Bathtime....

[kayrharris]

The most effective treatment for fleas is a product called Frontline Top Spot, which you can get from your vet. It's a measured dose of an oily liquid that you put between the animal's shoulder blades. It absorbs into the skin and kills every flea that is dumb enough to bite the cat thereafter. It also kills ticks. Each dose lasts a month or longer. It's not cheap, but it works. Call the vet's office for more information or to see if there may be a newer treatment that your vet likes better.

Top Spot (canine version) is what I use on my dogs during flea season, which begins here with the start of warm weather. Flea collars did not work well, so I haven't bothered with them for years.

If fleas have gotten into your carpet, I have more tricks.

Anything you got, I'm listening......

I'm not sure if they're in the carpet or not, but since the boys do not go outside, they had to come in to get them.....

lb13

I just told you what to do.

Go NOW!
kay

[silvercamaro]

Anything you got, I'm listening......

I'm not sure if they're in the carpet or not, but since the boys do not go outside, they had to come in to get them.....

lb13

Here's an easy way to figure out if they are in your carpet. Put on some white socks without shoes. Roll up the bottom of your pants (or wear shorts.) Stomp around the living room and wherever else the cats hang out the most. Look at your feet every now and then. If a lot of fleas are around, they will jump up on your feet and ankles. Against the white socks, they will be easy to see. If the carpet is the problem, you probably will see tiny black spots. If you see dozens of the little bastidges, or if you find them in every carpeted room, you probably should follow Kay's advice and use flea bombs. (As she noted, you will have to leave the house for several hours. You will have to remove the cats, too!) If you note only a few black dots, the carpet itself probably isn't a major problem.

Next, stomp around on the couch, because that could be a source, too, especially considering how it came into your possession.

If only a few fleas seem to be in the carpet, put down several saucers or shallow bowls filled with hot water and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. Leave them there for a few hours or overnight. The fleas will be attracted to the heat and jump into the liquid and drown. Pray for their tiny flea souls and repeat daily, varying the locations, until the saucers turn up unsullied. Some people prefer to use lukewarm beer in their saucers. That also works, except I hate to waste beer.

At some point, you also may wish to rent a steam cleaner and shampoo the carpets. That would help suck up any fleas or eggs that may remain.

Oh. After your carpet stomping, do not put the white socks with attached fleas into your laundry basket. As soon as you take them off, put them directly into hot water with dishwashing liquid to drown all of them, too. Every single flea you kill will spare the cats (and you) generations of descendants.

[a1mamacat]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

[christie1111]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

I totally agree with this!

[Vuvuzela]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

I totally agree with this!

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[littlebeast13]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

I totally agree with this!

No way!!!!!

lb13

[ghostjmf]

Tracy, the best cat in the world, came from his farm home with the fleas. I didn't know that until they all hatched at once or something. The poor little thing was completely overrun. I flea-bathed him, which of course he hated, but put up with.

Fortunately, I don't have carpets (wood floors) but I do have upholstery, clothes, etc. Borax worked. Wash your clothes with it, like Ronnie Reagan used to recommend, before some of you elected him to recommend & implement stuff that didn't work nearly so well. Sprinkle it generously on the upholstery. It dessicates the fleas. Sucks the fluids right out of their little flea bodies. After it's sat on your upholstery long enough, you can vacuum it & the dead fleas up. Throw out that vacuum bag, just in case they are not all dead, & are feeling procreative, or whatever it is fleas in such a state feel.

Yes, I know they stopped promoting borax when everyone collectively realized its mined around, uh, asbestos. It was pretty hard to find back in the Tracy era (we're talking 17 or so years back for this baby Tracy with fleas episode) & may be impossible now. Normally, I would not want to be around anything remotely connected with asbestos.

Normally.

[ulysses5019]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

I totally agree with this!

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think lb should hire you and a few thundersticks and maybe a mariachi band to annoy the fleas.

[Raid]

[secondchance]

Anything you got, I'm listening......

I'm not sure if they're in the carpet or not, but since the boys do not go outside, they had to come in to get them.....

lb13

If you see dozens of the little bastidges, or if you find them in every carpeted room, you probably should follow Kay's advice and use flea bombs. (As she noted, you will have to leave the house for several hours. You will have to remove the cats, too!)

Holy Crap in a bag, thank goodness you mentioned that part... I was nearly about to pop a vein.

What great suggestions for the carpet interrogation! I'll try that here too.

The local feed store here sells that in-between-the-shoulder stuff, for a better price than the vet- maybe yours does too. We've even gotten the dog version before and split it up between the herd of cats we have here, to save even more. Of course, you'll need to get professional advice the first time, to make sure you're applying the correct dosage - also taking into consideration whether they're still considered kittens or big fatcats. Those flea collars are pretty much a waste of time, unfortunately... and especially should be chucked after the shoulder treatment.

(ahem... we forgot to mention all this kind of stuff when we were talking you into getting cats, didn't we.)

[MarleysGh0st]

and set up the camera when you go stomping, cuz we want to see

I totally agree with this!

No way!!!!!

lb13

Found it!

[littlebeast13]

I called the vet this morning and was given a pill and tube treatment for the boys. Trying to get them to eat the pill was a chore, even when I tried to mix it up in a can of moist food..... but that paled in comparison to trying to get the Vectra medicine on their necks and not in their fur (They are hairy little beasts, and extra fluffy now that they are clean). That was right before I left for lunch....

Just got back to find about 43789023733 dead or dying fleas lying all over the place. The shit works! The Vectra is supposed to help for a month, so it will give me a little time to access the situation with the carpets and the rest of the house and decide what to do about that. But anything that requires me to remove the cats for a bit is probably going to have to wait for my next weekend.....

They are happy to no longer be locked out of the computer room.....

lb13

[silvercamaro]

Hurray! You win the Good Cat Daddy award for the week -- and just in time for Father's Day!

[SportsFan68]

I called the vet this morning and was given a pill and tube treatment for the boys. Trying to get them to eat the pill was a chore, even when I tried to mix it up in a can of moist food..... but that paled in comparison to trying to get the Vectra medicine on their necks and not in their fur (They are hairy little beasts, and extra fluffy now that they are clean). That was right before I left for lunch....

Just got back to find about 43789023733 dead or dying fleas lying all over the place. The shit works! The Vectra is supposed to help for a month, so it will give me a little time to access the situation with the carpets and the rest of the house and decide what to do about that. But anything that requires me to remove the cats for a bit is probably going to have to wait for my next weekend.....

They are happy to no longer be locked out of the computer room.....

lb13

You did good!

MatiasMom is an expert at getting pills down cats' throats -- smooth as silk.

Next time I see her, I'll see if she'll give me a short primer.

[littlebeast13]

I called the vet this morning and was given a pill and tube treatment for the boys. Trying to get them to eat the pill was a chore, even when I tried to mix it up in a can of moist food..... but that paled in comparison to trying to get the Vectra medicine on their necks and not in their fur (They are hairy little beasts, and extra fluffy now that they are clean). That was right before I left for lunch....

Just got back to find about 43789023733 dead or dying fleas lying all over the place. The shit works! The Vectra is supposed to help for a month, so it will give me a little time to access the situation with the carpets and the rest of the house and decide what to do about that. But anything that requires me to remove the cats for a bit is probably going to have to wait for my next weekend.....

They are happy to no longer be locked out of the computer room.....

lb13

You did good!

MatiasMom is an expert at getting pills down cats' throats -- smooth as silk.

Next time I see her, I'll see if she'll give me a short primer.

Thanks Sprots, but ES can save you the time and deliver the advice himself since he's regularly at the Matias household........

lb13

[SportsFan68]

I called the vet this morning and was given a pill and tube treatment for the boys. Trying to get them to eat the pill was a chore, even when I tried to mix it up in a can of moist food..... but that paled in comparison to trying to get the Vectra medicine on their necks and not in their fur (They are hairy little beasts, and extra fluffy now that they are clean). That was right before I left for lunch....

Just got back to find about 43789023733 dead or dying fleas lying all over the place. The shit works! The Vectra is supposed to help for a month, so it will give me a little time to access the situation with the carpets and the rest of the house and decide what to do about that. But anything that requires me to remove the cats for a bit is probably going to have to wait for my next weekend.....

They are happy to no longer be locked out of the computer room.....

lb13

You did good!

MatiasMom is an expert at getting pills down cats' throats -- smooth as silk.

Next time I see her, I'll see if she'll give me a short primer.

Thanks Sprots, but ES can save you the time and deliver the advice himself since he's regularly at the Matias household........

lb13

Keep that mangy rodent away from Matias. And away from me.

[secondchance]

I called the vet this morning and was given a pill and tube treatment for the boys. Trying to get them to eat the pill was a chore, even when I tried to mix it up in a can of moist food..... but that paled in comparison to trying to get the Vectra medicine on their necks and not in their fur (They are hairy little beasts, and extra fluffy now that they are clean). That was right before I left for lunch....

Just got back to find about 43789023733 dead or dying fleas lying all over the place. The shit works! The Vectra is supposed to help for a month, so it will give me a little time to access the situation with the carpets and the rest of the house and decide what to do about that. But anything that requires me to remove the cats for a bit is probably going to have to wait for my next weekend.....

They are happy to no longer be locked out of the computer room.....

lb13

Good news!

[sunflower]

When I got my kitty, he came home with fleas from the previous owner. Luckily, I took him to the vet the very next morning for a check up and she found them, so they didn't have time to totally infest the house. But she did give me lots of pointers. I did get the frontline application there and she gave him some sort of pill. She also sold me a spray that I was told to use on all upholstered/fabric surfaces - couches, carpet, pillows, bedding, anywhere the cat had been. I needed 2 cans to cover the whole condo, but I didn't have a recurrence of fleas. Because your problem sounds worse, I would recommend the bomb for sure - as soon as possible! And you might still want to get the stuff I had to make sure the furniture and carpets are taken care of.

[littlebeast13]

The house was freshly bombed by five purple foggers late this morning. Me and the boys are just settling back in, we shall see if it does any good.....

While the foggers were fogging, I took Ody and Spilly over to play with Sister #4's cat (Who I call Panther) and Beast. Beast was rather amused by them..... Panther was not. Those noises you hear cats make outside when it's "that time"..... imagine that only ten times more demonic sounding coming out of the cat whose territory they were invading. He actually cornered Spilly a few times, and I have NEVER seen Spilly act scared the entire time I've had him.... but he wouldn't even break out the claws at Panther. Ody, who never doesn't act scared, spent the entire time hiding (except for when Beast tried to greet him, and he jumped on Sister #4 and clawed her open)......

lb13

[FannyHeartsNene]

The house was freshly bombed by five purple foggers late this morning. Me and the boys are just settling back in, we shall see if it does any good.....

While the foggers were fogging, I took Ody and Spilly over to play with Sister #4's cat (Who I call Panther) and Beast. Beast was rather amused by them..... Panther was not. Those noises you hear cats make outside when it's "that time"..... imagine that only ten times more demonic sounding coming out of the cat whose territory they were invading. He actually cornered Spilly a few times, and I have NEVER seen Spilly act scared the entire time I've had him.... but he wouldn't even break out the claws at Panther. Ody, who never doesn't act scared, spent the entire time hiding (except for when Beast tried to greet him, and he jumped on Sister #4 and clawed her open)......

lb13

I could have told you that wouldn't be a good idea. If you'd, you know, asked.......

[littlebeast13]

The house was freshly bombed by five purple foggers late this morning. Me and the boys are just settling back in, we shall see if it does any good.....

While the foggers were fogging, I took Ody and Spilly over to play with Sister #4's cat (Who I call Panther) and Beast. Beast was rather amused by them..... Panther was not. Those noises you hear cats make outside when it's "that time"..... imagine that only ten times more demonic sounding coming out of the cat whose territory they were invading. He actually cornered Spilly a few times, and I have NEVER seen Spilly act scared the entire time I've had him.... but he wouldn't even break out the claws at Panther. Ody, who never doesn't act scared, spent the entire time hiding (except for when Beast tried to greet him, and he jumped on Sister #4 and clawed her open)......

lb13

I could have told you that wouldn't be a good idea. If you'd, you know, asked.......

Well, there wasn't anywhere else to take them. I've already invited Sister #4 to bring Panther over for a visit so he can get a taste of his own medicine.....

lb13

[littlebeast13]

Yay for Sister #4!!!!!!

Poor Ody...

Spilly and Panther face off.....

lb13

[MarleysGh0st]

Spilly and Panther face off.....

Must have been startling for him to meet Basement Cat face-to-face, when, all this time, Spilly thought he was Basement Cat!

[a1mamacat]

Spilly and Panther face off.....

Must have been startling for him to meet Basement Cat face-to-face, when, all this time, Spilly thought he was Basement Cat!

REC!!!

[kayrharris]

The house was freshly bombed by five purple foggers late this morning. Me and the boys are just settling back in, we shall see if it does any good.....

While the foggers were fogging, I took Ody and Spilly over to play with Sister #4's cat (Who I call Panther) and Beast. Beast was rather amused by them..... Panther was not. Those noises you hear cats make outside when it's "that time"..... imagine that only ten times more demonic sounding coming out of the cat whose territory they were invading. He actually cornered Spilly a few times, and I have NEVER seen Spilly act scared the entire time I've had him.... but he wouldn't even break out the claws at Panther. Ody, who never doesn't act scared, spent the entire time hiding (except for when Beast tried to greet him, and he jumped on Sister #4 and clawed her open)......

lb13

I could have told you that wouldn't be a good idea. If you'd, you know, asked.......

Well, there wasn't anywhere else to take them. I've already invited Sister #4 to bring Panther over for a visit so he can get a taste of his own medicine.....

lb13

At least you know Sis#4's address. That's a step in the right direction.


kay