my cat has fleas,whats the best solution to getting rid of them?

Question

shes an indoor cat,so i dont how she got them.ive given her a flea bath a couple times myself(which is damn near impossible to do since she doesnt cooperate at all) and also took her in for a professional flea bath.i vaccumed the heck out of the house as well.i only see the fleas on her,i havent seen them anywhere else.she has the little flea poops in her hair(shes a long haired cat) and little red blood marks on some spots of her body.i just put a flea collar on her today.i want to get rid of these things quick and inexpensively so she doesnt get sick or something.shes miserable and always scratching,i try to pick them off her if i see them,but so far nothing is completely doing the trick.im starting to get annoyed and also concerned for my cats health.any ideas,shoot!

Answer 1

Please, please get the advantage or frontline (UK) from the vets. I have just taken my Doozie to the vets as i had tried every flea treatment that you can buy in the pet store without success and as a result she has a flea allergy. Doozie had to be given an antibiotic injection to clear her skin up and now i have treated her and her sister fraggle with Frontline (advantage) and the fleas dropped off.

Please for the sake of your cats health, take her to the vets. I know that in the UK you can buy Frontline over the Internet (from a legal supplier) cheaper than the vets i.e. what i bought at the vets cost £16 but on line it is just short of £10.

Hope i have helped, my cat wasn't my friend for a while after the vets but it is for the best :)

Answer 2

Well the good news is, you don't ever have to go through the trauma of bathing her again - flea baths are not useful! Neither are flea collars - in fact I suggest you get it off her right away because as well as not working, these things often cause localised reactions.

You need to pop into a vets and pick up some proper treatment - Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Advocate are all very good. You make sure it gets on your cat's skin, not her fur, and she'll be covered for at least a month. Don't apply it until 48 hours after washing her - she needs time for the natural oils of her skin to be restored so the spot-on can work.

Veterinary spot-ons are more expensive than other treatments, but they're the only ones that work - I'm afraid the flea shampoos and the collar were a waste of your money. Stores and supermarkets are not licensed to sell the proper drugs for flea killing, and their products often cause severe reactions and death because they're not really appropriate for application to cats and dogs. Please don't waste your money on them.

These spot-ons will kills all fleas on your cat within 24 hours - if you still see fleas after this time it means they've set up home within your house and you will need to get a housespray.

Chalice

EDIT: BTW, indoor cats are not safe from fleas - fleas can easily enter houses, like any bug!

Answer 3

I adopted two kittens mid-August. I found adult fleas the beginning of September. I applied Advantage Multi twice now and have not seen fleas for several weeks. You can get Advantage ( I heard Frontline also works) from your vet. Dosage is based on your cat's weight. Basically you apply one complete tube to the back of your cat's neck so that she cannot lick it up. Advantage is safe with baths too. I've bath my cats twice with JNJ baby shampoo. I recommend a bath 1-2 days prior treatment. One application per month as necessary or as preventative measure.

I use a small plastic flea comb to catch the fleas & then drown them in soapy water.

I also vacuum every 1-2 weeks (w/ a Dyson upright, very effective at sucking up flea powder that another vacuum cleaner left behind). Don't bother with flea powders, they are nasty and I doubt they really work. Flea collars are also said not to work. I also washed all the bedding every week for the first three weeks.

Answer 4

Advantage works the quickest and will sterilize all female fleas in the process. You can buy it without prescription at Petco or Petsmart and most online services. Be sure buy the right dose for your cat's weight and drop it on the back of her neck. Do it in your bathroom and let the cat sit in there for about an hour (fleas may jump off in the process). Then, be sure to vacuum and dump the canister/change bags continuely to get rid of fleas and dander. If, there is a reinfestion, you may want to remove the cat for a day and "bomb" your place for added protection.

Answer 5

I bought some tablets called Capstar tabs for my cats and they worked like a charm. The fleas start dying off within a 1/2 hour, it's a short term remedy while you're waiting for the other medicine to kick in. I also used Biospot (cheaper than the others and works just as well) flea control on them (it comes in little tubes that you squirt on their backs and it lasts 1 to 3 months). You can go to petcarerx.com to order. You might have to call their 1-800 # to ask about the tablets, but it is clearly posted on the website.

Answer 6

Get the drops behind the neck/head,.. in Canada it's called ADVANTAGE", can buy a 6 mth. supply at vet's for about $40.
I got multiple cats/dogs, works fine.
All indoor animals,.. but my dogs must bring in fleas to give to cats.
In your case, the fleas can be in grass areas and tracked in when you walk in house that way.
Flea collars do not work and I've had toxic reactions to them on some cats prior to the drops being manufactured.

Answer 7

none of theses will get rid of the odor. You have to purchase a special product you can buy at the pet store call cat urine destroyer. I might even set it in the sun to get all the odor out. If you don't cat will use this as his bathroom again. You may not smell it but they do. I hope this helps you.

Answer 8

well u could take her to an expert u want an inexpensive way but what if u didnt get the way and the cat got sick??? its will be more expensive go ahead take good care of it now b4 its worse gdluck and ur cat gets well soon:D

Answer 9

try all of these in conjunction. another flea bath, yeah I know they are HELL. keep a flea color on the cat afterewards, vaccum the house very well, and get a flea bomb for your house, you can get them at most hardware stores, and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!!!'
goodluck

Answer 10

baths dont help.get fronline from vets or stronghold which is wormer as well