cat fleas

greggy209

hi we have fleas in our house, it really bothers me becaise most of them seem oto be in my room where the cat doesn't go (i keep the cat out of my room for this reason)

we have treated the cat with bob martin flea and tick spot on but have noticed no improvement.

i have read a lot and seen that bob martin flea and tick spot on is not preferred but that most people recommend frontline or advantage, i have found different versions of frontline like frontline plus and have found advantage on amazon,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frontline-Plus-Cats-6-pack/dp/B000V7SUGS
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Advantage-Month-Topical-Treatment-Applications/dp/B00006H36X

are these the correct ones to try? they are very expensive with frontline plus at £40 inc. postage and advantage at £60 inc.shipping from us (£60 definitely too much i think(

i am also concerned at the fleas in my room where the cat doesn't venture, they are all over me

thank you very much if you can help

chunkychocky

Bob Martin isn't worth the effort or expense. You are definitely better off with Frontline. I think we use this one: http://www.vetuk.co.uk/frontline-spot-on-frontline-for-cats-c-417_592/frontline-for-cats-6-pack-p-118

It sounds like you have the flea eggs hatching out in the soft furnishings in your bedroom and then they are feeding on you. You need to wash your curtains, bedding etc at high temperatures and while you are doing that you need to spray your carpet. We had to do this years ago and used a can of Nuvan Top which I don't think is available any more, but I've heard good things about 'Acclaim' Flea Spray.

BitterAndTwisted

Please stop using the Bob Martins immediately. It's completely ineffective and can sometimes harm the animal. Whichever treatment you decide to use, Frontline or Advantage, you MUST treat the carpeting and soft furnishings or you won't get to grips with the problem. For every live flea on the cat there could be hundreds of eggs and thousands of flea pupae lurking about and this is where the real problem lies. The pupae can survive for up to six months until they hatch, once hatched they hop back onto the cat, get a feed, start breeding and then the cycle starts all over again.

You need an environmental spray with an "Insect Growth Regulator" which will kill larvae as well as adult fleas and also prevent the eggs from hatching . Acclaim or Johnson's 4 Fleas contain permethrin, methoprene and tetramethrin which are the active ingredients you should look out for in other products.

Protect the cat, use the household spray and hoover, hoover, hoover!

greggy209

thanks you

i have read that frontline plus kills the flea eggs and the larvae as well as the adult fleas, and that regular frontline just kills the adults, so i would like to get frontline plus,

does anyone know where to get it cheaper than the amazon price?

thanks

Rummer

Hello

I have been having an ongoing battle with fleas this year and I completely empathize with you. After many treatments and sprays (vet recommended) I have still not managed to get rid of them.

So today I have begun the final battle of the fleas. I have hired a rug doctor to wash the carpets and soft furnishings so I can drown a lot of them, I have also treated the cats with a new vet recommended treatment and when the carpets are dry I am going to spray the house with a different brand of house spray.

That coupled with all the bedding being stripped and washed on a hot setting I am hoping that I will finally get rid of the evil wee beasties!

spincandy

I swear if the world ends, fleas will still be going strong! They're tough to kill and a nightmare once you've got them.

One thing to remember about flea treatments is that they are not preventative medications (with the exception of only one I can think of that we don't regularly use). You can treat your cat or dog for fleas with a quality product and, great, that'll solve the problem but they can go out the next day and one can hop straight back on.

I always advise the use of prescription (ie veterinary) products and that's not just because I work at one, it's because I've seen sooooo many cases where shop bought products, in the best case, don't work and, in the worst case, harm the animal. It costs more in the long run, in my opinion, to buy shop-bought stuff. And, imo, unless you're buying a good few years worth of Frontline £40 is way way too much! My practice charges around £12 for a four-pack of our flea tx of choice, which, if you use it according to the licence, gets between four and eight months of protection.

Don't even get me started on Bob Martin *shudder*.

Rach x

greggy209

spincandy wrote: »

I swear if the world ends, fleas will still be going strong! They're tough to kill and a nightmare once you've got them.

One thing to remember about flea treatments is that they are not preventative medications (with the exception of only one I can think of that we don't regularly use). You can treat your cat or dog for fleas with a quality product and, great, that'll solve the problem but they can go out the next day and one can hop straight back on.

I always advise the use of prescription (ie veterinary) products and that's not just because I work at one, it's because I've seen sooooo many cases where shop bought products, in the best case, don't work and, in the worst case, harm the animal. It costs more in the long run, in my opinion, to buy shop-bought stuff. And, imo, unless you're buying a good few years worth of Frontline £40 is way way too much! My practice charges around £12 for a four-pack of our flea tx of choice, which, if you use it according to the licence, gets between four and eight months of protection.

Don't even get me started on Bob Martin *shudder*.

Rach x

thanks rach i can't find frontline plus anywhere else though

User_Bob

This is a bit off the radar, but I was suggested this for an horrific infestation of (cat) fleas in the home, and it worked.

However it needs to be treated with extreme care, and the instructions followed etc, as its powerful stuff. Please dont underestimate the toxicity of this stuff. We spayed the carpets and removed ourselves and cats for all day until it had done its work. Please read the health warnings etc.

Its for Pigeon Lofts and its called Duramitex and it kills............eveything !:eek:

TallGirl

greggy209 wrote: »

thanks rach i can't find frontline plus anywhere else though

My vet recommended Frontline Combo which works like normal front-line plus it means the fleas don't develop fully. Put it on them 3 weeks ago and the fleas on them are a lot smaller but I a sure they can still bite. not heard of frontline plus.

greggy209

TallGirl wrote: »

My vet recommended Frontline Combo which works like normal front-line plus it means the fleas don't develop fully. Put it on them 3 weeks ago and the fleas on them are a lot smaller but I a sure they can still bite. not heard of frontline plus.

thank you apparently frontline plus is called frontline combo in the uk, thank you

Bigwigg

Hi, we have just recovered in our house from a flea infestation, but be warned it took about 4 months to break the cycle of the fleas in our house!

I would reccommend frontine combo definitely, but more inportantly is to get rid of the fleas in your home first. Use acclaim spray on the whole house and hoover all your carpets every day. Also use a rug doctor on all your carpets and sofa's etc that you can. Frontline combo will work but if you still have fleas left in your house then the fleas will come back.

You also need to spray the skirting boards of any hard wood flooring areas. And also your bathroom, the only area I didn't spray in my house was my bathroom and I had a big outbreak in my bathroom. I wouldn't have even thought it possible, but fleas surprise you in many ways!

Spray all down your settee, the back, sides, underneath. In order to get rid of fleas, think like a flea. They go where it is dark and quiet and where they won't be disturbed. The larve go underneath heavy furniture thats why it's important to pull out all your furniture and get underneath it.

Good luck, any questions on fleas, just ask!