How do i get rid of fleas in the house??help!?

Question

my cat has brought fleas into the house..can anyone please tell me what to do and what products to use to get rid of these horrors please?

Answer 1

Firstly you need to treat your cat. Don't bother with shop-bought flea products as these aren't very effective and certain ones can harm cats. The best are prescription only, such as Frontline, Advantage or Stronghold. Clinical tests has shown that Advantage is the best of these, probably because the others have been used for longer and fleas build up a resistance.

It's a good idea not to use on brand constantly but to rotate between them because of the resistance problem.

If the spot-on treatments don't work, then your vet will be able to give your cat an injection that offers three months' protection against fleas in all stages of their life.

Once you've treated your cat, you've ensured that no new fleas will be introduced. Now you need to tackle the ones already in your home. I'm afraid this takes even longer to do than getting rid of fleas from a cat. Doing the hoovering every day helps, but you must put something in the hoover bag (boric acid is great as it kills the fleas by dehydrating them but doesn't ahve a chemical smell) or you will need to burn the hoover bag after each use. If you don't, the fleas you suck up survive. We've found flea bombs to be particularly effective indoors, but the sprays and powders you can get didn't work for us at all.

Be careful with using essential oils around cats. I love aromatherapy and use essentail oils for successfully treating common illnesses in humans like sinusitis and UTIs, and I always bathe cuts in tea tree to cleanse and then lavendar to heal the skin. I even used to use it for cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom. However, I've never used for cleaning since we've had our cats, as oils are toxic to cats.

Answer 2

Products from a vets, put simply. Don't even bother with stuff from pet stores or supermarkets, it doesn't work, that's why it's cheap.

This is actually not a difficult problem to deal with these days. You can get either a spot-on from your vets, or a pill called capstar to treat your cat. You can also get a housespray to sort your home out. You'll need to spray then vacuum, then repeat this process a few days later - unless you use the new spray, Skoosh, which sorts out adult fleas, eggs and pupae www.skooshthefleas.com.

I would suggest use of Frontline Plus for longterm prevention of fleas. It kills flea eggs too, so you can use it on your cat and it will treat the environment too, once you've got rid of the initial infestation.

Chalice

EDIT: Jean O's experience is so common - people buy supermarket crud to try to save money and end up spending a fortune trying to find one that works!! Flea collars also don't work.

Answer 3

Forget the flea powder. Get a product like Advantage or Frontline, which you apply to the back of the cat's neck once a month.

These kill fleas on your cat right away, and will eventually kill all of the fleas in the house.

If you have a lot of fleas in the house, you should use a flea bomb. My favorite is Raid fumigating fogger. You (and the cat) have to leave the house for a few hours to do this.

Flea powders and flea collars and flea sprays and flea baths are from the last century. I used to have fleas in my house all the time before Frontline hit the market. I haven't seen (or felt) one in years.

Answer 4

If the fleas are really bad, you'll need to get a professional pest-control guy in to spray your home. Frontline is the best thing to use otherwise, both to de-flea the cat and the house. Also your cat will need worming because of the fleas.

Once you're rid of them, buy some pure lavender oil, mix it with water and spray your house once a month. Lavender oil is poisonus to fleas and it prevents them breeding again. It's a much cheaper way of keeping your house flea-free.

Answer 5

You need to use a spot on treatment on your cat - advantage or frontline - whichever one is available from your local veterinary practice. This will deal with the problem on your cat. It is advisable to continue treatment every 4 - 5 weeks (depending on the product you have) all year through. With milder winters and the use of central heating flea infestations can be a problem all year round.

A house hold spray (also from your veterinary practice) also needs to be used. A thorough hoovering before spraying will agitate the flea larvae in the carpets and soft furnishings (larvae can survive up to about 18 months in the carpets if not treated). All mats/ rugs/ sofa's/ beds etc need to be moved to give a thorough hoovering. Hopefully this will get rid of your fleas!!.

Flea powders and treatments from the supermarket should be avoided. They are not as effective and cost you more in the long run!

Answer 6

Little sods they are! Get some StayKill Flea Spray from either your pet shop or i get mine from the RSPCA shop. Whilst your at it, get your cat onto Advantage Flea Treatment, its the best on the market in my belief. It costs £12.00 from the RSPCA but you have to take your cat in to be checked the first time you use it as they have to have a healthy heart and lungs. You get four little tubes in the pack which lasts for ages. Hoover before you use the flea spray indoors and burn the hoover bag afterwards or they'll climb out again!!! Spray absolutely everywhere, carpets, curtains, skirting boards, lino, toilets, bathrooms, everywhere you look really. Also spray your furniture, especially your sofa's and chairs. Don't open any windows whilst spraying and keep all animals out of the room ( and humans! ) as well. Do each room in turn and don't go back in there for at least an hour after spraying. Don't hoover for at least three or four days either, the insecticide in the spray needs to do its job! That'll clear the little buggers once and for all but keep treating your cat all year round with the Advantage to prevent further infestations. My dogs and cat have been on it for years and i can't remember the last time i saw a flea! Oh and the StayKill costs £12.00 from the RSPCA shop, might be more expensive in pet shops. Good luck.

Answer 7

You need to first get the cat flea free, Frontline is a good one. To get the fleas (and flea eggs) out of the house I'd go for a steam carpet cleaner, get a good one that does floors and has attachments for other areas like kitchens, start off with the areas the cat uses the most, but do the whole house, And vacuum everywhere afterwards.

It's better than spraying lots of chemicals all over your house.

Answer 8

Go to your vet. You need something like Frontline to treat the cat and a product to treat the house. Forget supermarket products they may not be effective. I once spent £200 trying different products and finally went to my vet.

The whole house will need treating I am afraid. The hoover is an excellent aid to flea treatment and the use a a steam cleaner will help.

If you do catch them then drop them into bleach or crush them.

Answer 9

Two things one is flea powder you can buy at any supermarket and they do a spray as well to cover all your carpet and furniture. You have to kick the cat out for a few hours as it is not pleasent. They also do one that is in a can and you release the button put it in room and it sends out smoke filled chemical all over room and is good.
Second your cat you need to brush and comb cat just like you do if a person had head lice and also buy some flea poweder or the cream is better to put in nape of neck of cat you have to treat cat and home.

Answer 10

The safest and cheapest method of getting rid of fleas is to use a mixture of boric acid and salt. The powder should be sprayed on carpets, bedding and areas frequented by pets. More information on getting rid of fleas is available at http://pests.in/fleas.html