Help & Advice - kitty situation and fleas

Hi everyone !! 

I'm in desperate help. A few months ago I adopted a kitty (4 month old) from a lady who assured me she was free of fleas. A couple of month later I notice she is scratching a lot and of course I checked, she had fleas. I bought all the medicine necessary (so expensive) and those fleas won't go away. Now my older cat have fleas (which she never had)and my house too. My kids are getting bites from fleas which now I'm desperate. 

Do I call a fumigator ?? Take the cats to a vet to quarantine them until they cure ?? I know this will cost me a fortune but I really don't have the money as I am a single mom now. I'm trying to fine the most inexpensive solution. 

Any advice or help is welcome - thanks !! 

Ps- they are indoor cats.

The vet can give them something that will kill any fleas on them at the time it is administered (I can't remember if it is a shot or topical on the back) and then you can use the topical going forward. If you have a room where you can sequester them, clean it thoroughly and use a vacuum cleaner with a bag that you can replace. Put the cats in the room and then give the rest of the house a good cleaning, including vacuuming rugs, couches, laundering blankets, sheets and throw rugs, etc. If it is a comfortable room for the cats you might want to keep them isolated for a while but if not, let them out. You may have to repeat this routine but this is how I would start and see if it worked. In the alternative, you could see if Jerry Buckingham can help or try a commercial flea bomb but I don't think you want to do that with kids in the house. Note that you might have to clean your car if you transport cats with fleas in it.  Fleas are pesky critters but if you take away the food source by treating the cats, you may be able to handle it this way. 

There is also a flea trap you can buy from Home Depot - it's basically a nightlight with some sticky glue paper underneath. No chemicals. The fleas are supposedly attracted to the light, then get stuck in the glue. I had a freakout moment last year and thought we had fleas (how -no pets?!), so bought two. It caught a few little bugs - maybe fleas, maybe not, but I haven't seen anything since, so I guess it worked. You can have one if you want to try it out, but it is also pretty cheap (think around $10-15). Good luck!

I think the only way you are really going to get rid of them is a flea bomb. Use it and go out for the whole day ( if not overnight). Then repeat it a few days later. When you return, wipe down whatever might go in the kids mouths. 

My sister also found out one of her cats was immune to Frontline so the doctor prescribed a different kind and the cat is better now. the frontline just didn't work for her- vet says that happens occasionally 

hauscat said:

The vet can give them something that will kill any fleas on them at the time it is administered (I can't remember if it is a shot or topical on the back) and then you can use the topical going forward. If you have a room where you can sequester them, clean it thoroughly and use a vacuum cleaner with a bag that you can replace. Put the cats in the room and then give the rest of the house a good cleaning, including vacuuming rugs, couches, laundering blankets, sheets and throw rugs, etc. If it is a comfortable room for the cats you might want to keep them isolated for a while but if not, let them out. You may have to repeat this routine but this is how I would start and see if it worked. In the alternative, you could see if Jerry Buckingham can help or try a commercial flea bomb but I don't think you want to do that with kids in the house. Note that you might have to clean your car if you transport cats with fleas in it.  Fleas are pesky critters but if you take away the food source by treating the cats, you may be able to handle it this way. 

I don't have space to isolate them. My apartment is small. I will ask my vet about the shot or th fastest route to kill those bugs. 

A flea bomb is starting to sound good. I have no idea how much flea I have in my house. I mean it's starting to bite us and I have vacuum a lot and administrate the frontline with no success. 

lukeysboat said:

There is also a flea trap you can buy from Home Depot - it's basically a nightlight with some sticky glue paper underneath. No chemicals. The fleas are supposedly attracted to the light, then get stuck in the glue. I had a freakout moment last year and thought we had fleas (how -no pets?!), so bought two. It caught a few little bugs - maybe fleas, maybe not, but I haven't seen anything since, so I guess it worked. You can have one if you want to try it out, but it is also pretty cheap (think around $10-15). Good luck!

I will take a look at this flea trap .. It doesn't hurt to get one. Thanks

conandrob240 said:

I think the only way you are really going to get rid of them is a flea bomb. Use it and go out for the whole day ( if not overnight). Then repeat it a few days later. When you return, wipe down whatever might go in the kids mouths. 

My sister also found out one of her cats was immune to Frontline so the doctor prescribed a different kind and the cat is better now. the frontline just didn't work for her- vet says that happens occasionally 

How many times I have to do this procedure and any idea how much it cost ??

my sister had to do it twice. First make sure the cats get the flea stuff and are flea free ( or as flea free as possible). Strip the beds and towels and put in wash. Then crate the cats or lock them in the bathroom. You may want to even give them a bath when you lock them in there. Flea bomb the rest of the house, going out for the day. Vacuum rugs and couches when you get back. As much as possible, isolate the cats to the bathroom. Fleas can't really live in there ( assuming no carpet). A few days later do it again. I think the flea bombs you can buy in the store and it isn't very expensive. But that's the only way you are really going to get rid of them if they are biting your kids, they are in the carpets. 

I have heard that fleas in general are becoming immune to frontline.   if you use a flea bomb, you need to have some place to put all living creatures until the process is finished..including returning home and putting clean sheets on the beds, washing counters, vacuuming.  I would look into covering upholstered furniture with a sheet..but i don't know if that would affect the effectiveness of the bomb.

I wouldn't cover anything because that will mean the stuff that kills the fleas doesn't reach it. If you had infants I'd worry more- I think your girls are old enough that they aren't licking all the surfaces. You can always steam clean everything when done and wipe down surfaces like countertops, desk tops, large toys, etc.

Because of the girls, even if you get the shot for the cats, you still have the problem of the flea bitten kids.  The quickest  route is to flea bomb the place (and you will have to let your neighbors in the house know when you are going to do it)---leave the cats at the vet for the day , and spend the day out with the girls while Jerry takes care of things.

Fleas are pernicious.  And I am allergic. I just adopted 2 new cats, and they did have fleas (although the vet characterized it as "a few"--- and the foster mother claimed she had treated them with Revolution, but couldn't quite remember when they had the last dose) I already had Parastar on Gracie, so she was ok, but I have been a whirling dervish cleaning things until I eliminated all their food.  I am making sure I wear socks (no more bare feet) and long pants tucked into them in the house.

I am so sorry you will have to go through this ordeal---and while in general I am against introducing toxins to your home--as far as I am concerned it is the lesser of two evils.

Do not leave the cats in the house while you flea bomb. Board at the vet for the day. It is poison.

if you use the over-the -counter stuff and you put the cats in the bathroom (where you aren't bombing) with the window open- they will be fine. 

Better to be safe than sorry.  I would board them for the day at the vet, too. Leaving the window open,even with the most secure screen, could prove too much temptation for a curious kitten.  I wouldn't chance it.

Well, I don't know about your bathroom set up, but I'd open the window from the top and since it would mean scaling a 6 foot tile wall, I think you'd be safe. She's already indicated an issue with funds so boarding cats for a day may be outside her means. 

My toilet is under a window-- no way to prevent them from getting to the sill.  I actually think that this is a pretty common bathroom footprint.

In any event--open window and cats spell disaster waiting to happen. My new cats embody "Where there is a will there is a way"

I would never feel safe leaving a living creature in the house while it was being bombed...if you can't afford to board them...drop the kids off at a friends and sit in the car with the cats until it is safe to return.

@jmitw       

maybe. my toilet is far away from the window. If the window was open at the top, it would mean the cat would have to scale 7 ft of tile wall and break through the screen. Maybe my cat wasn't ambitious like this but it never would have occurred to her to try. Not saying it's ideal but the flea bomb you use in your home isn't all that toxic and a cat placed in an untreated bathroom with an open window would be just fine if there was no other solution. Good luck, HQ.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+use+a+flea+bomb+in+your+house&qpvt=how+to+use+a+flea+bomb+in+your+house&view=detail&mid=57EE92268EC2BE4BA31757EE92268EC2BE4BA317&FORM=VRDGAR

We went through this with the dead raccoon in the attic.  Calling in an exterminator was what finally worked for us.  Do you own or rent your apartment?  If you rent, you should probably notify the owner of the building and the tenants in any other units within the building of the nature and extent of the infestation.  The owner may want to bring in their own exterminator to resolve the problem.

If you do decide to go the flea bomb route yourself, in addition to above suggestions, find someone who will store your food for you while the bombing is taking place (we put ours in a separate shed).  You don't want to run the risk of having any food (yours or the cats') contaminated by being exposed to the flea bomb. If flea bombing yourself, you may want to make sure all interior doors are left open (closets, cupboards, etc.) in case there are fleas residing in those spaces. If things have gotten to the level of infestation implied by your OP, fleas are likely traveling on the human members of your family and infestation could be spreading to your vehicles. Check them daily and clean thoroughly to remove any eggs.  Daily laundering and cleaning of surfaces can help control the further spread of the infestation but will not eliminate the problem. 

I cant imagine leaving my cat in the house while I sprayed poison, while I left for my own safety. I bombed an apartment I lived in years ago and I went for a drive with the cat while I waited for the air to clear. Every hard surface had to be wiped down after.

hauscat said:

I cant imagine leaving my cat in the house while I sprayed poison, while I left for my own safety. I bombed an apartment I lived in years ago and I went for a drive with the cat while I waited for the air to clear. Every hard surface had to be wiped down after.

I am not leaving the cat in the house. Should I call a professional for the flea bomb and if so any idea how much would it cost ?? 

My little ones woke up today with a few bites, definitely resolving this issue this week. While they stay with there father I'll be sanatizing the house.

Any idea how much would it cost to bring my cat to the vet and stay there a few days ?? Plus treating the fleas ?? Anyone you can recommend ?? I love Dr.Levine but i don't have the budget for them. 

joan_crystal said:

We went through this with the dead raccoon in the attic.  Calling in an exterminator was what finally worked for us.  Do you own or rent your apartment?  If you rent, you should probably notify the owner of the building and the tenants in any other units within the building of the nature and extent of the infestation.  The owner may want to bring in their own exterminator to resolve the problem.

If you do decide to go the flea bomb route yourself, in addition to above suggestions, find someone who will store your food for you while the bombing is taking place (we put ours in a separate shed).  You don't want to run the risk of having any food (yours or the cats') contaminated by being exposed to the flea bomb. If flea bombing yourself, you may want to make sure all interior doors are left open (closets, cupboards, etc.) in case there are fleas residing in those spaces. If things have gotten to the level of infestation implied by your OP, fleas are likely traveling on the human members of your family and infestation could be spreading to your vehicles. Check them daily and clean thoroughly to remove any eggs.  Daily laundering and cleaning of surfaces can help control the further spread of the infestation but will not eliminate the problem. 

All great ideas. I will take advantage that my kids will be with there dad. I will take all the precaution and bombing in my apartment. I didn't think about the food. 

I've never rented, but I would be wary about informing the landlord about the fleas since they may decide they no longer want to allow pets in the apartment. I don't know if that is something that they can legally change in a lease or not, so others with more experience in landlord tenant law might want to correct me.  

One other thing to try - if you don't want to try the bombing right away (though it sounds like it may be necessary), is to use diatomaceous earth. It looks like a powder that you put on everything, leave it for a bit, then vacuum off. If you can leave it overnight is even better. It is safe around humans and pets (food grade)- I think it is actually crushed fossils, which form a powder that smothers the fleas. You may have to do this more than once, but it is an alternative to chemical fumigation.

HQ--- ask  the vet if they can give you a day rate while the house is flea bombed. If you buy the Revolution there, they may be willing to do that.  In the alternative, if you treat the cats, before the girls go to their Dad's, do you think maybe he'd willing to keep the cats while the apartment is treated?

I don't mean to be indelicate, but are you sure it's fleas and not bedbugs?  One way to check is to put some sheets of white paper on the floor and see if anything jumps on it.  Fleas jump, bedbugs crawl.  While unpleasant, maddening and very uncomfortable, fleas are way easier to treat. Good advice, all, above.

I think it would be a perfect solution to send the girls to dads for 2 days and simultaneously bring the cats in to the vet for treatment/ flea removal/baths overnight. You can do 2 rounds of flea bombing, wipe down surfaces, vacuum all the rugs and have it flea free and toxin free by the time the girls get home. I really don't think you need to remove all the food. Close all the cabinets and put away (in the fridge) open food items. It will be fine.