[artemisa]

I found a couple of fleas on Taby a few weeks ago. Being first time owners I don't know if we overreacted a bit, but we locked him in the bathroom, washed all the sheets, cleaned the floors, put a flea spray thing on the couch and chairs and Advantage on Taby. It seemed to have worked, I didn't see anymore on him and my sister found two dead on him afterward.

We applied the Advantage on the 5th of this month. Last night I found two more on him He hasn't been out of the house yet (he's 4 and a half months old) but he plays in a little garden thing that's inside of the house, there's soil and plants, enough for fleas to live in I suppose.

The Advantage effect was supposed to last 30 days, so what could've gone wrong? It wore off, or perhaps it wasn't applied right in the first place? (My mum was the one that I applied it, sounds like she did it right though)

I'm gonna give him a bath later on. I haven't got any flea shampoo 'cause all I found was Hartz, and I don't trust that brand. I guess I'll vacuum the couch and fluffy chairs he's always on. I don't think I'm gonna change bed sheets, etc. Maybe vacuum over everything :wink: Will that be enough?

 

[drjean]

Unfortunately, flea eggs can live in the carpet forever. I'm not sure why the Advantage would have failed so early, unless there is an overwhelming flea infestation in your house. Vacuuming will not do it; in fact, unless you change the bag and take the full one out immediately, adult fleas will just hop out and go back to what they were dong! Two main solutions for a whole-house infestation:

1. Bomb the entire house (with "flea bombs", that is). This is a big production and requires that you either board the cat for the day (perhaps while the groomer or vet is flea-shampooing him!), or put him in a bathroom and seal the door with towels. Bombs are not cheap and you have to get enough for the whole house. May need to be done more than once.

2. Call a professional exterminator. It costs more up front, but they guarantee their work for a year (usually).

Also, it may be better to not let the cat outside if you are in a high-flea area. Of course, I've watched fleas hop from the patio into the house without any assistance at all, but I lived at the beach, and sand fleas are everywhere.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[artemisa]

I was asking around and apparently fleas can still get in your cat, even with the Advantage on but then they'll die. Is that right? I think I read that in the Advantage website. How does it work? 'Cause if it's that they jump out of your cat then they'll be all over your house, while the cat's free of fleas :shock:

Would you say Revolution's better?

And I only saw two fleas, maybe I was overreacting? What would you do if you only saw a couple? :?

 

[drjean]

Were the fleas you saw alive? The way it's supposed to work is that if the flea bites your cat, it will die. There can still be live fleas in the house until they have all had a nibble on the cat and perish.

There's another very interesting thing about Advantage. You don't have to treat all the animals; just enough so that any fleas will surely come into contact with the treated ones and thus die. So, I treated just my dog and and think 1 cat, and sure enough, all the fleas eventually disappeared.

I wonder if your two new fleas had just hatched and hadn't bitten the cat yet?

Still, it suggests that there are still lots of flea eggs around, so you may still want to take some action about that.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[artemisa]

Thanks for explaining how it works. I was wondering about that.

Well one flea was certainly alive, the other one I don't know. And I read that they take up to 2 hours to die? So maybe they weren't dead yet.

So even if there are fleas around it's even better for them to get IN the cat, 'cause that means they'll die Right?

I only have the one cat. I bought Revolution for next time round. It just sounds more effective and works for heart worm and other things.

Thanks again.

 

[Aonir]

digested(eaten) fleas cause tapeworm

 

[Lilly]

Also make sure you are applying the medication correctly. The first time I aplied frontline to my crew I did not get it all the way down to the skin and it didnt work.

 

[artemisa]

Yeah that might have been it. It's harder than it seems tho, once you apply the whole thing some of it just seems to stay on the top :?

 

[Lilly]

It is difficult, for some reason my cats tend to freak out when I am trying to apply the medicine, it really is a two person job.

Just make sure you split the hair with your fingers until you can see skin underneath, then apply the medicine to the skin.

I am going to get my monthly supply tomorow, uugghhh! It costs 70 dollars for all my cats and my dog!!! Just for one month. :?

 

[Cyprian]

I am going to get my monthly supply tomorow, uugghhh! It costs 70 dollars for all my cats and my dog!!! Just for one month. :?

Wow 70 dollars a month! I'm so glad I live where it gets to cold for fleas to live..

 

[Lilly]

Yeah! No kidding.

We only buy the medicine in the summer months, however it still is alot of money... around 350 to 450 dollars per year. :x i hate fleas!

 

[artemisa]

How many cats do you have Lilly? I think you mentioned it on another thread... it's hard to keep up :? You should get a sig with all your kitties in it