Cat Fleas! Advice and help please

Makeandsave · 12 October 2017 at 6:23PM

Hi,

I offered to look after my friends 2 cats when they went away for 18 nights. Never noticed the fleas until the cats went.

I have been bitten, I am wearing long joggers and tucking socks in, I have sprayed with flea spray (got wilko £4 then bobs £6) i am hoovering everyday. I have no pets here.

Does anyone know how long it will be before they go? Am i doing anything wrong or is there anything else i can do that is low budget?

Thank you

p.s will not be offering again.

es5595 · 13 October 2017 at 6:24AM

The best flea spray I found was Indorex. Spray every room, especially those with carpet, and anywhere you brushed the cats. Then vacuum, really well. Repeat for several days.

Overnight, put a lamp on the floor and leave it on. Surround it with dinner plates of water with just enough fairy liquid in so that a piece of pepper won't sit on the surface. In the morning you'll see these full of fleas.

Over a couple of days, this number will reduce as you get rid of them.

Daydreambeliever · 13 October 2017 at 7:24AM

Morning, a second vote for Indorex. I once moved into a property which unfortunately had a problem with fleas and this spray worked wonders.

Makeandsave · 13 October 2017 at 11:55AM

Thank you i have ordered 2 cans of this £20 spent (with delivery). Just sent a message to friends about there cats. I hope they take it well and offer to pay. Failing this i will have to call council to do a spray £53. Can't believe this do a good deed and get fleas lol.

TBagpuss · 13 October 2017 at 11:58AM

Most sprays only kill the live fleas, not any eggs or larvae.

You can get rid of some of those by vacuuming (and emptying the vacuum cleaner immediately), so if you vacuum all floors and any sot furnishings that will help.

It takes 1-4 weeks (depending on things like temperature ) to go through the cycle from new egg to flea, so I'd suggest keeping an eye out and spraying again in a week, and again after that if you have any reason to think there re any still around.

Washing things in hot water also kills them, so if you have removable throws, or any bedding that the cats slept on, was it on a hot wash.
If you haven't already done so, do let your friends know. It can be hard to spot sometimes, so unless they make a habit of checking regularly for fleas they may not be aware of the problem.

sheramber · 14 October 2017 at 4:58PM

the Indorex spray kills fleas for two months. The vibration of hoovering will encourage the eggs to hatch out. But fleas eggs/larvae can survive for up to a year waiting for optimum hatching environment.

Make sure you empty your hoover every day and empty it outside as fleas can drawl out again.

If it is a bagless one washout the container after emptying.

Some people put a flea collar in the hoover to kill any live ones hoovered up.

Make sure to treat everywhere the cats went - including your clothes in they went on your lap.

Sometimes cats don't show any sign of carrying fleas. My friend didn't know her cat was bringing them in until her dog became infested.

Merlin's_Beard · 15 October 2017 at 2:32PM

Indorex kills eggs/larvae/adults, I think.

But it doesn't get the pupae. Nothing gets the pupae!

Things you can do to encourage them to hatch out include putting damp towels onto warm radiators - they're stimulated by humidity (like animal breath) - warmth will also encourage them to hatch out sooner. Indorex stays active for 12 months so should get them when they hatch.

Was any washable things at 60C or over, which will also kill eggs.

iammumtoone · 15 October 2017 at 2:57PM

It may seem counter prodcutive but the best way to deal with (along with the indorex) would be to have the cats back for a while.

If the cats are treated with a good quality product, one that helps the enviroment as well like advantage then the fleas will jump onto the cat and get killed much quicker than any method you can do.

Once the pupae have hatched they will search for an animal once they find the cat, game over.

If you can't/dont want to get the cats back then hover, hover, hover.

I also second the suggestion of leaving out a shallow dish of soapy water with a light above at night. This will show you that your actions are working, over time you will see and less in the dish when you get up.

Makeandsave · 16 October 2017 at 10:26AM

Thank you everyone, I did the plate and light and each normal size dinner plate caught about 5/6 fleas 2 plates in total. I will spray Indorex later today once i hoover again. failing this i will call the council.

Fireflyaway · 16 October 2017 at 12:48PM

I found the cheap supermarket stuff doesn't work. I tried indorex and it did. Be generous though - under sofas, under fusions, curtains etc. Do it when you don't have to be in for a while.

iammumtoone · 16 October 2017 at 5:23PM

Makeandsave wrote: »

Thank you everyone, I did the plate and light and each normal size dinner plate caught about 5/6 fleas 2 plates in total. I will spray Indorex later today once i hoover again. failing this i will call the council.

Give it a while yet, it will work you have to be patient. Calling the council at this stage will be a waste of money and even after they spray you will still have to wait for all the fleas to go.

Keep using the plate and light and you will see the number of fleas reduce over time.

Cat Fleas! Advice and help please

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