HELP FLEAS!!!! UPDATE!!!
Posted by little2ant on Jul 30, 2008 · Member since Aug 2004 · 3055 posts
So I believe my cat got fleas at the vet (she doesn't go outside, and started scratching after a vet visit). I think we got rid of them on her, but now we are seeing them around the house. Not totally infested (yet!) but every now and then we're sitting on the couch or in bed and one will land on us. I have also seen some on both kids. ugh.
We basically have just been trying to pinch them and then run them down the drain, but I think we need to take more drastic measures. We've been vacuuming almost every day, but it doesn't seem to work. I just CAN"T get a company to come in a bomb the place since we have small kids and don't really like pesticides.
WHAT CAN I DO???!!!!!
Everyone eat lots of garlic. Fleas don't like it.
Sorry, that's the only natural remedy I know.
We had a GNARLY BAD flea problem and ended up super-bombing our place to get rid of them. Cause my ex just had to bring home a stray kitty and not treat it. Just make sure to rid of it quick cause those things multiply and infest like mad.
Vacuum a lot and wash everything, the eggs can get in bedding. Make sure you use the crevace tool, they like to hide out by the base boards. Comb kitty with a flea comb once or twice a day. Pick out the fleas and eggs from the comb and drown them in soapy water. Collect all hair from the comb in a ziploc. I'm sorry, I'm sure there are about a million more things you'd rather be doing!
I was going to tell you to make sure not to keep your flea-filled vacuum cleaner inside the house, but I came across this article that says they've found that the vacuum cleaner vibrations "beat up" the fleas enough to kill 96% of them. (News to me!)
Sorry you're having to deal with this, especially with the new little one. Sadly, I've never had any luck with natural remedies when it comes to fleas. If it were me, I'd bomb and clean well after, including shampooing the carpet and airing things out well. I don't have much of a tolerance when it comes to infestations!
diatomaceous earth liberally sprinkled along the baseboards and corners/edges of room. Along with everything else. I have more "natural" remedies in a few books, but am too tired at the moment to look, will post tomorrow.
I have read that both walnut leaves and tomato plants drive fleas away. Someone suggested putting walnut leaves in your animal's bed to keep them out of the house. Don't know if that works, you might try it.
+1 to vacuum everything once a day. When you're done vacuuming you need to tie up the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and throw it away outside of the house or the fleas can hop back out again. If you have a bagless, empty it (outside) into a plastic bag and throw it away.
Continue to treat the cat for fleas (frontline, advantage) for at least 3 months. Fleas prefer cats/dogs and will keep jumping back onto the cat so continue to treat. My cats had fleas several times growing up and they never went out. They can come in on humans and then go to the cat. Might want to let the vet know the cat came home with fleas anyway.
Get that stuff from the vet for the cat, Advantage? That stuff works great! And I agree, you probably have to bomb you place and then clean up really well afterwords, including washing all your dishes. I hate fleas!
My parents' new kitten also has fleas. They made these traps: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Flea-Trap and have had success.
thanks! my friend just told me about this and its good to see a visual. I am going to try this!
I'm sorry, I don't have a solution for you. I thought that you wanted to help fleas.
I really am sorry, I just couldn't resist.
I'm sorry, I don't have a solution for you. I thought that you wanted to help fleas.
I really am sorry, I just couldn't resist.
that is too funny! I guess I should have written help WITH fleas!
Read my open letter to them and you will know that I am not here to HELP the mother fuckers. Did I just say that?
We set up 3 of these last night and have caught about 10 so far. today I borax the carpet and vacuum again...
we will vacuum 2 times per day for a while.
thanks again!
if this doesnt work within a couple of weeks were are going to call in the professionals :-\
My parents' new kitten also has fleas. They made these traps: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Flea-Trap and have had success.
To keep fleas off animals, put a little raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in the water bowl. Do not use stainless steel.
Even when I had fleas in the house, they stayed off the critters.
Cats are pickier about their water than dogs, so start slowly with the ACV. Try to build up to at least a teaspoon. My cats never minded the ACV so I started with a teaspoon.
This article has some good info in it:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1985-05-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx
I just found this in my favorite weekly newszine from back home. Hope it helps a bit...
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/aug/04/flea-control/
We lost the flea battle so I called some companies......
I am so angry with this company right now . I set up an appt.
and had
to do a TON of prep work getting all of our junk off the floor, under beds,
vacuumed
whole house, beds stripped, bagged up kids toys, etc... Also, I tranquilized
the cat (the
only way to get her in her crate), my dh took off of work early to help ....
I have a one month old and a 7 yo....not easy dealing with this now.
I had a 4 o clock appt today- anyway, the guy never shows up so I call and she says he's on his way. Then 45
min later I
call back and she admits she messed up and that he's not coming today. UGH!!!!!
She
made a mistake! if she had checked the first time she could have gotten him to
come! So
now my house is all packed up and unusable, and my dh cannot take off again so
now I
am on my own when I do get someone to come out (getting cat in crate, kids out
of house
for hours on end).
I am literally in tears right now with stress.
I called another company who can't come out until wednesday.
Not to mention now I have to deal with fleas for another couple of days.....I
cannot begin
to tell you how mad I am !!!!!!
im on my way!!!!!
Aww honey, yuck, I hate fleas. In the future, try diatomaceous earth if you can get hold of it, or borax (although borax is minorly toxic I understand). Sprinkle it everywhere and vacuum it out. It will be horribly hard to vacuum up because it is so fine a powder. On the other hand, it is sharp enough to injure the spiracles in fleas' carapaces and they cannot breathe, and die.
I made some goop out of citrus peel boiled in water and applied it all over my flea-stricken home about 17 years ago, and I still remember the horrible sticky mess. But the fleas quite didn't like it.
I wonder if a little catnip essential oil diluted quite a lot wouldn't repel fleas, applied to the skin? Catnip is apparently more effective than deet.
I found this company called Fleabusters that uses all natural products...you don't even have to leave house-chemical free!
We are doing it ourselves, and the product arrives on Tuesday. I will let you know how it goes~but wanted to post in case others are having flea problems too. I wish I had found this earlier, as we did have a company come out and spray chemical stuff....now we are getting our carpets cleaned, which will be great because everyone has been wearing shoes and socks inside for 2 weeks.
http://www.fleabuster.com/