CAT FLEAS - merged

roses

In the past few days, I have come out in a bite on my right upper calf and today on my left ankle. They fit the profile of small, itchy and single puncture mark in the centre.

Last year in the house I was renting, there was a huge infestation of fleas caused by my landlady's cats which she eventually got treated by pest control. I left that house last December.

I have no pets and have not been in contact with any animals or with people who have them.

I seem to have acquired my new bites in my bedroom where I stored some boxes from my old house.

I walked around my room bare legged to see if I could catch anything but nothing.

Does this sound like a flea problem? Is there any chance I could have transported a flea egg which has just hatched?

It was such an awful experience last year. My entire body was covered with bites and I don't ever want to experience fleas again

malamute

does the bite look like this if yes then its fleas.

roses

The bites look a bit like that but are much smaller.

Baby flea?!

Bruja_2

Is it possible you could have got them outside the house. I once got flea bites from sitting on a bus. Also cutting the grass where cats had been?

faerie_girl

My three cats caught fleas from the MIL whos house was infested. For a couple of weeks i was getting about 10-20 bites aday my partner has none though!!!
Could they be mosquito bites?? Over the last month or so we have been getting them coming into the house. We live near some marshland type field (lol) I am not aware that any has biten me but they are still awlful though. Not had any for a couple of nights with the cooler weather

tealady

Sounds like fleas, they can live a long tiem. I would check out www.birmingham.gov.uk for a useful downloadable factsheet on fleas.

Keldin

You could also just have a mosquito bite. Especially if it's after a period of warm weather following rain. They have a more definite punture mark in the centre compared to a flea bite. They're also commonly on ankles and feet as these stick out of the duvet at night and provide easy targets.

Fleas can lie dormant for months or years in a carpet or even outside. The don't move around on their own, preferring to sit and wait until a passing animal provides transport.
They also don't like people, preferring dogs or cats to live on and feed upon. Even in a flea infested house if you have a dog you will probably never get bitten unless it's extremely infested. That makes it easier to kill them as treating the dog means they will all eventually climb aboard for a snack and die.
The house you are in now could have fleas in one room and they will just wait until something edible comes in so they won't spread on their own to the other rooms. If its a room used as a box room they could get hungry enough that they will jump on a person entering but I would think if you've been there since December you would have been bitten ages ago. If you don't get any more bites I'd say no fleas but you can always treat the carpets with flea poison (but don't vacuum for at least a week after doing that or you'll just suck the poison powder out)

K

sarahlsmith22

Hello, this is my first post and mainly because I am getting desperate for help, as my cat has fleas.
I have just come off the telephone from my local vet who I visited last week and provided me with Frontline treatment for my cat and Indorex treatment for my home for the prevention/ridding of fleas.
I followed all instructions and covered both cat and house with the specified products. I have been hoovering regularly and keeping everything hot washed to kill any fleas that may be in the adult stage. After a week and a half of bliss (well flea free life) I have been bitten twice by the evil things and the cat has started scratching. The vet is baffled as "they are the top two items on the market" and that the fleas on the cat will be killed by the frontline and the indorex will apparently not let any fleas or eggs live or reproduce for a whole yer. If they were so fantastic surely they would work longer than a week?
The only advice she has given was to call the council. I called the council, who told me I do not have an infestation as I have only seen 1 flea on the cat and have only 2 bites, and my problem could easily be rectifed by flea repellant on the cat and house although I had already told them I have this, they also said they charge £43!!! If the problem gets worse they said to call back and suggested I call my local vet.
Does anyone have any ideas of anything else I can do? I was thinking of bathing the cat and the reapplying the frontline but the vet said this would be too soon. I am feeling quite depressed as I am allergic to the bites and clearly so is the cat as he looks miserable and keeps scratching. I also change the hoover bag each time after hoover (which is getting expensive!) and have tried to brush him with the flea comb when he will let me.
Many thanks.

roddydogs

You are using the best products for this problem. Do not overdose the Frontline, you could kill your cat. You are unlucky that you get bitten.
Its easier to climb Everest than bath a cat.
Can only suggest you do not let the cat out as he/she will pick up fleas from other cats/animals. and to put a small amount of garlic powder on their food-if he will eat it-this will eventually come out of the cats skin-fleas hate it. How long have u been using the frontline/indorex?

sarahlsmith22

I have been using both products since the 21st September so about a week and a half. The bites only happened last night and before that I was lovely and flea free.

Many thanks for your suggestion I did not think he might have been getting them from outside, so he has been out in the garden more in the last week or so as I was worried about him sleeping all day and night in the house and the fleas all jumping back on him. I will brush him tonight and then leave him inside and see if the problem sorts itself out. Otherwise I am going to have to wear a flea collar around each ankle when I’m at home!! Maybe there is something I can put in the garden for the fleas too, I’m sure it won’t stop them completely but its worth a try.

I didn’t realise too much frontline would kill him, obviously I won’t do that! Thanks again.