Cats and fleas help

[Njp1987]

Ok last Tuesday I took my 2 indoor cats to the vet as I seen fleas on them and around my house too anyways they both got flea spot on from the vet and I also got indorex too and I sprayed the whole house with it same day which is a week ago now. There's no fleas on my cats anymore however 2 days after they were at the vet I saw 2 alive fleas then nothing until the Thursday which I saw a further 2 fleas then nothing at all untill the Sunday which I saw 3 fleas then yesterday I saw 2 fleas and today only saw 1 dead flea on daughters bed next to one of my cats. Vet has told me this is normal and also a good sign that the fleas are dieing off. Is that true? I'm hoovering like mad 3-4 times every day and emptying Hoover waste into a bag each time.. binned my rug from the living room and bedroom. Only have a carpet in my room.. washed all bedding ect.. am I doing everything correct? The fleas will die won't they and be gone? Vet said should only take about a month or less. I hate fleas and doing everything I can to get rid of them too.. please help me. Fleas seem a lot less now than a week ago

[Ruth B]

It can take several weeks to clear all the fleas, i believe that flea eggs take about 2 weeks to hatch.

You are doing the right thing and one of the best things you can do is make sure that the cats are treated regularly with the spot on (check the leaflet that comes in the box, but the ones I use have to be repeated monthly). Cat fleas will out of preference bite and live on a cat rather than a human, so even if you do see them on the bed and don't manage to kill them when the cat goes near the bed the fleas are likely to move onto the cat and as the spot on treatment stays active in the cats system it will start to die as soon as it has bitten the cat.

You might also want to check the Indorex instructions, you might need to repeat that after a few weeks just to make sure that any newly hatched fleas are killed as well. It isn't something i have used so I can't really advise other than check the label or with your vet.

So many people believe that because their cats are indoor only they don't need to be treated for fleas or vaccinated. Unfortunately they don't seem to have been told that both can be carried into the house on human skin and clothing.

[Crewella]

As Ruth says you are doing all the right things, and your vet has given you correct advice. The actual length of time that the eggs and the flease can lie dormant varies according to the environment, so can be between a few days and several weeks (even months in an empty house) so it is a good idea to keep their flea treatments up to date. Indorex spray is supposed to remain effective for 12 months, assuming it doesn't get cleaned off the surfaces it has been applied to.

[Njp1987]

Thank you both so much for replying to me. Yeah my cats will go to the vet every 4 weeks for there flea treatment me I can assure you they will always go! Just want the fleas gone as soon as but I'm seeing less and less fleas actually saw 3 dead ones because I'm turning into a flea freak and I look for them around the house to make sure they are dead or not there. House seems to have less of them hoping it stays that way! But as the weeks go on vet said the fleas will die off so the little **** have no chance in my house lol. Just annoying and very stressful too.. doing everything I can to ensure the eggs don't hatch but my luck they will but my cats will be treated all the time so they won't live long hopefully. Got pest control coming out next week so hopefully they will help!

[Ruth B]

I'm not sure where you live, but here in the UK you don't actually have to take the cats to the vets for treatment, the vets can sell you the spot on packs and then you just administer it yourself. The ones you buy from the vets are often better than any you can buy in a petshop as they are prescription only, they also tend to deal with other things as well, some worms, ticks, earmites, etc., depending on the make you get.

[Alice]

If you're in the UK I find Advantage spot on very effective and easy to use. I order it from Pets at Home. There are 2 sizes, for large or small cats, and it works out less expensive if you subscribe to have it delivered regularly, £4 a month for a cat under 4kg.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/ ... et-rabbits

[Njp1987]

Hi. Yeah I'm the uk and my cats are getting there flea treatment monthly from there vet which I will take them without a doubt.. how will I no for sure all the fleas are gone? There's none on the cats and none in any bedding ect.. and haven't seen any around the house for a few days now.. the whole flea thing is very confusing.

[Crewella]

To be honest, I wouldn't bother with the pest control as they will just repeat what you have done but with stronger chemicals .... and it sounds as though you have the problem licked, so it will be unnecessarily filling your house with dangerous chemicals (the permetherin in most flea treatments is poisonous to cats, so should be kept to a minimum) to no good effect. The Indorex that you have sprayed will remain effective to catch any further eggs that will hatch, and the regular treatments the cats get will keep on top of the situation. There are times when I would advise getting in the professionals, but there is nothing that pest control professionals can add to your situation at this stage to make it any better - and I say that as someone who is 'in' pest control!

[Njp1987]

I'm just so fed up seeing the odd flea every other day Iv done everything to try and get rid of them but they still seem to pop up now and again just wish they would all die. I understand it can takes weeks even months but I really don't know if I can take much more of this. I'm so paranoid all the time. It's horrible! There's none on the cats which I suppose is good I just hope they do actually kill any fleas that go into them and bite them. I'm just so fed up. Just as I think they are gone I see a flea. Annoying! Have I done something wrong?

[Crewella]

No, you've done nothing wrong, this is just how it goes with most parasitic bug infestations. There will always be one or two tucked in a crevace somewhere that emerge after the rest, then hit the insecticide and die. That's how it works and that's how it's supposed to work. I'm afraid there is no magic wand that will just suddenly remove all evidence of fleas from your house, it always is a gradual lessening of the numbers. I spend half my time explaining this to clients because, like you, all they really want is all the fleas/bedbugs/whatever gone NOW!! I promise, from what you say it sounds as if you are doing everything right and have them beat, it will just take a little longer for them all to die off completely.

[Njp1987]

Thank you I truly hope they die off soon.. they are a massive nightmare and I can't wait until they are gone. I sprayed indorex everywhere I could think so hope it does work on them.. and with the cats being treated the fleas will die when they bite them which is also good. Just really stressful them being around. Binned all my rugs in every room so only room that has carpet is my room but I sprayed indorex and haven't seen any fleas as cats don't get into my room as I'm that paranoid. I'm constantly checking bedding for fleas and there's been none. If they were in the bedding I'd see them. Thanks for your message

[meriad]

Another thing to do is to buy those horrid flea collars - cut one in half and put it inside your vacuum bag. I know you're emptying the bag but that should also stop any flea eggs you vacuum up from hatching. It's probably the only things those collars are good for

[Njp1987]

I have a bag less hoover but every time I hoover I go down to my wheelie bin and empty the lot I also sprayed indorex in it last week but will buy a flea collar and do that too. So I won't need to empty it each time with a flea collar inside? X

[meriad]

No, I'd have thought not. And then when you empty the drum into the outside bin, throw the flea collar half with it. 1/2 collar should be enough each time

best of luck!