Oh yes, fleas are insidious! I had an infestation a few years ago, and like many I have strictly indoor cats (2 of them) and had no idea how it happened (I was an innocent :-) ) then it dawned on me that I would mow my lawns and the little “hitchhikers” were coming in on my clothing! So I treated my kitties, cleaned and vacuumed vacuumed wackiness (initially daily for two weeks and then every other day, and that did the trick! Two years and a lawn service later I have yet to see a flea, but I stay vigilant! I’m about to vacuum :-) and thanks for a great topic!
I have 2 indoor cats, and they get flea treatments every 3 months as directed by their vet. I have an outdoor cat that I wish would come inside and she gets all the recommended preventative meds and vaccines for an outdoor cat. We have to watch the outdoor cat very closely because she is an excellent mouser and has gotten worms from her fresh kill all too often.
It’s very important to stay on top on flea control even if your cat does not go outside. Twice our indoor cat developed fleas that took weeks to eradicate. Sometimes fleas can cause a pet to develop tapeworms which can cause serious problems to your pet’s health. Thank goodness there are effective topical treatments for our pets.
I had to take my Suzie to the vet once a long time ago for a problem she was having. They told me she has a flea allergy and they treated her. I told them she never goes outside she’s indoor only. They told me I was bringing them in on my clothes. I told them I never see them on me and they said the fleas would get on her first because she was closer to the floor. I learned a great lesson that day.
Our cat Nico is an outdoor cat and he picked up fleas back in August '23. I first noticed because I would wake up with itching on my leg when sleeping. I first thought it's just my hairs reacting to temperature changes but then I started seeing more and more bite marks. Then whenever sitting at my computer and I would feel the itch I would slowly turn to look and sure enough I saw a couple of small black spots. I grabbed one quickly and tried to kill it by squeezing it but DAMN they are SUPER tough little bastards :o Later on I would put a white sheet on my bed so I could see them better and at one point I spotted about 12 of them. I was terrified and could not sleep for days. Anyway took my cat to get checked by the vet and sure enough he found a family of fleas under my cat's chin around his neck. He recommended that I hover the carpet and whole house thoroughly, put all bed and clothes in a high temp wash. Then fumigate the house using _R.I.P. Fleas Extra_ spray and follow the instructions. I would add that I also steamed the carpets after vacuuming. The vet also recommended _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ which I honestly think was the game changer. It took about a week for me to notice a signification change in flea activity (largely because my mental state of mind was not good as I was paranoid of the little blighters) but after that ZERO bites or fleas on Nico. I will add that before getting _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ there was some controversy about it possibly being the cause of the death of some cats. It went to a number of governing bodies ( I encourage you to research this) but I felt after trying a number of other solutions and the fact my vet recommended it then I would try it and my cat is perfectly fine. Weird thing is any other break-away collar I bought him he would get off and lose but this Seresto one (not break-away) he liked for some reason. Over one year later zero flea incidents!!! *ADDITIONAL:" I also checked Nico regularly with a flea comb (could not find a cat one but the vet said one designed for human hair is just as good). I also vacuum more frequently now. *WARNING:* Please, Please, PLEASE do NOT buy _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ from anywhere except from trusted sources such as your vet!!! Do NOT buy it online just because it might be cheaper as there is a risk of tampering.
This happened recently - not had a Flea, on any Cat in my family (first Cat, with my Mom in the 60's). My Cat, George started to aggressively lick fur off his front arms -and chase his tail, and "Yip!!" He is a house Cat, and does not like to go in car to the Vet' (I need to put an approved sedative in his food, before Vet'). I got him to the Vet' -Wow! She told me to not feel blame, flea's "are'....as soon as my Cat got home, after medication, he was calm, confidant, loyal to me. I am more aware.
my indoor apartment cat was flea free for years until the building owner changed the pet policy to include dogs. i had dogs below me and next to me and within months, my cat had fleas!
I've seen fleas on a bus! My elderly cat can no longer have flea treatment as ut gave him severe head tremors. The vets gave even stronger stuff, and made him worse. So now I can only use flea spray in rooms he rarely goes in.
I didn't have any animals, I wasn't in nature, I didn't walk across any meadows, I didn't visit anyone and I didn't have any visitors myself and suddenly I had strangely itchy pimples. I googled it and the only thing that looked like that were flea bites. Sure enough, they were flea bites, because suddenly I saw little black dots jumping on my bed sheet. I didn't know where they came from. I guess I got the fleas in a coffee shop. I sat outside where people are allowed to have dogs. If I had had a dog or cat I would have blamed them. The 2nd time I had fleas, an abandoned bird's nest fell out of the tree during a storm and I threw it in the garbage. Something you better use a full body c*nd*m for, I now know. As with mosquito bites, when it comes to flea bites, there are people the beasts like and people who they hate. It seams I have their preferred flavor. 🤢🤢🤢
As in the case of mosquitos, it's your blood type. Documentary said mosquitoes favor type O blood. I'm guessing same with fleas if they are attracted to you.
my cats live 11 floors in the sky and have had no flea treatments in 10 years. my 17 year old had a bad reaction to a common flea treatment and has a bald spot between her shoulders forever. I'm glad that my location makes it very hard on those 6-legged blood-suckers without needing to put chemicals on them.
My cats never had a flea problem. Ticks are a continual battle with them. Usually, even with treatment they will endure at least one tick that needs to be pulled off.
Mine mysteriously got fleas. I have no other animals (and no rodents), and I wear shorts and smaller socks in warm weather. I guess possibly a visitor brought them or they got fleas from walking outside for 10 seconds. Washing everything doesn’t seem to help (maybe if I also shampooed all the carpets?). I’m on my third different type of treatment, and I also have a spray for all bedding and carpets.
@@sngelcat You don't need to shampoo them with that stuff. Just get some hot water add a tiny amount in with it so that it has a mild consistency and put the flea comb in it for a couple of minutes then comb (if your cat allows you to comb them that is. My cat only allows it while eating). then flick the comb under the water to get any hair and fleas off.
I've read and heard vets call flea treatment a chemical, "toxin". You can try natural brands with cinnamon , tea tree oil, etc but most reviewers say they don't work or nearly as well. "Pick your poison" as the saying goes. You hv to determine benefits and consequences and which you can live with. I could not live with a flea infestation. Getting bit in my home 😢
Oh yes, fleas are insidious! I had an infestation a few years ago, and like many I have strictly indoor cats (2 of them) and had no idea how it happened (I was an innocent :-) ) then it dawned on me that I would mow my lawns and the little “hitchhikers” were coming in on my clothing! So I treated my kitties, cleaned and vacuumed vacuumed wackiness (initially daily for two weeks and then every other day, and that did the trick! Two years and a lawn service later I have yet to see a flea, but I stay vigilant! I’m about to vacuum :-) and thanks for a great topic!
I have 2 indoor cats, and they get flea treatments every 3 months as directed by their vet. I have an outdoor cat that I wish would come inside and she gets all the recommended preventative meds and vaccines for an outdoor cat. We have to watch the outdoor cat very closely because she is an excellent mouser and has gotten worms from her fresh kill all too often.
You Brought the Fleas Home with you! .... Those Fleas will immediately jump off you on to your Cat!
It’s very important to stay on top on flea control even if your cat does not go outside. Twice our indoor cat developed fleas that took weeks to eradicate. Sometimes fleas can cause a pet to develop tapeworms which can cause serious problems to your pet’s health. Thank goodness there are effective topical treatments for our pets.
I had to take my Suzie to the vet once a long time ago for a problem she was having. They told me she has a flea allergy and they treated her. I told them she never goes outside she’s indoor only. They told me I was bringing them in on my clothes. I told them I never see them on me and they said the fleas would get on her first because she was closer to the floor. I learned a great lesson that day.
Our cat Nico is an outdoor cat and he picked up fleas back in August '23.
I first noticed because I would wake up with itching on my leg when sleeping. I first thought it's just my hairs reacting to temperature changes but then I started seeing more and more bite marks. Then whenever sitting at my computer and I would feel the itch I would slowly turn to look and sure enough I saw a couple of small black spots. I grabbed one quickly and tried to kill it by squeezing it but DAMN they are SUPER tough little bastards :o
Later on I would put a white sheet on my bed so I could see them better and at one point I spotted about 12 of them. I was terrified and could not sleep for days.
Anyway took my cat to get checked by the vet and sure enough he found a family of fleas under my cat's chin around his neck. He recommended that I hover the carpet and whole house thoroughly, put all bed and clothes in a high temp wash. Then fumigate the house using _R.I.P. Fleas Extra_ spray and follow the instructions. I would add that I also steamed the carpets after vacuuming.
The vet also recommended _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ which I honestly think was the game changer. It took about a week for me to notice a signification change in flea activity (largely because my mental state of mind was not good as I was paranoid of the little blighters) but after that ZERO bites or fleas on Nico.
I will add that before getting _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ there was some controversy about it possibly being the cause of the death of some cats. It went to a number of governing bodies ( I encourage you to research this) but I felt after trying a number of other solutions and the fact my vet recommended it then I would try it and my cat is perfectly fine. Weird thing is any other break-away collar I bought him he would get off and lose but this Seresto one (not break-away) he liked for some reason.
Over one year later zero flea incidents!!!
*ADDITIONAL:"
I also checked Nico regularly with a flea comb (could not find a cat one but the vet said one designed for human hair is just as good).
I also vacuum more frequently now.
*WARNING:*
Please, Please, PLEASE do NOT buy _Seresto Flea and Tick Collar_ from anywhere except from trusted sources such as your vet!!!
Do NOT buy it online just because it might be cheaper as there is a risk of tampering.
This happened recently - not had a Flea, on any Cat in my family (first Cat, with my Mom in the 60's). My Cat, George started to aggressively lick fur off his front arms -and chase his tail, and "Yip!!" He is a house Cat, and does not like to go in car to the Vet' (I need to put an approved sedative in his food, before Vet'). I got him to the Vet' -Wow! She told me to not feel blame, flea's "are'....as soon as my Cat got home, after medication, he was calm, confidant, loyal to me. I am more aware.
Coincidentally there was an ad for pest treatment for pets while I was watching.
'They' are tracking you!
my indoor apartment cat was flea free for years until the building owner changed the pet policy to include dogs. i had dogs below me and next to me and within months, my cat had fleas!
Fleas you can bring them in on your shoes and your clothes..
I've seen fleas on a bus! My elderly cat can no longer have flea treatment as ut gave him severe head tremors. The vets gave even stronger stuff, and made him worse. So now I can only use flea spray in rooms he rarely goes in.
I didn't have any animals, I wasn't in nature, I didn't walk across any meadows, I didn't visit anyone and I didn't have any visitors myself and suddenly I had strangely itchy pimples. I googled it and the only thing that looked like that were flea bites. Sure enough, they were flea bites, because suddenly I saw little black dots jumping on my bed sheet.
I didn't know where they came from. I guess I got the fleas in a coffee shop. I sat outside where people are allowed to have dogs.
If I had had a dog or cat I would have blamed them.
The 2nd time I had fleas, an abandoned bird's nest fell out of the tree during a storm and I threw it in the garbage. Something you better use a full body c*nd*m for, I now know.
As with mosquito bites, when it comes to flea bites, there are people the beasts like and people who they hate. It seams I have their preferred flavor.
🤢🤢🤢
As in the case of mosquitos, it's your blood type. Documentary said mosquitoes favor type O blood. I'm guessing same with fleas if they are attracted to you.
my cats live 11 floors in the sky and have had no flea treatments in 10 years. my 17 year old had a bad reaction to a common flea treatment and has a bald spot between her shoulders forever. I'm glad that my location makes it very hard on those 6-legged blood-suckers without needing to put chemicals on them.
My cats never had a flea problem. Ticks are a continual battle with them. Usually, even with treatment they will endure at least one tick that needs to be pulled off.
Why don't you recommend safest flea treatments
Mine mysteriously got fleas. I have no other animals (and no rodents), and I wear shorts and smaller socks in warm weather. I guess possibly a visitor brought them or they got fleas from walking outside for 10 seconds. Washing everything doesn’t seem to help (maybe if I also shampooed all the carpets?). I’m on my third different type of treatment, and I also have a spray for all bedding and carpets.
The answer at least for me was using Dawn dishwasher soap. It works and it's not toxic like medicine or flea collars.
Only downfall to using the dawn is it removes the natural oils in their skin so it's not good to use it that often or too much.
You're right. In my case I used just enough for I think maybe two shampoos at one time. But yes it would be very drying.
Also, Dawn Dish Soap, Flea Shampoo only treats "live fleas" it does not kill the entire life cycle--pupa can't be killed until they hatch...
@@sngelcat You don't need to shampoo them with that stuff. Just get some hot water add a tiny amount in with it so that it has a mild consistency and put the flea comb in it for a couple of minutes then comb (if your cat allows you to comb them that is. My cat only allows it while eating). then flick the comb under the water to get any hair and fleas off.
@@Jizzlewobbwtfcus Now you tell me!! LOL. I hope I never have to deal with fleas again but I like your method. Much more gentle 🤗😸
Are flea treatments safe? No dogs, no rodents. Clean home!
I've read and heard vets call flea treatment a chemical, "toxin". You can try natural brands with cinnamon , tea tree oil, etc but most reviewers say they don't work or nearly as well.
"Pick your poison" as the saying goes. You hv to determine benefits and consequences and which you can live with.
I could not live with a flea infestation. Getting bit in my home 😢