[Vettecor]

I have a 12 year old cat that never goes out. I also have a feral that we rescued about a year ago that has turned out to be the smartest, most loving cat I have ever seen.

Every month we put the Advantage (not the multi, that never worked) on both cats. Frontline never worked either. Anyway the last dose, (Advantage) we put on did not do much to help the flea problem. It seems like some months they just don't work.

The feral cat comes in about 2 hours everyday. He sleeps in the garage at night because the 2 do NOT get along. We tried everything to get the 2 use to each other with no success. So when the feral cat comes in the indoor cat goes to the bedroom. We even tried the plug in Feliway, but indoor cat wants nothing to do with the the other guy. Both are males. It took along time for the indoor cat to reach Alpha status. Our Alpha male who was 18 years old and had been diabetic for 9 years passed on about 2 years ago.

Sorry back to the flea problem. The indoor cat has more fleas then the outdoor cat !!

Are their any products that work better for flea control ? I have heard about something called Di ???? Earth. Does that work ? If so, where can I purchase ?

We live on a Golf Course so we have wooded trees in the back yard so it would be useless to try and treat.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Larry

 

[ibbica]

You might try selamectin ("Revolution"), it's a newer spot-on compound and is very safe for cats (has a very broad 'safe and effective' dose range). You might talk to your vet about rotating a few different meds, and about what they've seen working (or more likely, not working) in your area.

Diatomaceous earth can help with environmental control of fleas. It basically dehydrates critters with an exoskeleton. There's a lot of weird (and wrong...) information about it being some sort of cure-all, but this is one thing it actually does do well

Do make sure you buy "food-grade" diatomaceous earth; not because it's for eating, but because the "pool grade" stuff sold for swimming pool filters is not safe as it contains an inappropriately high concentration of crystalline silica. Avoid inhaling it, of course! (Ingestion is OK, but no powder is good for your lungs...)

It can be sprinkled through bedding, carpets, floorboards, etc. Some people also use it directly in their pets' fur, but I'd check with your vet about that and do some research of your own - it's very drying to skin too, so do exercise caution. It also won't work at all if wet, so if you use it outside at all (e.g. windowsills, foundation line, etc.) you'll have to reapply it if it rains or dews or whatever. Don't bother trying to treat a whole yard with the stuff, it won't be very effective (moisture) and will affect any beneficial bugs as much as the pests :/

 

[Dave_ph]

They're in your carpets etc. Get some "Flea Busters". Its safe. Its' just Boric acid. Put it on carpets etc, brush in then vaccum up

 

[Penny135]

My cats that I used to have got fleas one year just because of sitting in the window ( totally indoor cats). Fleas jump high and through screens.

My vet gave them a capstar. It starts killing fleas within 1 hour. Then the next morning I put Frontline Plus on them. The day before I vacumed EVERYTHING. Pillows, furniture and carpets. He assured me that just vecuming would kill the fleas. They cant withstand the process.

I never had another problem with fleas after that.

 

[Vettecor]

Thanks guys for all of your suggestions.

I will try some of the products listed and report back on the results.


Larry

 

[doodlebug]

The other question is where have you been getting your flea products from? There are lots of counterfeits out there, so if you're not getting it from your vet or a reputable pet supply store it may not be working because it's fake.

You must treat the environment as well as the cats. Flea eggs can take weeks to hatch, then when they go into the cocoon stage they can live in your house for months. They get into all kinds of cracks and crevices, under furniture, between couch cushions etc. So once the cat has been treated and is free of fleas you need to do a really, really thorough job vacuuming and cleaning, then spreading diatomaceous earth or boric acid.

 

[marie73]

What have you been trying for the past 4 months?

 

[scottd]

I'm also curious as to where you've been getting it.

Some people say that Advantage II and Frontline Plus isn't working anymore because fleas are getting immune to it. They both still work for me though.

You will probably have to treat the cats and then work on the house. You can buy Borax powder in the laundry isle. If you sprinkle it on your carpets and let it sit for a few hours and then vacuum it up, it should remove the fleas. Keep the cats and small children out of the room while it's down. You'll also need to wash all blankets/pillows/etc that the cats have access to. You will also have to vacuum the couches/chairs/etc. I used borax powder on the furniture and in the wash too. It's relatively safe and works. If your cats sleep on your bed, you probably have fleas and flea eggs in the mattress as well. We sealed ours in plastic wrap after sprinkling borax on top for a couple weeks.