How do you get rid of flea on cats?

Had any of your cat ever caught flea on them?
If so, how did you get rid of them without upsetting the cat?

Yes, i've brought in cats with fleas, even when I was being very carefull not to. Upsetting the cat was the least of my worries. You want to get rid of those fleas fast, before you end up having the flea-bomb the house! You start with treating all the cats with topical flea and tick treatments like Advantage or Frontline. Buy the best you can afford; this is a care of you get what you pay for, and the higher priced treatments have the safer and more effective ingredients. But never, NEVER use flea treatment for dogs on a cat!!! There are some things safe for dogs that are toxic for cats. And read the label! My problems with fleas came when I took in kittens that were too young for topical flea treatments. Next step is to vacume your entire house repetedly, including the furniture. Fleas feed on warm-blooded mammels, but they live in the carpeting and upholstry. Wash all the bedding too. If the fleas still take up residence in the house, then you will need to fumigate. Go to a hardware or garden store and get what we call "flea-bombs". Cover all the dishes or wash them all again afterward. Remove the pets food and water dishes. Cover or protect all food. Turn off pilot lights. Cover fish tanks. Remove ALL pets from the house!!!. Set off the flea bombs and get out! Spend about the next four hours out of the house with your pets, then come back and open windows and turn on fans to air out the house. Scrub off food prep surfaces and wash the bedding. THEN bring your pets back in. If you seem to get fleas frequently and you have pets that go outside, you might need to treat your whole yard for fleas so your pet doesn't keep getting re-infested. If I'm going to bring in a cat that might be infested or kittens that are too young to treat, I bathe them to kill the fleas right away, since topical treatments usually take twelve to twenty four hours to act, giving time for fleas to jump-ship and infest your house.

Obviously, this all is a royal pain-in-the-neck! So this is why you should ALWAYS very carefully check any animal you plan to bring into your house. Look for little black specks in their fur, that turn red when you get them wet. This is flea-poop containing the blood they suck. That is your best indication of fleas.

GOOD LUCK!

Thanks. That flea bomb sounds like the same way to kill the cockroaches in the house, with a different chemical of course. It is quite a pain to clean up the harmful substances afterward.

How do you treat the entire yard for flea?

Many flea bombs will kill a number of insects, including moths, fleas, and roaches. To treat a yard, go to a garden center and buy a bug killer that you sprinkle on the ground. I'm told it will kill ALL the bugs in your yard. I have never had to treat the yard. None of the neighborhood strays i have taken in have had fleas (earmites are another matter!) because my neighbors yards don't have fleas. But I have gotten cats from other sources that have had them. Fleas are more of a problem down south. Up north here the winters are cold enough that most of the fleas outdoors die off. Those that survive have to start breeding again in the spring before they are a problem. In the south where they seldom have a hard freeze, fleas, ticks, and heartworms are a year round problem.

Cleaning up after flea bombing is not too bad because the chemicals become inert after a few hours. That's when it's safe to go back in the house. You just have to protect food from being exposed, and scrub any food prep surfaces and exposed dishes. I strip the bed before hand to make sure there are no bugs hiding in the bedding and to be sure the matress gets treated, then i wash the bedding. I would wash any pet bedding too. Flea bombs do not kill the flea eggs, so you might have to bomb again in a few weeks to get the ones that hatch after the first bombing.

If you think you have a small infestation, mostly in one area of your house, you can try this home made flea trap. You will need a goosneck lamp (desk lamp) with an incandescent bulb, and a pie or baking pan with a half inch to one inch of water in it. Put the pan on the floor and set the lamp next to it with the bulb hanging over the pan. Put a drop or two of dish soap in the water to break the surface tension and be sure the lamp will not tip over into the water. Keep pets and small children away. Fleas find their prey by detecting the body heat. The heat of the light bulb will attract the flea which will jump for the bulb, be stunned by the heat, fall into the pan of water, and drown. This sounds a bit Rube Goldberg, but it works. You can see the drowned fleass in the pan.

I agree completely with the new meds out there for fleas. They have actually changed the world, at least mine. I use revolution, and am very happy with it. Back in the day, I had a very bad flea outbreak in a house I moved into. There are products you can buy to treat carpets, that guarantee no fleas for 6 months, etc... and are very expensive. I did some research and found out the primary ingredient of most of them was orthoboric acid, (most were 95% - 98%). I did some more research on the safety of it, and bought some at a do-it-yourself pet supply, raked it into the carpet, didn't vacuum for 3 weeks, gave the cats one more flea dip, and didn't see a flea in the house for the three years I lived there. I actually never saw a live bug in that house for the three years, and this is in a very wet part of Florida, aka "bug heaven". I had the occasional dead palmetto bug, but that was it. I used that stuff until I started with the revolution. And actually, I have used it anyways. Just some information for thought.

Wow! If that stuff works in FL, it must be realy good! I've heard that diatamatious earth (sp?) works for long term environmental control of bugs like fleas, because the particles of the powder have razor edges that cut the bugs and kill them, but these particles are too small to harm humans or larger animals. At least that's how it was explained to me. I've never tried it.

I have actually tried the diatamatious earth in the yard once. I'm not sure how effective it really is. And with fleas, all you need is two of them in the house, and the outside doesn't matter anymore. So I gave up on that, and focused on the house. I think killing everything in the yard here would be next to impossible anyways, and I have a "control team" that lives outside, otherwise known as a whole lotta anoles! The hardest part with the orthoboric acid is not vacuuming for 3 - 4 weeks. And it doesn't have the same effectiveness if you live in a house that is mostly wooden floors, tile, etc... You can sprinkle it under furniture cushions and the like.

I learned a bit about hot humid southern climates in New Orleans after Katrina. You realy have your work cut out for you. I guess we have it a bit easier up here in Wisconsin with the freezing winters, though we do have a lot more ticks in the woods that can carry Lyme disease. I agree; Revolution's great! (But EXPENSIVE!)

I skip months with it, my cat's don't go outside. So I am not too worried about it. I actually can't remember when the last time I actually had fleas was. I should probably get some more now that I have jinxed myself...

Hey Karenskatz, do you actually get flea in Canada? I thought it is a place with 24/7 snow. Joke.


Seriously though, I'd think Canada is a little on the cold side for flea to thrive.

I have to say that I have always found frontline to be a very effective method of controlling fleas.However in saying that I also feel that if you continue to use repeated applications the fleas start to show immunity.I personally have not struck this problem yet.If you are not happy using chemical methods garlic powder sprinkled or mixed on their food can help.However not when you suffer from major infestations,then it is time to treat with other methods.Don't forget to worm your cat when you de-flea.One of my current moggies corny she literally has to be wrapped tightly to apply the frontline as if she is not you end up needing plasters to stop the bleeding lol.Corny literally hates having it applied and will run a mile if she sights you coming with the little pipette.My other two don't care in the least when I'm applying the frontline.

Garlic powder in the food can drive off the flea? Is it because the flea dislike the smell of garlic in the blood?

Yes it sure is the fleas do not like the taste of the garlic in the pets blood.If you are going to try this method I would advise buying the best quality garlic powder that you can source from a reliable retailer.As some garlic powders have hidden chemicals in them depending on the country of origin.

Is there a reason why we can't just use fresh garlic from the supermarket?

If your pet will eat the garlic chopped up in its food than thats ok.I just mean make sure you know where the garlic has bee produced.In my country we have imported garlic as well as local and without sounding racist or paranoid the quality and chemicals found in the cloves I sure as heck would not be consuming and therefore would not expect my pets to either.Powder is easier to hide mixed in with the food as well.

I have used garlic juice to soak the dry fish food before fed them to my fish. I expected the same can be done for the cats.

Ramm, come on! Yes I get ice and snow in the winter, but Wisconsin is not Canada! I'm actually an hour and a half drive north of Chicago.

Garlic is not a good idea for cats. A little bit once in a while might not be harmful, bur large or repeated doses of garlic or onions can cause anemia.

(04-30-2012, 04:01 PM)Karenskatz Wrote: Ramm, come on! Yes I get ice and snow in the winter, but Wisconsin is not Canada! I'm actually an hour and a half drive north of Chicago.

Garlic is not a good idea for cats. A little bit once in a while might not be harmful, bur large or repeated doses of garlic or onions can cause anemia.

I was under the impress that you are from Canada because you asked about pet stores in Canada.
http://petskeepersguide.com/forums/Threa...-in-Canada

I remember somewhere mentioned that fresh cut garlic can strengthen the immune system of mammal. It only works when it is fresh, because the actual chemical compound cause the strengthening of immune system only last for a few minutes after exposed to the air.

I was trying to help a Canadian on another forum find where they could buy a soft-side dog crate for their car. I actually live in Milwaukee.. Wisconsin is next to Minnesota, which some people think might as well be part of Canada.

I am not one of those people who think Wisconsin is a part of Canada.

Karen is not a Canadian because of that fact.

Not that I mind. I have good friends that are Canadian. But I'm glad I don't live where you have to keep an engine oil heater plugged in during the winter so you can get your cat started!. And I already have enough problems with the cats blocking the heating vents. It's just cold enough to keep the fleas under control. That's enough.

I buy all my pet stuff from Drs. Foster and Smith, believe it or not, the pharmacy their have the lowest prices in the country, even BETTER than Ped Meds. Flea and tick products ship free along with prescriptions (like revolution). And all other supplies are free shipping if the order is over $49. Certified Vets on hand along with live internet help or call center agents willing to help with any questions.
check out their site. http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Very good point LoveCats. I use them allot too, because of the shipping deal. They have a very good vriety of products and very good prices. If you have a variety of animals, as I do, if I need anything, it really isn't hard to find enough things at good prices to get over $50. And welcome to the forum!!

Welcome Lovecats! with a screen name like that, You're in the right place!I welcome the chance to swap cat stories.

Wisconsin isn't in Canada?