Mortified...Miles and Koji have fleas :(

Hello,

(Can I appologies in advance - Miles and Koji are Ragdolls, I feel a fraud posting on a MC forum! We are looking to get MC at the end of the year though)

I noticed a single flea on Miles two nights ago while giving him a belly rub and confirmed this when I looked for flea dirt, found it and did the damp tissue test. I immediately went to the 24 Hr Tesco and bought frontline spot on for both kitties and applied it to them as soon as I got back. I confined them to one room, which I feel awful about. We then poured flea dust (was the only thing for the environment in Tesco - pet shop obviously closed at night!)

Next day I bought a spray for the house, sprayed it all (it contains an insect growth regulator) but ran out when it came to the sofa so today I got some more and did the sofa.

In the mean time, poor kitties still confined to one room, and I am still seeing live fleas on Miles and zero dead ones 48 hours after application (have caught about 4-5 in total so far off him with a flea comb) but one dead one on Koji.

Sorry for the long post, but my question is:

Has the Frontline failed on Miles?
Should I continue to confine them, especially if Miles is still a flea buffet? They are booked in for an anti-flea injection, but I have to wait until Monday :( I don't want to confine them for this long but I also don't want to spread flea eggs around the house that can feed off a cat that won't kill them? I don't know what to do!!!! Please help!

Those little faces separated by glass doors are making me feel terrible :(

Frontline spot on takes 48hrs to become fully effective,have you noticed that the fleas are easier to catch,if they are chances they have got the drug & it is working,are they going for the program inj,if so that will give the added protection of putting the flea on the pill as well,nightmare when you see the little b****rs isn't it,I had epedemic a couple of years ago & my cats are indoors & they had been deflead right up to date.Already sounds as if you have hit your house,did you think to put a bit of the house spray on to a piece of tissue & suck it up your hoover,just to stop any hatching out in there as well.The house spray should work for a good while,one of them says it lasts the year so I would have thought you should be safe to let boys out as any fleas,eggs that hit the floor should come to a sticky ene anyway.
There are other threads on here about this problem,one member of the forum went out & got a steam cleaner.
Let them out bless them & have a cuddle,then a good scratch because even when they are completely gone you are still sure they have hopped back on,just perhaps keep them out of your bedroom until after Monday.
Good luck...x

Not noticing that they are particularly easier to catch...I just don't want to live in a house of fleas for the next 4 days. I know that sounds mean, but fleas are my worst nightmare! So annoying as they are indoor only...

I'm just worried as I've not seen any dead ones off of Miles. I am reluctant to let him out as the Frontline may not be working, also even though we've spent hours flea dusting, flea spraying and vacuuming the last 2 days I don't believe I can cover every inch of the house, and there WILL be the odd crack and patch not covered which means the cycle will continue.

At least I think we've caught it early, as I've only seen 5 lives ones in total on both cats. Miles has much more dirt though, Koji hardly anything. Argh! I just want to se a dead flea from Miles...I REALLY wish I knew about the injection before all this.

Am I just making this out to be a bigger deal than it is? I so so worried about it!

After reading another flea thread on here, I checked Buddy and found some flea dirt. I got some Program Flea tablets from chemist and gave him one. 15 mins later you could actually see dead fleas falling off him. Confined him to bathroom, put flea collar in hoover, powdered carpets, sprayed sofas, beds etc, cuddlies in freezer, hoovered everything; floors, sofas, beds, cushions, clothes etc and nothing since. Incidently he had been Frontlined 10 days before hand. The tablet did make him a bit psycho for half an hour but his fur was really silky after.

I didn't realise I had a problem to start with,as the cats were all up to date with flea treatments,had been using it monthly,I just thought that a couple that were scratching had got some dry skin,can you imagine my reaction when Bruce rolled over for a tummy rub & I saw fleas running through his fur,that night I sat & picked off over a hundred live fleas from the six cats,some were worse than others & I did wonder if it had worked on some of mine better than the others. You are not making a big deal of it at all,I hated it & the chances are that it hasn't worked so well on Miles,on the other hand the dead one you got off of the other cat could have been on Miles & then moved cats to die.....! Might be worth phoning your vet in the morning & see what they would advice as you can't get them in until Monday but I would say by then you will find that you are winning the battle anyway x
all

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Originally Posted by catslave

After reading another flea thread on here, I checked Buddy and found some flea dirt. I got some Program Flea tablets from chemist and gave him one. 15 mins later you could actually see dead fleas falling off him. Confined him to bathroom, put flea collar in hoover, powdered carpets, sprayed sofas, beds etc, cuddlies in freezer, hoovered everything; floors, sofas, beds, cushions, clothes etc and nothing since. Incidently he had been Frontlined 10 days before hand. The tablet did make him a bit psycho for half an hour but his fur was really silky after.

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Do they do program for cats in tablets now,used to be a horrible milky suspension that cats wouldn't take,we gave up selling it at work just have the inj.for cats in that product now,do know there is another tablet that you can get that you give when you see a live flea.
I found my cats coats were a lot better when I moved onto Stronghold the only thing is that it is systemic where the good thing about Frontline is that it is not,but again as it coats the hair with the drug could count for why cats coat feel different.....

Make sure you spray under the sofa and beds ect, they like living under things I was told, yep Jackie another thing I remember from the talk..............still earning that lunch lol

I have JUST had a session with the flea comb on Miles and actually found 2 dead ones and no live ones :) (only hours earlier there had been only live ones on him)

They had been confined for 48 hours, so upon seeing a dead flea on each cat I have decided to let them out. If I see any more live ones between now and Monday (inj. day) I will defo get the injection. If not, I may just assume the Frontline is working and leave it at that, or I may just go get them injected whatever.

Do I need to continue to vacuum every day? If so, how long do I need to keep up a daily vacuum?

I'd say vacuum for at least a week just to be safe. I have to hoover at least twice a day just to deal with the amount of fur they leave about. Ask Vet for advice re injections.

Jackie, found them in Chemist when I went to get Drontal; expensive £11.96 for 3 tablets, but the results were fantastic.

I'm also having a flea nightmare with Poif. I've used frontline, 2 weeks later frontline combo, and tried frontline again last week, which seem to kill about 3 fleas and then that's it. Have taken to nit combing the fleas out and have been getting about 4 off a day!! It's freaking me out a bit, and this evening I even had a flea casually wondering across my face!! I can only hope the flea was on it's way out though coz I'm sure they're normally more difficult to catch.

How do indoor cats get them? Everyone I know seems to be having problems this year with cats. Touch wood, these tablets seem to have worked on Buddy but he's getting another one next week just in case, and think he will get a flea bath next time he's at groomers. I hate the poxy things as my ankles are like a magnet for them and I get an allergic reaction to the bites.

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Originally Posted by Bethy_boo

I'm also having a flea nightmare with Poif. I've used frontline, 2 weeks later frontline combo, and tried frontline again last week, which seem to kill about 3 fleas and then that's it. Have taken to nit combing the fleas out and have been getting about 4 off a day!! It's freaking me out a bit, and this evening I even had a flea casually wondering across my face!! I can only hope the flea was on it's way out though coz I'm sure they're normally more difficult to catch.

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I do wonder if for some reason the Frontline Combo is not so effective on our cats coats,don't know why but I had no problem with the spray or normal Frontline pipette but when I went onto the combo all hell broke out it was then that I had to change products & all has been fine......

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Originally Posted by elismom

I too am very curious about how inside cats with no exposure to outside animals can get fleas. I've never had this problem nor do I want to! Perhaps fleas are more prolific in some places than others geographically?

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Fleas can be transported easily from place to place, I assumed that I brought the problem home from work as I very often deal with animals that are hosting the little darlings & of course when you bring them into your own environment they soon find another furry to continue playing host,thats why my animals have always been de flead regardless of the fact that they are "inside"cats, that is why it was also such a shock when I had the massive flea infestation,we have no carpets,the whole place gets hoovered daily sometimes more often if the cats have had extra fun time,they were all haveing flea product applied monthly,it was the product that put the flea on the pill as extra back up yet all h**l broke out,had to take one of them to work for an injection to calm his skin down poor boy was in a terrible state,so pounds worse off from buying products to protect them in the first place I was then pounds worse off trying to cope with the situation {company did replace the product free but that didn't help as it was obviously not working}since changing products things have been fine but at the first scratch from any cat flea inspection is carried out on all but none seen yet,in fact Ithink the cats have cottoned on because if they go to have that comforting nuzzle behind the ear with a paw & catch me looking the leg goes down with a look of oh no here she comes again....
Perhaps as you say where you live does help,perhaps if we had the good long hard winters every year it would help us too,the little buggers do seem to be worse over here nowadays,hope you never have to deal with them...x

I thought perhaps eggs could be tracked in from outside from peoples' shoes. Or perhaps a rogue flea has caught a lift from someone else's house who may have a flea infestation (*shudder* - hate thinking of it as an "infestation"!)

Luckily, neither myself or my partner have been bitten at all. Hopefully having practically fogged out the house with 2 massive cans of flea spray and a whole tub of flea dust, any eggs still falling off the cats won't hatch. Urgh...it's such a pain!

But having noticed the dead flea on each cat, I let them out of confinement. It's nice having kitties roaming around again! Koji never seemed that bothered, but Miles ran the length of the house bless him! (It was a large room they had but I guess he enjoyed the freedom!...)

I think i added in the previous thread that my DSH has a major flea allergy - frontline spot on just did not deal with the nasty little b****rs but the spray did and as it is so safe can use it monthly or even twice weekly in the summer - luckily she is complient.
The other tablet that the dermatologist at work says is good for LIVE fleas is Capstar - you can give on a daily basis it is so non toxic...but it does only kill live fleas not the eggs but I believe from what she said that you can give with frontline as a back up.
I think the problem with the spot on is actually getting it below all that hair to the skin which is what is needed. Hence it doesnt always clear the problem up.

Any way thanks for the flea thoughts .. itching like crazy now and I am at work !!!!!!

I have seen no fleas, dead or alive on either cat for 2 days now, and practically no flea dirt, but I am going to give the injection tomorrow just in case, mainly for peace of mind! Hope everyone's flea problems go away! I never thought my kitties would get them! Thanks for all the replies :)

So pleased for you,I think the only thing that has upset me as much as finding fleas on my animals was when daughter came home & I found she had the dreaded head lice,that was equally as bad {plus was best friends with the only child whose parents refused to treat at first} after three bouts in a very short space of time I pursuaded her that as we were going abroad for a holiday it might be a good idea to have her hair cut as even having it taken back in a ponytail her head would still feel very hot.I felt like a traitor but it worked & never told her until she moved up to high school & wanted to grow it again.
I wish I had a pound for everytime I have heard someone say "I never thought" but all sorted now......

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Originally Posted by jckkerrison

So pleased for you,I think the only thing that has upset me as much as finding fleas on my animals was when daughter came home & I found she had the dreaded head lice,that was equally as bad {plus was best friends with the only child whose parents refused to treat at first} after three bouts in a very short space of time I pursuaded her that as we were going abroad for a holiday it might be a good idea to have her hair cut as even having it taken back in a ponytail her head would still feel very hot.I felt like a traitor but it worked & never told her until she moved up to high school & wanted to grow it again.
I wish I had a pound for everytime I have heard someone say "I never thought" but all sorted now......

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Thanks Jackie just reading that got me scratching my head.

Haven't found any fleas or dirt for a few days now. Keeping my fingers crossed that its not just because the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Think I found the source of the problem, one of the lads at work has 4 unspayed female cats who he let's our resulting in him being presented him with 37 kittens and they all have fleas. I've taken to getting out of work clothes in hall and spraying them with flea spray and leaving shoes outside, cats are banned from the hall now.

I feel like crying! I have seen fleas on Koji and Miles again! I don't know what else to do...I am still not being bitten, and the cats aren't scratching more than normal, just running the flea comb over and caught 4 in 5 minutes! They have been frontlined (soon as I noticed - I know, I should have done it preventatively, but what's done is done) Dusted and sprayed the house, vacuumed loads, cats both had a Program injection yesturday...

Do I need to bathe them? Do I need to spray the house again?

Or is it just the remaining eggs hatching, they hopefully dying when they come into contact with the kitties? (was hoping the kitties would mop up and kills any remaining fleas)

Argh!

Don't cry! Program takes up to 24 hours to kill all fleas. You need to keep spraying everywhere for the next week at least. I got a "flea bomb" from a local pet shop. You have to get all humans and animals out of the room, ignite it, wait and hour, go and open windows, wait an hour, hoover and dust. Don't forget to hoover cat beds etc a couple of times a day. As for getting bitten my grannie used to swear by wearing white ankle socks to stop fleas biting; worth a try? Or use an insect repellent. xx

It was the program injection, that just stops them reproducing but doesnt kill them unfortunately, I was relying on the frontline to do that, but I applied it just over a week ago so I don't know why I'm still seeing fleas...I am hoping the injection will eventually end the cycle, and I will apply another spot on (maybe go for Stronghold as it's systematic) as soon as I can. Can I mix the spot ons like this? And if I do, will it be effective? Or should I just stick to what I've started with (frontline)?

Is this a sign anything is working...two of the fleas I caught last night were acting mental, jumping about all over the place and I couldn't catch them (they just jumped off the cat, onto the hard floor and away into oblivion!) when usually they are bit slower, and brown, these were black it seemed...were they perhaps dehydrating making them appear darker?

Fleas is all I can think about at the moment, driving me crazy!

Sorry, was just coming back to correct my mistake. Bob Martins do a tablet that kills fleas in about an hour. I would check with vet before giving just in case it reacts with the injection etc. I know others aren't keen on Bob Martin products but could be a quick kill them all then let the good stuff do its job.

My friends vet said Bob Marton products are entirely useless, not sure if this applies to the tablet. They must work to some degree, maybe he was talking about the spot on. I'll phone the vet and ask. I looked online at the product you mentioned, seems to kill them quickly but only gives 24 hours cover. How often can I give them these tablets? I guess I'll buy the pack and read the instructions :)

How long can fleas live without feeding?

Last summer we too had a nasty flea infestation. No idea where they came from, but I do remember I had seen tiny white grains clinging to the Coonies’ feet a while earlier. Now I know what they were… flea eggs. We had only moved into this house seven months earlier and the previous owner had kept ferrets and indoor/outdoor cats. So my theory is the eggs had lain dormant and hatched when the weather got warmer.

Anyway, we tried Frontline. Didn’t work. Then the vet told us to use Advantage spot-on, vacuum the house thoroughly, tie the vacuum bag into a plastic bag and throw it in the bin. This worked a treat, within three days there were no more fleas to be seen. And they haven’t come back since, even though we don’t do any preventive de-fleaing.

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Originally Posted by nahatalie

My friends vet said Bob Marton products are entirely useless, not sure if this applies to the tablet. They must work to some degree, maybe he was talking about the spot on. I'll phone the vet and ask. I looked online at the product you mentioned, seems to kill them quickly but only gives 24 hours cover. How often can I give them these tablets? I guess I'll buy the pack and read the instructions :)

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I used the Bob Martins ones on Fudge and you do actually see the dead fleas falling off within about 10-15 mins. You can give one every 24 hours and they kill eggs and larva as well. Just thought it might help til the injection kicks in. You wont need to buy them online, you can pick them up in any supermarket, there about £4 for three tablets.

Touching wood here, my 3 all appear ok. But I used to use the tablets on my old cats ,not sure on the brand , think it was Johnsons , any live stock would drop off in about 30mins dead. then I would nit comb and bath in insecticidal shampoo.

Has anyone ever tried Advantage II? It has really good reviews online, but im not sure we can get it in the UK??

Still have fleas!!!

Our two dogs at home got fleas once and it was a nightmare to get rid of them. We ended up having to get someone to come in and de-flea the whole house because even though the fleas were being killed on the dogs, they were around the house (despite constant cleaning) so they just kept going back to the dogs.

It was awful but once we had gotten rid of them - they never came back.

Gave in the other day, High Street Pet Shop, 6 flea bombs, cats outside, snakes in shed - let them loose. Cats given tablets in garden. The house stinks like wet paint ...... but, fingers crossed. Any of the cats caught scratching are going to the groomers for a flea dip, enough is enough.

Stacy - where did you find someone to do the house, I am seriously thinking about it. We've only just moved in here and I swear these have come out of the carpets etc. the previous owner had house rabbits and about 10 dogs.

I am finding next to no flea dirt on my kitties now, both are due a frontline in 2 weeks earliest, both have had program injections. Not seen a flea on Miles for about 4 days, but caught one on Koji today and one on him yesturday, so they are still about unfortunately. I am hoping these are just being picked up around the house, the last fwe to hatch...but not seeing actual dead ones, frontline is obviously not doing it's job.

Injection question - both cats were injected with program exactly a week ago and both have lumps at the site of the injection about the size of a small kidney bean. I will phone the vets tomorrow as I am a little concerned (both cats totally fine) that the lump shouldnt be there, and a bit worried that the program fluid is just sitting under their skin and not doing anything to control the fleas, and therefore potential for infection (though the lumps are hard)

Even though I am barely seeing one flea a day, it's so disappointing when I'm about to finish flea combing the cats for the day, finding nothing then at the minute one scuttles across the fur (seem to be catching them in my fingers after disturbing them through combing, they just don't die do they! Squashing doesnt work, have to literally rip them in half to kill them otherwise they leap away!)

I don't want to resort to a flea bomb! :( Looking likely at the moment...

Good luck everyone else dealing with these horrible little insects...

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Originally Posted by nahatalie

Even though I am barely seeing one flea a day, it's so disappointing when I'm about to finish flea combing the cats for the day, finding nothing then at the minute one scuttles across the fur (seem to be catching them in my fingers after disturbing them through combing, they just don't die do they! Squashing doesnt work, have to literally rip them in half to kill them otherwise they leap away!)

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We used to dump them in a glass of water, there is some satisfaction watching them drown:satisfied:

After 3 failed cycles of Frontline and de-fleaing the house I finally managed to persuade my vet to give me some Advocat. Put it on the kittens this morning and by the comb through this evening there is nothing but dead fleas!!

Would totally advise Advocat in the future. I'm finally free of the evil fleas!! Hurrah!

If you can get your vet to write a prescription you can buy it for £16 from Online Pet Supplies UK, Pet Medications, Pet Supplements, Pet Shampoo - much cheaper than the vet will charge.

I can't remember how much they charge for a prescription?? Was £20 from vet. Still cheaper than 3 cycles of frontline!! Thanks for the advise.