CAT FLEAS - merged

Cullumpster · 25 October 2004 at 4:37PM

Hello all,

Not sure whether this is in the right place so please move me and accept my appologies if not.

My 2 cats have come home with fleas, erghh.

They doesn't really bother anyone else in the house, but they bite me to pieces and i'm scratching like mad.

The only thing i've been able to find that works is the stuff that you buy from the vets that you put onto the back of their necks, but it's so expensive.

I didn't know whether you clever lot would know a nice safe natural soltion?

any help will be most grateful as i'm starting to get stressed.

Thanks
vic

rushnowt · 25 October 2004 at 7:21PM

Hiya Vic,

I know just how your feeling, there was another thread a while ago referring to this topic and some great suggestions, however the treatment your referring to did seem to come out top with many of the posters. I'm guessing your talking about Frontline from the vet and yes I know it is really quite expensive.

There was one post that offered tips on the Avon skin so soft product (woodland fresh) which contained a usage for killing/deterring fleas etc, which I promptly purchased and used, and i must admit it did really seem to work although i do keep spraying them occasionally to top it up. The flea collars don't seem to work and some even had a bad reaction to them and many of the sprays didnt seem to make much of a difference either. I did comments on the previous thread about the one I'd purchased from Asda called "Raid" ant & cockroach killer that states it kills fleas too and I cant recommend it highly enough, honestly cant remember how much it was now but sure it was around £2-£3. You need to treat your home as well as the pet as the flea lives outside of the animal and only uses your pet as a host to feed :-X they lay hundreds of eggs that drop off the animal and can live dormant in furnishings etc for months. Also when your pet as had fleas you need to treat him/her for tape worm as well as round worm as the fleas carry the tape worm and these can be injested by the animal during grooming etc.
Hope that helps and Good luck

Cullumpster · 25 October 2004 at 7:31PM

Thanks rushnowt,

Bit of a !!!!!! though, i thought someone was going to say 'yeah just stick some vinegar on them and they'll drop off!!' oh well.

Mind you, sitting here reading your reply has started me off itching again!! i'm covered in what looks like heatspots! :-X

rushnowt · 25 October 2004 at 7:35PM

My Gran swears by vinegar and seems everyone on here to lol, it does seem to kill some of them, I made up a jar of it and nit combed them when mine had them and dropped the fleas into the jar some died instantly some tried to swim for it

might be worth a try if you've got the time, inclination and if cats approve :-/ otherwise I've found the link for you to have a read through

http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Others;action=display;num=1093157592

Jay-Jay_4 · 25 October 2004 at 7:58PM

A couple of drops of tea tree oil on the back of the neck is said to be a good deterrent for fleas.

I think if they've already got them I'd be tempted to use the stuff from the vets and then maybe use tea tree to keep them at bay in the future.

I agree about the Raid stuff. I've just used it on weevils (EEEAAAUUUCCHHHHH!!!!) and have read up on it. It's a residual insecticide which means that it sticks to surfaces and any live bugs and kills 'em, even weeks after.

Squirt it over carpets, curtains and soft furnishings (test areas first) then close all the doors and windows and then go out. It's pretty potent stuff so you don't need to go mad. Have a good hoover up and you should have got rid of them all. Don't forget to empty your hoover bag.

Be careful if you have goldfish though because Raid will kill them too.

Good luck x

Cullumpster · 26 October 2004 at 6:52PM

Thanks for the replies folks, gonna try and dunk them in tea tree oil and see what happens, i've just spent 15 each on bloody stuff from the vet .. i couldn't take it any more !

aeuerby · 23 November 2004 at 12:52PM

As flea's live in carpets/soft furnishings these are the area's that need treating.

When my cats had flea's I got some cedar oil ( a natural insectacide) and diluted some drops -about 15-20 I think - in water. Then sprayed all the areas that my cats slept in having hoovered the carpets first.

I did this every day and hoovered every day. I also combed the cats every day - running the risk of losing my hand to one of them ;D. It got rid of the flea's in about a week. Time consuming but cheap and natural.

Not had a repeat infestation in 2 years but have the cedar oil ready if I do.

scorpio_biker · 23 November 2004 at 2:15PM

aeuerby's suggestion sounds excellent but I thought I'd add my solution just for variety

:-

My cat gets a injection (I think its twice a year) with a substance that sterilizes the fleas so they can't breed. This is because my cat comes into contact with other cats, and therefore he will continue to become infected. If he gets badly infected on top of that I use a standard flea collar and plenty of combing.

To catch the fleas that live in the carpet or furnishings I have a flea trap. This attracts the fleas and they stick to the pad in the bottom. Its kinda scary how many there can be in a house. See here for the unit.
http://staging.globalgold.co.uk/thecargostore/public_html/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Insect_Control_13.html

You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere?

Good luck with your solution, I know that fleas are a real pain.

16011996 · 23 November 2004 at 2:26PM

thanks for that, my cat came home with fleas last weekend. will have a look at the trap.

Cullumpster · 23 November 2004 at 3:35PM

Thanks for all of the replies,

I've already zapped them with the vets stuff, and the nit zapper, hopefully that should do the trick.

Just for reference, when i went to the vets to get the flea stuff i asked about getting the flea injection, but the woman basically told me that it was a waste of money, it doesn't stop your cat from getting fleas, it just stops them from laying eggs when they do.

I'm going to try that flea zapper thing as well cause i'm sure they are still in the house, i've got wooden floors and leather furniture but i think they've jumped onto my clothes and got into my bed as i've got bite marks all over my back, although i've hoovered the bed every day and turned the mattress too.

Any other suggestions?

16011996 · 23 November 2004 at 3:56PM

last time we had the flea problem, i got a dust mite matress protector for the bed. never got bit in bed again. and was quite sure they were in there.

CAT FLEAS - merged

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