Wanna Play Doctor with the good little witch?

[glynndah]

Not that kind of doctor! I need a vet.

I have two inside cats who've managed to get fleas. I tried the OTC back-of-the-neck drops which were apparently groomed off each other for all the good they did. It was totally ineffectual. The cats are still covered with the vermin and scratching to be damned and the good little witch is beginning to get a very suspicious itch around her ankles.

So, what's my next step? There's still a couple of weeks left in the flea drop dosage so I hesitate giving them another. Flea collars? Flea powders or sprays? Ancient Chinese secret? Got any ideas?

A from the soon-to-be-fleabitten good little witch.

 

[steve44uk]

Biggest let-down from a thread title EVER...

Not that kind of doctor! I need a vet.

I have two inside cats who've managed to get fleas. I tried the OTC back-of-the-neck drops which were apparently groomed off each other for all the good they did. It was totally ineffectual. The cats are still covered with the vermin and scratching to be damned and the good little witch is beginning to get a very suspicious itch around her ankles.

So, what's my next step? There's still a couple of weeks left in the flea drop dosage so I hesitate giving them another. Flea collars? Flea powders or sprays? Ancient Chinese secret? Got any ideas?

A from the soon-to-be-fleabitten good little witch.

There was some discussion in the Naked Party thread a few weeks back on this very subject. I'll see if I can post a link...

ETA: It started here. Rumbled on for quite a while, as I recall, so get your scrolling finger primed...

 

[3113]

Well, first off, give 'em baths. Second, clean up the indoors (vacuum rugs, wash blankets and such) to clear out fleas from the house. Third, keep them indoors. If not possible, you need to find a good flea repellant. but it won't do any good until you bathe them and get the fleas they have on now completely off.

At least that is my minimal experience with the flea issue on kitties. Poor kitties.

 

[glynndah]

There was some discussion in the Naked Party thread a few weeks back on this very subject. I'll see if I can post a link...

ETA: It started here. Rumbled on for quite a while, as I recall, so get your scrolling finger primed...

Thank you so much for making me itch. I'm gonna be feeling creepy-crawlies all day!

Well, first off, give 'em baths. Second, clean up the indoors (vacuum rugs, wash blankets and such) to clear out fleas from the house. Third, keep them indoors. If not possible, you need to find a good flea repellant. but it won't do any good until you bathe them and get the fleas they have on now completely off.

At least that is my minimal experience with the flea issue on kitties. Poor kitties.

Bathing a fifteen pound cat is much better as a spectator sport. The other one is smaller, but he's quite psychotic. A flea dip could set him over the edge. They rarely go outside so keeping them in won't be a problem.

Rats! I just googled my problem and just about everyone, except the manufacturer, of course, says the stuff I used is dreck. I suppose a trip to the vet is in my future. Oh, joy.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Glynndah

I had a horrible problem with fleas and ticks. Some of the OTC crap is almost lethal.

So I did some reading in CONSUMER REPORTS, and they recommended 1. adding a few drops of vinegar to your pets water (fleas hate vinegar) and 2. a WALMART product called PET ARMOR. I got the PET ARMOR for dogs. Its around $27 including tax. Its 1/2 the price of other stuff that doesn't work better.

The problem went away. My dogs look great. And I see no signs of toxic effects.

 

[glynndah]

Glynndah

I had a horrible problem with fleas and ticks. Some of the OTC crap is almost lethal.

So I did some reading in CONSUMER REPORTS, and they recommended 1. adding a few drops of vinegar to your pets water (fleas hate vinegar) and 2. a WALMART product called PET ARMOR. I got the PET ARMOR for dogs. Its around $27 including tax. Its 1/2 the price of other stuff that doesn't work better.

The problem went away. My dogs look great. And I see no signs of toxic effects.

I just checked PET ARMOR. I'm pretty sure that's what I used on the cats the last time and it worked great. So, as usual, I probably won't be able to find any. Our local Evil Empire didn't have any the last time I was there.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I just checked PET ARMOR. I'm pretty sure that's what I used on the cats the last time and it worked great. So, as usual, I probably won't be able to find any. Our local Evil Empire didn't have any the last time I was there.

Order it online, princess.

 

[glynndah]

Order it online, princess.

That window's open as we speak. I have to make a run "to town" so I'll make one last check before I click the send button.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

That window's open as we speak. I have to make a run "to town" so I'll make one last check before I click the send button.

Good girl, your kitties will love you.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

We have had numerous cats and dogs continuously for the past two decades. During this time we have tried three flea products: Advantage, Advantix (dogs only), and Frontline. Advantage works great. Frontline was useless. Advantix is good on dogs, but they do not have a product for cats.

 

[glynndah]

We have had numerous cats and dogs continuously for the past two decades. During this time we have tried three flea products: Advantage, Advantix (dogs only), and Frontline. Advantage works great. Frontline was useless. Advantix is good on dogs, but they do not have a product for cats.

The Advantage does have the best reviews, but it is pricey. Off on a flea hunt! The ever glamourous life of the good little witch.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I tried some cheapo crap from WALMART, and it was awful. Hair fell out, scabs, yuck. But the PET ARMOR I like and the dogs like. I don't know how well the vinegar works but the bugs are gone from the house since I started adding a few drops to the dog water.

 

[glynndah]

I tried some cheapo crap from WALMART, and it was awful. Hair fell out, scabs, yuck. But the PET ARMOR I like and the dogs like. I don't know how well the vinegar works but the bugs are gone from the house since I started adding a few drops to the dog water.

I'm not sure I could convince them vinegar water is the cat's meow. They're still quite suspicious of any combustible that doesn't have a picture of a cat on the label.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Our cats got a shot from the vet. It got rid of the fleas on one, a week later the other started scratching again.

For treating the house, we got some stuff online that cost like $27 and turned out to be just finely-ground boric acid. You spread around the edges of the room and on the carpets and leave it for a couple days, then vacuum and repeat. After that the cats were okay.

But these were Chicago fleas. If you're down south, the bugs might just laugh at you.

And yeah: I sublet an apartment once that had fleas and that's where they get you-- around the ankles.

 

[R. Richard]

Yeah, boric acid works. However, the stuff is also poison to humans. You need to keep it away from food, food utensils and children.

 

[Handley_Page]

How about a cat-flee collar for round your ankles ?

 

[RedMonkeyButt]

Right now, my dog's heart worm preventative is also his flea repellent. If they can stand to bite him, the medicine will kill them. But we've had some bad run-ins with these pests in the past. Here are some of the things I've found that work:

1. If you bathe the cats (which is difficult with even the best cat), use a 1:1 ratio of Dawn (original) and vinegar. The fleas will jump off and you can watch them merrily die in mid air before being washed down the drain. I have found few other shampoos that work this effectively. The cats will only smell like vinegar for a few hours.

2. Vacuum your house. A LOT. Like, once a day if you can swing it. Use boric acid (heed R Richard's warning about the toxicity, though) if you want to. If they're in your house, they will remain in your house until you get rid of them. They like to embed themselves into the dark nooks and crannies, so pay extra attention to the space under your base boards. If you don't get them all, you'll know it in two weeks when they come back.

3. Treat your yard, as well. If they're outside, and you or your pets go outside, they will hitch a ride back inside with you and the headache will start all over again. Back before we had neighbors on either side of us, we used a product called Demon. It comes in a box with three packs that you mix with water. 1 pack will work fine for fleas, but if you have scorpions and the like you'll need to use more than 1. If you like to roam around barefoot in your yard, or have children that may get into your yard, do not use this product unless you can avoid the sprayed area for at least 2 days. Yeah, it's toxic, but it kills bugs like nobody's business.
*Barring the really toxic stuff, Bayer (yep, the aspirin company) makes an indoor/outdoor spray that's safe around people and animals and works pretty well. You'll just have to use it more often, and the range of crawlers that it kills isn't as broad as Demon.
*Spectracide is another good one for outside. Just give it a day or so to soak in before letting your cat eat the grass.

4. If all else fails, pack the kitties off to the vet or a friends for a day once you get the fleas off of them and fumigate your home with some bug bombs. I hate doing this, but sometimes you have to. Of all the stuff I've ever had to use in an attempt to beat the bugs down here, fumigating is probably my least favorite and I only do it as a last resort.

In my area, fleas are an issue we put up with throughout the year. They're more of a problem in the spring/summer, though, so we've already been spraying and treating the carpet. We shave the dog every year around this time, too. It helps with the fleas and he doesn't get hot spots, but it might not be the best option for your cats.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

My dogs got them too. I spent $80 on a treatment from Bayer that worked pretty well. We also used Borax on the carpets and blankets and we seem to have them licked. I also used a heavy pesticide outdoors where they do their business.

 

[3113]

Bathing a fifteen pound cat is much better as a spectator sport. The other one is smaller, but he's quite psychotic. A flea dip could set him over the edge..

Be brave. Make sure there's help around (extra pair of hands), that the door is closed, the tub not full up but only up to about the cat's knees (you want the cat to feel the bottom of the tub beneath its feet, but not feel water lapping at its belly--it won't help much, but it will help a little)--and if you've got a hand spray that makes it even easier because you can use it to wet them and rinse them quick. If you don't have a hand spray, have a bucket of tepid water handy and a cup to scoop that water out--bath water will get soapy and you want extra clean water to hand for rinsing.

Water should be tepid-warm. Not cold, not hot.

The good news is that most cats are likely to try and escape the bath instead of fighting it. Meaning the problem usually isn't getting scratched but holding onto the cat. You'll need to be very determined and use all your strength because kitty is going to be very determined to get away. So the key is to get a good strong grip on them and not let go.

You hold them by the scruff of the neck (with rubber gloves if scratching is likely), hold on very tight, and with the help of an assistant wet them down fast. Use the soap/vinegar combo that's been recommend, scrub lightly but quickly with it and rinse without ever letting go. Now before you remove kitty from the water, you also have to give the scruff a wet-down, soap and rinse; you can't leave any spot unwashed because fleas will run to it, that includes the top of the head--be very careful not to get any soap in kitty's eyes.

By the time you do the scruff, the cat may have exhausted itself enough that if two of you hold on to it's middle and tail and such you might get it done.

Make sure there is a big fluffy towel to wrap the wet cat in, and a warm spot in the sun to set them once they're been towel dried. Kitty will sit there and lick their fur dry--and attempt to restore their dignity.

 

[3113]

I just checked PET ARMOR. I'm pretty sure that's what I used on the cats the last time and it worked great. So, as usual, I probably won't be able to find any. Our local Evil Empire didn't have any the last time I was there.

Check out and see if you can buy it online. Sometimes it's cheaper online as well as easier to find.

 

[glynndah]

Be brave. Make sure there's help around (extra pair of hands), that the door is closed, the tub not full up but only up to about the cat's knees (you want the cat to feel the bottom of the tub beneath its feet, but not feel water lapping at its belly--it won't help much, but it will help a little)--and if you've got a hand spray that makes it even easier because you can use it to wet them and rinse them quick. If you don't have a hand spray, have a bucket of tepid water handy and a cup to scoop that water out--bath water will get soapy and you want extra clean water to hand for rinsing.

Water should be tepid-warm. Not cold, not hot.

The good news is that most cats are likely to try and escape the bath instead of fighting it. Meaning the problem usually isn't getting scratched but holding onto the cat. You'll need to be very determined and use all your strength because kitty is going to be very determined to get away. So the key is to get a good strong grip on them and not let go.

You hold them by the scruff of the neck (with rubber gloves if scratching is likely), hold on very tight, and with the help of an assistant wet them down fast. Use the soap/vinegar combo that's been recommend, scrub lightly but quickly with it and rinse without ever letting go. Now before you remove kitty from the water, you also have to give the scruff a wet-down, soap and rinse; you can't leave any spot unwashed because fleas will run to it, that includes the top of the head--be very careful not to get any soap in kitty's eyes.

By the time you do the scruff, the cat may have exhausted itself enough that if two of you hold on to it's middle and tail and such you might get it done.

Make sure there is a big fluffy towel to wrap the wet cat in, and a warm spot in the sun to set them once they're been towel dried. Kitty will sit there and lick their fur dry--and attempt to restore their dignity.

You forgot the smilie face in this very humorous little essay. Did I mention he sprouts a couple of extra legs whenever faced with something he doesn't want to do? Merely getting him into a cat carrier requires three men and a stout boy. He doesn't scratch or bite but he has fine-tuned the art of passive aggression.

I'm hoping all the excessive scratching is a sign the other treatment is working and it's the death throes of the fleas that are causing the problem.

Check out and see if you can buy it online. Sometimes it's cheaper online as well as easier to find.

I found a couple of vials of PetArmor in the Evil Empire today. Not in the cat medication aisle, though. It was tucked away in the "impulse buy" shelf in the check-out line, right by the five hour energy shots, assorted lighters and all those oh so tempting lip balms.

 

[Tyro999]

I'm not sure I could convince them vinegar water is the cat's meow. They're still quite suspicious of any combustible that doesn't have a picture of a cat on the label.

You feed your cats food that can catch fire?!?!?!

[Thinking the good little witch had a senior moment when it came to comestible. ]

 

[glynndah]

You feed your cats food that can catch fire?!?!?!

[Thinking the good little witch had a senior moment when it came to comestible. ]

Rats! I was close. No, they prefer their food flambe-less.