Will this hurt fleas at all?

Question

My kittens (4 mos) have both gotten fleas somehow. We have ordered advantage but it won't be here for a week. We've tried flea killing carpet powder but i don't think it's working. We're putting baking soda down on the carpet now...will that do anything , obviously we will be vacuuming it up. Is there anything we can use for carpet/furniture that is not a flea bomb..we live in apartment up at school so we can't really take them out for a day or whatever. Please help! Thank you!!

These cats are inside only. never been outside at all.

Answer 1

I would recommend bombing, see if someone else can take the cat for the day even if you just lock it in someone's bathroom. Or pay to board the cats at your local vet for the day. The longer you let the flea problem continue, the worse it is going to get. Fleas can lay thousands of eggs in a short time and before you know it, you will be covered in fleas too!

Answer 2

Indoor cats are not safe from fleas. It isn't surprising when untreated animal gets fleas, indoor or not.

Go to a vets to get a proper flea spray for your house. Bombing is a hassle and doesn't work. Nothing from a pet store does, so don't bother - you've already discovered that powders are useless. Baking soda also is. People are under the belief that it dehydrates the fleas, but it doesn't. You need a proper veterinary flea spray - but you may as well wait until the animals are treated because you won't be free of fleas until then.

I would recommend buying your flea treatment from a vets rather than online, at least the first time - that way you get it when you need it i.e NOW, and can be sure it's also the genuine product, which you can't be sure of getting when ordering online.

Chalice

Answer 3

PLEASE talk to your vet before applying any meds, since your kittens are so young. If they weigh enough, and you get a vets OK:
You need Advantage or Frontline, a medication you apply to the skin of the animal once a month. This kills the fleas when they bite the animals, but does not harm you or your pet. You can get it in some of the better pet stores and animal supply stores. It's easier to get it from your vet though.
Don't waste your money on collars, powders, or sprays. They don't work.
Also, don't use any of the cheaper topical flea applications, like Bio spot, Hartz, or any of the ones you will find in places like Wall Mart, grocery stores, and Pet Co. These have been linked to a multitude of toxic affects on cats. I speak from experience. It's much cheaper to pay extra for the Advantage/Frontline, than to end up in the emergency room with a cat with liver failure.
Bombing your house is toxic to you, your pets, and the environment. It also costs a lot, and doesn't always work.
If your cats are inside/outside, you will need to apply Advantage/Frontline every month, unless you live in an area that has cold winters, in which case, once you've gotten rid of the initial fleas, you shouldn't have to apply in the winter.
Keep in mind that flea eggs can lie dormant for a very long time, so you really need to continue Advantage/Frontline for at least 3 months to get rid of the infestation. You will notice a drastic change right away, and after a week or so, you probably won't notice any fleas at all.
That being said, the most effective way to keep fleas out of the house is to keep your pets inside.

Answer 4

The Advantage is safe and super effective. For a quick fix while you wait on it, give the kittens a bath in any shampoo or dish liquid that soaps up. Dawn dish liquid is fine to use, but really any dish soap,or people shampoo that suds will kill/knock out fleas so you can rinse them off. Don't use this stuff regularly, but a one time deal is fine, and much safer for kittens than flea shampoos or chemicals bought from dept stores.

Answer 5

Borax works well