We took in some rescued cats a few months ago. We tried giving them a bath to kill any fleas but I guess it didn't work as we now have a major flea problem in our house. We have tried using frontline on the cats but it doesn't work at all (still multiple live fleas on them 24 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks after treatment). We had our pest control company spray all the carpets but that doesn't seem to have taken care of the problem either. We are looking at fogging the house with Best Yet made by Cedarcide but it is expensive so I would love to know that it works before committing major $ to it. We are also open to other ideas especially if they are not harsh chemicals as we have small children that are particularly susceptible to toxins. Thanks mamas!
Call Eco Safe, they use non toxic products.
Ask your vet for the oral flea medication.
Don't fog if you have small kids, in fact, don't fog at all!
I don't think you need to commit to big money at this point. You just need to attack with a vengeance. The problem with fleas is that you CANNOT treat just once. They lay eggs and then the eggs hatch later. So, if you are interested in fogging, I recommend doing a fog and then doing another one about 2 weeks later (right before th eggs hatch again). Or, do one fogger a week for three weeks. Regardless, you have to deal with the eggs too.
Also, you may want to bathe the cats once a week for 3 weeks or so. I think you will find that the frontline works once you get "ahead" of the game. I think you are just fighting the eggs right now (which the new fleas that hatch then lay eggs).
Oh, and baths don't necessarily kill the fleas. The fleas don't like the water, so they jump off and go hide somewhere. Honestly, if the cats can stand it, the best way to get rid of the fleas is to get a flea comb and comb them and actually kill the fleas (crush them) as they come off the cat.
Don't forget, after fogging, that you will need to sanitize all the surfaces that you touch and eat off of (kitchen counters, tables, door knobs, handles on faucets).
As the other person said, I wouldn't fog if you have kids in the house. That is pretty dangerous stuff as it is so pervasive and it will get ALL over their toys.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think they also have a powder that you can put down on carpets and then vacuum up. But again, I would be wary of all those things with kids in the house.
Good luck!
Leigh
Good morning, Kim,
I would not recommend fogging either, especially with small children in the house. I have had cats all my life and also used to do animal rescue. The life cycle of a flea can be up to 2 weeks, so it takes at least that long to be rid of the nasty things. With some work you can do it.
I know they are not cheap, but the pills called Capstar are very effective. You can get them from your vet or online. They come in a 6-pack package. They are not cheap, but they work. It is important to give them to ALL the pets in the household, or they will just infest each other.
Also vacuum your ENTIRE house every 2 or 3 days and discard the debris outside in the trash barrel immediately. This gets rid of eggs and nits (newly hatched fleas). Then spray ALL carpet, rugs and upholstered furniture with a flea spray. With little children in the household, I would wait until they are asleep and then spray all areas in the house, except their bedroom.
It takes a couple of weeks of doing this, but it will definitely get rid of them. It also helps to wash all bedding, especially where the cats lie down, anyplace where fleas can hide.
Hopefully the cats are kept completely indoors. If you let them go outside, they will just get fleas on them again.
Good luck and hang in there!
Barbara G. (mother of 8, grandmother of 4, owner of several cats)
I've never tried the fogger you asked about. However, I do know that my vet has a pill that you can give your cats that absolutely will kill all the fleas on them. I think you've got to get it all taken care of at once, otherwise you're just re-infesting your house. I'm not sure what the pill is called, but call your vet, he/she should know what it is. It was only $3 a pill and one did the trick for my dog.
Kim,
I don't know anything about Cedarcide but I can give you some ideas on how to treat the flea problem. I know this sounds crazy but a vet told us to do the following and it does work! First, give the cats a bath using regular Dawn dish soap. Make sure to use really warm water as a cats body temperature is higher than a humans, which is why they "don't like water". After bathing them sprinkle salt, yes regular table salt on the carpets, let it sit over night then vaccum. Make sure you empty the vaccum container and if it has filters change those too.
The Dawn will actually kill the fleas as to where most flea soap only intoxicates them so you can get them off the cat by combing or picking them off. This works with dogs too.
The salt literaly dries up the fleas as there body is made up mostly of the blood they have "eaten" from the pet. Think of it like the old fashion remedy of putting salt on a bad bleeding wound to stop the bleeding.
When I have had a bad case of fleas I would treat the carpets several times in one week.
Good Luck!
Jami
Kim,
Check out this site:
http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html
Diatomaceous Earth is an organic pesticide. It works wonders, and it's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. It's completely non-toxic. I sprinkle it in my carpet, on my lawn, and on my pets. I also add a little in their food for intestinal parasites.
Do be careful, you can buy two kinds of DME. One is used to treat parasites, one is used in swimming pool filters. The filter DME IS VERY toxic. So ask for the right one. You can buy DME at most feed supply stores, and at Home Depot usually.
Tina
As a lifetime cat/dog owner I've lived through many flea infestations. I grew up in the country, so we always has Sevin Dust on hand for the garden. A dusting of 10% Sevin Dust in the yard weekly for 3 weeks will take care of the outside. Dawn dish soap bath for the pets will kill any fleas on the pets, again, needs to be repeated weekly for 3 weeks. As for the house, I don't recommend the fogger--as noted, it permeates EVERYTHING, meaning you have to wash everything and every surface, then repeat weekly for 3 weeks--too much work!!! Raid makes a flea spray, (I think it's in a purple can) that is very effective and will not hurt your pets. At bedtime, spray the carpet and any furniture that the pets frequent (spray will not harm the furniture), repeat weekly for 3 weeks. Flea problem solved.
Hi Kim,
I have not tried the Cedarcide but I have tried Apple Cider Vinegar for my dogs and that was the only thing that would work when nothing else would. You have to start the dosage out small so as not to cause tummy upset but once you get it to where it needs to be the fleas seem to magical disappear. With cats you might want to start the dosage even smaller and work up slowly to see how it goes.
Call me with any questions 214-435-8345.
Theresa
I have never tried cedarside but I have had a flea problem before. We put carpet fresh or baby powder anywhere the fleas would be. Left the house for a couple of hours, came home and washed EVERYTHING and vacuumed the floors. Immediately throw out the vacuum bag when finished. Also bath the cats with Suave Strawberry Shampoo....the fleas hate it. You will see them jumping off the pets and into the bath water. When the pets dry cover them with baby powder and this will help remove any remaining fleas. You might have to do this a couple of times but it will get rid of your fleas.
ditamaceous earth will do the trick and can be found at Home Depot. The tiny particles pierce the skin of the flea and they die. It will be so much safer for yoru children and animals. It can be used indoors and outdoors.