help, fleas

[PJDancer]

i have 3 indoor only cats and i just found a flea on one of them!!! not sure how this has happened, but my sister just moved in down the street from me and has no animals, but has found fleas in her apartment, plus i have been in contact with indoor/outdoor cats of 2 other friends during the past week...is it possible that i carried them in our home?
we don't have a lot of money right now, but i don't want a flea problem!!! what is the most efficient but safe way to take care of this (no flea collars pelase)???thanks so much for your help and suggestions.

[freeby4me]

I had a flea infestation over the summer and as far as my cat goes I washed him with Dawn dish soap and sprayed him with Hartz 2 in 1 flea and tick spray (It was an 8 ounce bottle for 2.97 at Wal-mart) As far as my carpets went I sprinkled them with Borax for a little while and vaccuumed and then I sprinkled with salt and vacuumed. You just have to keep doing it everyday for like 2 weeks. I hate fleas and I know how annoying they are so I hope you get this under control right away!!

[nanajoanie]

Sorry to say but yes you probably carried the fleas in. I assume you live in a warm climate. I've never heard of fleas in the winter. We always used Frontline on our dog Panda for 3 months in a row and it worked for a year. Don't remember how much it was but I'm thinking under $40 and less when she was normal and not overweight. It's much less for cats and it goes by weight.

[tsquared]

bucket of warm soapy water near where the cats stay and a light over it and the fleas will flock into the water and swim forever

[Peri]

Yes, Borax!

This is the best treatment I've ever used for fleas. And inexpensive, too.

I did alot of research on this a couple years ago and found out that the reason Borax works is because the main ingredient is sodium borate, which is commonly used in pesticides and flea treatments. It's a very fine, "sharp" edged miniscule crystal powder made from a natural mineral, that cuts the bodies of the fleas and other insects and causes them to die. (It's also an excellent treatment for termite, roaches, silverworms, ants, etc.)

The best method is to sprinkle it all over your house using a pantyhose (fill it up, and tap it with your hand as you move around), leave the Borax on for 72 hours if possible, then vacuum. What isn't sucked up by the vacuum will cling to carpet fibers and kill fleas and unhatched larva for up to a year.

I did this once, and haven't seen fleas in my house since. And we have many animals on this farm, including 25+ feral cats that occasional find their way in the door and run through the house like crazy until we manage to get them out, and a Bichon Frise (a small white furry dog) that we let out constantly to use the bathroom outside.

[PJDancer]

Sorry to say but yes you probably carried the fleas in. I assume you live in a warm climate. I've never heard of fleas in the winter. We always used Frontline on our dog Panda for 3 months in a row and it worked for a year. Don't remember how much it was but I'm thinking under $40 and less when she was normal and not overweight. It's much less for cats and it goes by weight.

i have never heard of fleas in the winter either, and actually i live in the northwest!!!!not warm at all!!!:( :( :( :(

[PJDancer]

Yes, Borax!

This is the best treatment I've ever used for fleas. And inexpensive, too.

I did alot of research on this a couple years ago and found out that the reason Borax works is because the main ingredient is sodium borate, which is commonly used in pesticides and flea treatments. It's a very fine, "sharp" edged miniscule crystal powder made from a natural mineral, that cuts the bodies of the fleas and other insects and causes them to die. (It's also an excellent treatment for termite, roaches, silverworms, ants, etc.)

The best method is to sprinkle it all over your house using a pantyhose (fill it up, and tap it with your hand as you move around), leave the Borax on for 72 hours if possible, then vacuum. What isn't sucked up by the vacuum will cling to carpet fibers and kill fleas and unhatched larva for up to a year.

I did this once, and haven't seen fleas in my house since. And we have many animals on this farm, including 25+ feral cats that occasional find their way in the door and run through the house like crazy until we manage to get them out, and a Bichon Frise (a small white furry dog) that we let out constantly to use the bathroom outside.

will my cats be safe in the house with the borax on the carpet?? what about in tiled areas like the kitchen and bathroom? thanks so much!

[tngirl]

Yep, you folks ain't from the south...lol. We can have fleas and ticks all year long. But folks even here can't believe it when I tell them that I had to give their dog a flea bath because I found fleas.

Most people have the misconception that fleas only "travel" on their pet. We bring fleas into the house also. All it takes is to walk across a yard that is infested and voila!

[msginna]

now I am worried. I have 3 cats as well and am VERY paranoid about fleas and bugs. My kids play out side a lot in the summer but I have no clue on how we could pick them up as you say unless you go to a house that has fleas too?

[tngirl]

now I am worried. I have 3 cats as well and am VERY paranoid about fleas and bugs. My kids play out side a lot in the summer but I have no clue on how we could pick them up as you say unless you go to a house that has fleas too?

Unless you keep your yard treated for fleas on a regular basis, you will have fleas. You are lucky enough to live so far north and have winters that kill off the little buggers. Here in the south our winters don't usually get cold enough to kill them off and we have a very bad problem with them. I wouldn't be too worried about it, mainly if you keep advantage or another quality flea control product on your cats during the warm months you shouldn't have to worry. Even though the fleas come into the house on us, they prefer to live on our pets. If they are protected then basically so are we.

[Kimberly61]

I have two dogs that are allergic to fleas...one bite and they are insanely itchy and losing all their hair so I have to use frontline plus every month even in winter....the cost for dogs are around 15.00 each and now that I have two cats I also buy for them and it cost around 9.00 each....if you use the frontline monthly you will never have a flea problem again.....last summer I had a huge flea problem from my family visiting friends that had fleas and we carried them home on us and then infested our home....after taking care of the problem and buying frontline plus I havent had a problem since......you can buy frontline at petsmart....but its way cheaper at a vet's office and you dont have to take your pet there or your pet be a patient there...just know the weight of your animal so they can give you proper dosage.

[tngirl]

Actually the cheapest place to buy flea products is from Pet Shed - Pet Supplies at Discount Prices! (http://www.petshed.com)

[PJDancer]

Actually the cheapest place to buy flea products is from Pet Shed - Pet Supplies at Discount Prices! (http://www.petshed.com)
tyvm this is great!!!

[PJDancer]

tngirl, i just wanted to say THANK YOU again for recommending that website! i also went on a local board forum that i am a regular of to pose the same question, and they recommended advantage, revolution and frontline plus, and they all said normally they are $45 for 3 months, so this site has GREAT prices, plus low s&h. i ordered the frontline plus--MUCH cheaper than taking all 3 to the vet right now, which was what i wanted to avoid....will also look into the borax. THANKS!!!:D :D

[Peri]

will my cats be safe in the house with the borax on the carpet?? what about in tiled areas like the kitchen and bathroom? thanks so much!

I sprinkle it everywhere in my house... carpets, tiled floors, bathroom, etc. And we even put it in the fur of our Bichon when fleas are so bad in the summer. She's never gotten sick or had an allergic reaction. Remember, the main ingredient is used in pesticides and flea treatments, so it's safe to use around pets.

Honestly, if you were really worried about the cats walking on the carpet, I'd sprinkle it everywhere, and try to brush as much as I could down deep into the carpet and then vacuum after a few hours (it doesn't sound like you have an 'infestation' of fleas, just saw one or two), because there will still be Borax down deep clinging to the carpet fibers to get to the fleas.

I just love this treatment, I do it once a year, and I never use flea collars or flea drops or any of that stuff. I even sprinkle it outside in my grass around the house, where the girls tend to play and we do our grilling, etc, to keep the fleas out of that area. Works great.

[No1Slacker]

Seven Dust. Like for your garden. Safe for pets. Sprinkle on carpets, let set, vacuum up.

The directions even tell you that you can apply it safely to your pet as a flea powder.