cocoon. In the cocoon stage you can't kill them unless you plan on burning down your house...fire is the only way to kill them in this stage. What makes them hatch from a cocoon is vibration, heat, and all sorts of things. They need a host to feed on within one week or they will die. ( problem being is the cocoons can take up to five months to hatch! and they all hatch at different rates!) WOW that is a lot of fleas! FrontlinePlus uses two ways to kill the fleas...they first have an ingredient that paralyzes the flea so it can't feed and it dies...it does this for two weeks. The following two weeks it just inhibits the flea eggs of the fleas that feed on them and eggs don't hatch. This is why it takes a few months, but it does work. BTW...flea baths don't work either and will make it so the FrontlinePlus won't work.

Answer 5

I don't suggest wearing flea collars on your ankles. What I do suggest is getting flea bomb or some flea spray you can get at your local general merchandise store, or even go to the vet and ask them for some flea spray to spray around the house. DON'T throw the cat outside because when you bring it back in, it's going to get worse again. Also get some Advantage at the vet for the cat while you are there.

Answer 6

Apply Advantage to the cat. Give it a Capstar. Remove the cat from the house and flea spray the entire house (bombs don't get under furniture--the place flea larva like to hide). Use a product that kills the eggs also. Repeat in 2 weeks. You may have to repeat the Capstar (will kill fleas within an hour on the pet but only lasts 36 hours). Flea collars aren't effective. You can apply OFF or skin so soft to your legs but not on the cat.

Answer 7

First if you have to have poison sprayed around your house ok, but make sure the cat is protected from it

It's easy enough to kill current fleas on a cat with advantage or vet prescribed flea tick killer

Use it when your cat is infested

If you have good eyesight you can keep them clean with a flea comb that you wet a bit and crush the fleas with as they come off the cat

Or you can continue the chemical treatments or use natural flea repellents

These days you can find virtually anything online via yahoo or google search

The bad news is it is very unlikely that the flea guys will be completely successful

An easy way to kill all the flea eggs is to use diluted Clorox or bleach on a mop on all your floors, the fleas also die from it, just make sure you keep the cat away from the chlorine

Hartz is a dangerous product and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who didn't want to play Russian roulette with their cats health. They are the corporate equivalent of Enron in the cat business, all pr, but their products kill cats


You just need to keep the floors clean, every once in awhile clean them as suggested.

Answer 8

No You can't wear flea collars around your ankles, but I do know what you are going thru. Both time we had fleas it was because we got a new cat.The first time, we were living in a huge 2 story house plus it had a open basement so it was like a 3 story house. We found a kitten in the cemetary and brought it home. It had fleas but we didn't realize it til it was too late. We had two other cats. The other cats got them, too. We had fleas in every room of that house, which was about 16 rooms total plus hallways and 4 set of stairs and all were carpeted except for the basement. What happens was about a week after we found the kitten we had to go out of town on an emergency. We put out a lot of food and water and in a few days my father-in-law was going to come over and check on the cats and put out fresh food and water. When my father-in-law came over which was about a week and half since the kitten came to our house, he was just attack so bad. When he got home he started counting the bites on each leg and stopped at 50 but he had more. We came home a few days later and couldn't believe how horrilbe it was. We went to the vet and he gave us a shampoo to use on out cats. We then went to the store and got foggers for each room of the house, plus extras for the hallways. WE used off on ourselves before we went back into the house. We took our cats and gave them each a bath with the shampoo the vet gave us and we put our cats in the detached garage. We then went back in the house and made sure all food was either covered or closed. Then I went upstairs and set off the foggers that we had preset so we knew where to put the because we had so many and my husband went in the basement and set the ones off down there. Then we set the ones off on the main level and left the house. We didn't go back to the house for 3 days, because they say that the foggers will continue to work from the residue. WE had success with it, because when we went back we didn't see anymore fleas.. We didn't have to get an exterminator and we saved a lot of money doing it ourselves. I think it helped because we were able to stay at my in-laws for the few days after the fogging. If you decided to do a fogging make sure you get one that kills the fleas, eggs, and larve or you will continue to have a problem as the new eggs hatch. Also for your cat I would get FRONTLINE PLUS. That is what I use and I never have any problems now. Also remember fleas can give your cat and YOU tape worms, so this is something you want to get taken care of right away and prevent in the future. A problem can occur very quickly as I found out. It only took two weeks for the problem to develope. Normally I would have taken the kitten to the vet for a check up but because of certain things happening at that time I figured it could wait til I got back. Anyway I hope this helps. In the meantime you can try OFF or maybe skin so soft from avon as a repelent. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 9

I really suggest you get your house proffesionally cleaned. It costs a few hundred buck, but worth it. After you clean your house, I suggest you getting your cat de-wormed and giving him a flea bath a few times a week. Or if you have a big enough house, make the cat an indoor cat. It is really up to you. But I have had my house profesionally cleaned before, and if you find some good people, your house is really *Sparkling.*

Good Luck! And I am sorry about your ankle.


PS. And "Frontline'' is a flea, flea egg, and tick killer that works fairly well. Here is a pic:
http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Images/Product/frontlineplus-cat.jpg

Answer 10

Your first line of attack is to treat your cat. Collars don't seem to be as effective as the drops which go directly onto the cat and they are relatively inexpensive. Next, you don't have to wait for an exterminator. There are also sprays which are specifically for killing fleas inside the home also relatively inexpensive. When the exterminator does arrive I would be sure that he treats your yard, and be sure to keep grass and weeds cut low, if you have one, if not tell him to treat your immediate outer home area. I have a big yard and do all of the above as regularly as I can. Finally, see your doctor because if you've been bitten as much as you indicate then you want to make sure you your lower extremities are healthy, also inquire about a blood test for yourself (probably for you pet also at the vet) you should be sure that all is well with you and your pet. Now that you've been informed, please don't let things get that bad again...good luck...