[viettaclark]

Has anyone else experienced a sudden explosion in the flea population due to the central heating going on and hatching out eggs in the carpets?
My poor girls have been reduced to sleeping on the tops of cupboards, CD player etc and couldn't cross the floor without doing a jerky irritated dance!!!
I have treated them with a spot-on from the vet every month for years but it's obviously not working now so I bought collars with a different pesticide as well (poor cats....deluged with poisons....) Even they aren't doing much....
We have a scruffy "visitor" cat that occasionally sneaks in to sleep and I'm sure it's her flea eggs that are causing the trouble.
I'm now hoovering manically (not my thing usually!) and this is slowly sorting it. A friend has suggested brewer's yeast tablets which supposedly makes the cat's blood inedible for the fleas. Anyone know about this?
Has anyone else got pesticide immune fleas?

[Haychee]

never heard of the brewers yeast thing .....

I know they dont like tea tree oil, but you can only put that on the animal in very dilute form as it can be  toxic.  You can use it carefully on bedding etc tho.  My dogs and cat sleep under the stairs in a big squishy bed and I rub tea tree oil along the skirting board and squirt a bit (diluted) on the carpet there to hopefully keep the little blighters at bay.  Not had any trouble so far   

[grendel]

we too are suffering, we too tried the stuff from the vet that seemed totally innefective, even the flea collars arent stopping things. we are daily combing at least 6 of our 7 cats ( No.7 - eve is notoriously elusive at best of times). so we too are doing the hoovering thing, have shut the cats downstairs to stop getting fleas upstairs and are also wondering if we will ever manage this infestation.
Grendel

[joyfull]

My sons kitten also had fleas that nothing seemed to get rid off so in the end we went to pets at home and bought some packs of flea bombs. In large rooms you need two with just one for smaller ones. The cats and other animals have to be removed whilst you let them off but these have worked brilliantly.

[mumofstig]

get the flea spray for carpets, it does work ..........but can be costly for large areas.

Spot on does work......it kills the fleas that are on your cat.........it can't kill all the new ones hatching in the carpet until they set up home on your cat. You have so many at the moment that as fast as it kills some......more jump on the cat

So IMO you still need to do the cats as well until the fleas have all gone, either killed in the carpet, up the hoover, or killed on the cat.

[azubah]

Which brand of spot on have you been using? I use Frontline and it has worked for years. Are you using the correct dose?

[joyfull]

son tried frontline and for some reasons these fleas seemed to be immune to it 

[viettaclark]

Used to use Frontline but changed to Stronghold about 20 months ago. It does worms as well. Yes...I've done the right dose etc.
Situation at home is improving dramatically although daughter's boyfriend got one flea on him in the front room.(How embarrassing... ) As we rarely use that room and the cats don't go in there much I haven't been so scrupulous about hoovering....I've been hoovering everywhere else EVERY day (phew!)
At least the cats can now walk across and even lie on the other floors so something's working!

[madcat]

  I'm not much into house work but the fleas do give me a kick up the backside twice a year.     We have a flea hatch every year just after the heating comes on, and another one the first properly warm week of spring.   Usually we control it with Frontline on the cats, a hot wash for all bedding and the human quilt to the cleaners (pushes me into getting it done - good practice anyway), a spray of Acclaim (?) to likely hiding places near where the cats hang out, and its done.  Hard floors do make it easier - it used to be the biannual call for the carpet shampooer! 

[spottymint]

Hi

I'm with mumofstig, get the carpet spray from P/H, lasts upto 6 months & keeps killing them & eggs as they hatch.

They die before they have a chance to bite kitty. 

[evie2]

A couple of years ago our cat's had a dreadful infestation.

Got Frontline spot on and spray and got a flee comb, combed them every hour or so, they hated it, also got the room spray.  It took a few days to completely clear but it worked, now keep the spray in, just in case we need it

[rachelr]

I was told by a vet a long time ago to only treat when i had a problem as the fleas would become immune to it, also to swap the makes around a bit.

I used frontline then went on to stronghold then i got one from ukvet web site.

I also give them garlic tablets in their food once a week. I found this worked on my cats so do it for my dogs and chickens. mind the dogs have got a bit addicted and will nick the chicken food with garlic in lol

I understand the spray on frontline is quite good as well just would not want the scratches i would get from putting that on.

[viettaclark]

Things have really settled down now without bombs or room sprays. I'm sure it's hoovering!! Also the collars are different pesticide.
I didn't think of the garlic remedy although I give my chooks pellet mash with garlic powder in every day!!! I KNOW nasties can't stand garlic!!!!
Next time we get a flea surge (Spring) I'll try it in the cats' food.....
It's supposed to make poo smell better too and seems to work with the chooks. Don't know about cat dodo though.....