What Should I Do Need About My Cat And His Fleas?

[Treacle71]

I have done all what the vet recommended; I've sprayed the house down with Indorex, gave my cat his second Advocate two weeks after the first dose (vets orders!), the vet sprayed him down with Frontline flea spray and still my cat has fleas! He sleeps next to me and when he got up this morning there were 5 fleas left on my bed where he'd been sleeping. I have to give him Advocate again in 2 weeks (vets orders), but I'm worried nothing is working. I've already spent £50 at the vets last Saturday (precious money). He isn't a cat that can be treated very well either (he'll bite and hiss at anything you do with him). He only cooperates at the vets. Any advice would be gratefully received. Is it just a case of having to wait for all the treatment to kick in? Btw, he cannot be bathed in any solution either (I'll end up with scratches all up my arms).

[evadora]

It is a long cycle to get rid of fleas. The fleas produce eggs and when the cat scratches they fall off and hatch when ready. You can spray but some eggs go under things. When spraying move everything eg sofa, rugs (I even pulled out the coker,fridge etc). I washed everything from cushion covers to curtains and got new cushions and pillows for the bed. The best thing I did was buy a flea comb and combed the cat outside and put the fleas in kitchen roll and then a freezer bag before binning. It took about 8 weeks of cleaning, hoovering and combing but I finally got rid of the fleas. I have now brought a flea comb that zaps the fleas when they get on the comb (but not found any on cat yet). Once the fleas are gone keep up the combing and spraying. I also give my cat a worm tablet every 5 weeks. Good luck.

[evadora]

It is easy to give the cat a pill. I put a towel on my lap and hubby puts the cat onto my lap and gently but firmly holds her by the scruff of the neck (like a mummy cat holds the kittens when moving them). Gently tip the head bap and open the mouth the put the pill in. Stroke uner the chin till they swallow then give them a treat. Sometimes she will not swaloow but spits the pill out so I have to go thru it all againe but she does evenyually swallow.

[Buenchico]

Just because your cat is still scratching (as, from your post, I assume that he is) doesn't mean that the treatments aren't doing their job. The basic itching can last for at least a week or two after he's been bitten but, if he's had an allergic reaction to the bites, it can go on for at least a month (and possibly quite a lot longer).

Try using a flea comb. If you don't find any fleas, then the treatment is working and you just need to give it time until the itching stops. It's only if you find any fleas that you need to be considering alternative treatments. (Credelio works well, and it's really easy to hide the tiny tablet in a piece of chicken, but it's not cheap!)

[pastafreak]

Did you spray every room, every crack and crevice, with the Indorex? It takes several days to see results, and about a week if I remember correctly before it's just dead/dying ones left.
You also need to Hoover every day for a week after to collect flea eggs etc.

[Barmaid]

You cant give him any further treatment unless the vet says so and you will just need to wait for the treatment to work.

Do as above - hoover absolutely everywhere, everyday. And make sure you empty the hoover.

Another thing you can do to catch the live ones is to place a bowl of water on the floor with some washing up liquid in it. You then place a desklamp (ie one you can bend and move) so the light is above the bowl. The live fleas will jump up to the light and land in the bowl. Although this may be pointless if the whole house is infested.

If you have noticed kitty scratching more, this is a good sign. As the fleas die, they try and bite more.

[Treacle71]

Thanks guys so much already xxxx

[Treacle71]

Well, I woke up to 3 baby fleas this morning instead of 5. Here's hoping!! I did comb him a bit last night, but he has a tendency to run off anytime I do anything to him. He's so awks.

[calmck]

You can get a flea trap. They are available on Amazon. A light bulbs heats sticky paper and the fleas are attracted to it. Doesn't small. Thales about 24 hours till you first see the fleas on the paper

[Treacle71]

Thank you, calmck. I'll go check.

[evadora]

I have one of those flea traps and the first time I used it when I has an infestation I got 15 fleas stuck on the paper within a couple of hours!! I now use it regulary around the house - one day in each room and move it around the room in the day to cover all areas. Fresh paper on it 2 weeks ago and no fleas - but keep up with the spraying/hoovering etc.

[Treacle71]

Thanks, evadora. Do you have the name of the make of it?

[evadora]

Zero in Zero20. You can also get extra sticky paper and bulbs seperately. It is on offer at Amazon at the monent.

[Treacle71]

Ooooh, thank you, evadora.