Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fleas

How to rid a communal housing situation of fleas?

dustyasymptotes — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:47:28 -0800

My house has fleas. My cat seems fine. What to do? I got my cat last September from a friend who had rescued him off the street. The cat had infested my friend's house with fleas, as well as my friend's parent's house. I brought the cat to the vet immediately after I got him and treated him with Advantage. No fleas on cat. No bites on housemates. No fleas.

My cat is mostly an indoor cat now, but he escapes all the time and we've let him out a few times in the summer because he enjoys being outside so much. I was negligent and didn't think about the flea risk until I noticed my cat scratching a lot at the beginning of September and a housemate mentioned that she had a few unidentified bites. I applied the remaining tube of Advantage immediately and the cat has stopped scratching and my housemates haven't been bitten. BUT about a week ago, I started getting 2 - 3 bites a day and saw something jump off of my leg that looked like a flea tonight. I've checked my cat for flea dirt and so far he's been clean. I'm going into the vet on Saturday to get more Advantage to apply on the cat for the next few months, but I'm worried that the fleas will continue to stay off my cat and start biting more people.

I've read some of the other threads about cat fleas and many of the proposed solutions don't work because:

- I live in a co-op house with 11 other students. we can't take off on vacation for a few days while the house is being fogged
- The house is an old 3 story Victorian with a gazillion little closets and nooks. The cat sleeps and hangs around /everywhere/. I don't think we can coordinate daily sweeping/vacuuming in such a way that it will actually make a difference
- My housemates will probably be unwilling to be exposed to borax or any other overly toxic treatment
- We have a tight budget. If there is a fogging method that doesn't require people to leave for a few days, I shudder to think of how many foggers we'd need for all the rooms and how expensive it would be.

I'm going to ask the vet about it when I go in. I'm a bit doubtful of her knowledge about human-flea problems because when I asked last year about other treatment methods that could complement Advantage in the case of a severe infestation, she was very dismissive and didn't think severe infestations happened in Toronto anymore.

YANMPestController AskMefi, but please help me think up of some creative ways of kicking out the fleas!

(I will try the soupy water with lamp method tonight and report back)

BugFilter: Unbeknownst to us, water got under our kitchen flooring. The bad section has been pulled up and cleaned but I'm seeing some small bugs in that general area. Help!

pghjezebel — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:24:58 -0800

BugFilter: Unbeknownst to us, water got under our kitchen flooring. The bad section has been pulled up and cleaned but I'm seeing some small bugs in that general area. Help! Water got under our kitchen flooring and the floor buckled up. (Very old kitchen that has a layer of peel and stick tile, then old laminate flooring and then the sub flooring.)

I pulled up that area this morning because I smelled faint mildew and was worried about mold. I cleaned the area with a diluted bleach solution and have a fan blowing on the area to help it dry out.

What I'm really worried about is the small bugs that keep popping up around that area. I've only seen/killed about 10-12 of them since this morning. They are small and flea like. One or two flew when I disturbed them but for the most part they just see to jump to try and get away from me.

What are these? Are they fleas? Springtails? Something else that was just attracted to the moisture under the floor? (I haven't seen them anywhere else in the house, just specific to that area.) What should I do before they get any worse?

Recommend Me An Exterminator

Yasuo — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:24:49 -0800

Please recommend me an exterminator within the Los Angeles area that will get rid of our flea infestation once and for all inside and outside our home. What are the things to look for in a reputable company, and what to expect in the process of treating the house?

Shoo flea, don't bother me...

nzydarkxj — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:38:55 -0800

Fleas! But different... I'm not intending to kill any fleas, I just want to get them to stop biting me and/or make the bites stop itching! Fleas LOVE me. They find me and bite me all the time, and I'm pretty allergic to the bites... which can become huge itchy bumps lasting weeks, and scars because I eventually break the skin, if not on purpose, in my sleep.
I live in Chile. There are fleas all over the place in the city (stray animals, public transportation, etc...) but I feel treating my house (As shortened reasoning, we have no animals, I have never seen a flea in the house, and nobody else seems to think we have a problem in the house) will not help. I also dont feel they stay/live on me or my clothes. Kind of like hit and run bites... er bite and hop away.

My general doctors in the US had not quite understood and wanted to prevent by housecleansing rather than treat the bites.

A specialist/dermatologist I went to here was useless. The general concept here is that you need to clean stuff and the problem will go away, which does not seem to by my case. (Ex: SO and I share a bed and he veeery rarely gets bites) The dermatologist I was prescribed an expensive bottle of something labeled "Dry skin lotion" that didn't help.

I'm wondering
a) Is there a way to make my skin or body less attractive to the fleas? They somehow prefer me (foreigner, perhaps different body temperature) and at times I have dozens of bites in one area. I always have bites within hours of reentering the country. I'd prefer not to smell like a chemical though.

b) how do I stop bites from itching?!?!
Bites are horribly aggravating and my relief attempts are always short term, though the bite stays for about 2 weeks. I've tried benedryl, cort-aid, a type of vaporrub type gel, lotion, scratching, and even breaking the skin... which is the only slight relief I get.

Ninja fleas can't be killed?

slactoid — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:45:17 -0800

Yet another flea question. I know it's been asked many times before, but nothing has worked. We've tried bombing, professionals, borax, buying a new vacuum, capstar, frontline, flea shampoo, but they keep coming back. How can we rid ourselves of these pests for good? We're going totally nuts. I say we just skip our lease and bulldoze the place, but the wife wants to "fix it" :). Here's some specifics:
* We have 2 dogs and 1 cat
* In their own room, we have a bunny and a chinchilla
* We have a 16 month old daughter, so I'm weary to introduce any more poison than we already have

We've been vacuuming non-stop for weeks, we even bought a canister vac with a bag (more suction and containment of the little buggers).

The professional (Western Pest) said they couldn't do much without knowing WHERE they were living. He ended up spraying around the house both inside and out, but wasn't too hopeful.

Please, any ideas, we're listening.

What would Miss Manners do?

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:12:39 -0800

How can I (very politely!) beg off future visits to my boss's house? My boss likes to invite me over to his house every four to six weeks. Usually we watch TV and have a few beers, and we sometimes play pool.

I like his company and don't mind his pets, but they all go in and out of the house as they please. And they all have fleas.

I have a strictly indoors cat and check him regularly for fleas and ear mites. He never has any except on the day after I've been to my boss's house (four times running now). So I comb off and kill the three or four I find, then give my cat a flea treatment and vacuum the house. After the third day there aren't any more fleas and continue not to be any more until the next visit to my boss's house.

I've suggested in past that we meet at a bar or restaurant instead, but my boss doesn't like the expense and I can't hear very well so that hasn't worked.

Short of taking a flea bath in the street, I don't know how to prevent bringing the fleas home with me. I suppose I could strip in the garage, but if they got that far with me then they'd just be there waiting for the next time I pass through.

Is there an unoffensive way I could arrange to visit my boss less often at his house? How would a very clever polite person go about it?

Fleas?!

Alligator — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:41:50 -0800

I just moved in to my first rental on the 1st, and it is infested with fleas, fleas, fleas everywhere. What is appropriate for me to expect my landlord to do about this? What should I do myself to attack this problem? I had no idea about the fleas until I moved in. I already talked to the landlord, and he flea bombed the place yesterday, but when I walked in again today I still had fleas jumping all over me. This very much disturbs me; I haven't actually slept in my house yet because of them, nor have I moved in most of my belongings. I'm not really sure what I can expect of my landlord, as I've never rented a place on my own before; I would really like these fleas gone, though. What is appropriate to expect of my landlord in this situation? What should I take on myself in order to get rid of these fleas?

One abandoned cat, four nursing kittens, and a billion fleas... Help!

stefanie — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:41:58 -0800

I need flea advice for a momma kitty and her 3-week-old kittens. I've just taken in an abandoned cat and her four kittens (probably about 3 weeks old at this point; their eyes are open and they waddle around fairly unsteadily) and although they seem healthy, friendly, and nourished, they are covered in fleas. Huge ones.

I understand it's ok to give Advantage to nursing cats, so I'll look into doing that for the momma, but the big problem is the kittens. I'm told it's best not to bathe kittens when they're so young, so instead I went to work with the flea comb. Hours of combing later, I'd estimate that I've only got half of them. Every time I look at their bellies, I see at least three monster flees running away.

So what are my options now? Is there a safe way (or safe age) to bathe them? Can I just dunk them in tepid water and drown the fleas, without using soap or detergent?

I haven't seen any evidence of worms (yet) but one of them has massively stinky farts and super runny poo. Is this normal for kittens of this age?

Clearly, I've never dealt with kittens before, so any other important advice I'd need for nursing kittens would be welcome. (Also, if you know of anyone in San Diego who wants a kitten or a super-friendly (and soon to be spayed) young cat, please MeMail me.)

Locking the barn door ...

the luke parker fiasco — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 01:38:43 -0800

FleaFilter: Yes, it's another flea question, but with some unique circumstances. You know the general story: adorable stray kitten, brought home, later found to be covered in fleas. (I think they're fleas, anyway--they can jump pretty far.)

The specifics: I checked her over once I got home, and didn't think I found any fleas, but I have zero experience with them, and was wrong. After letting her crawl all over me, and sleep on the couch with me last night (!!), I've discovered that she's got quite a few fleas.

The problem: I'm currently living in Romania. There are scant resources where I am for the kind of commercial flea-removal products that have been recommended in the other flea questions. I also don't have a vacuum, and as such can't vacuum the house. I don't want to get rid of the kitten, as there is no such thing as a shelter here, and if I just let her go outside I may as well just take her to be euthanised.

I'm going to bathe the kitten, of course, and will continue to do so regularly (is weekly good? or more often?). I'm washing all the clothes, including the bedclothes, that she came in contact with. However, there is still the issue of the rug, the couch, me, and the general environment.

How screwed am I? I was just building a fire in the bathroom to shower the hell out of myself, and saw a tiny black thing on my arm, which disappeared a nanosecond later--I assume this means there's a baby flea, running around somewhere, which means there's more. I can keep the kitten in the kitchen area, which is tiled, but it'll be next to impossible to keep her away from ANY fabric in the apartment.

I've read in previous questions that heating the place up can kill them, as well as sprinkling yeast? I'm looking for alternative options/"home" remedies, as I won't be able to vacuum, bomb, or Frontline anything here.

Thanks in advance.

(Yes, I'm aware how monumentally stupid my behaviour was. Feel confident that I have Learned My Lesson.)

Ukelele joke goes here.

dhartung — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:36:22 -0800

Two apartments. Three kittens. And a whole lot of fleas. No, it's not an MTV pilot ... We have a tenant whose cat had kittens. Of the brood three remain (one of them is to be mine), but they are just 9½ weeks. The mom and the kittens have fleas, but she has been trying to manage by combing and bathing until they are old enough for flea treatments (nominally 12 weeks). Unfortunately, the tenant above is getting fleas in her apartment now, and as a non-pet owner is freaked out.

I've bombed before (for this tenant and others), and it's a nuisance to prepare and clean up but it generally works pretty well. But we've never had to deal with kittens before. (I've had cats, but never a kitten.)

Also, both these tenants go back a long ways and it would be socially awkward to favor one or the other or put the hammer down on the cat-owner. The cat-owner is already on discounted rent and paying for the bombs and/or kitty kenneling is not feasible.

* If I bomb just the upstairs, some will survive but hopefully stay out of there for a couple more weeks. Due to the porous walls (renovated building), I think maybe we should get the kittens out of the downstairs, but for how long?
* If I then arrange for a full building bomb (four apartments and a crawlspace), is there a way we can do this before the end of October? If we do it, how long do I have to keep the kittens out of the apartment?
* Kitten-safe flea sprays. Do I need a vet scrip, or what can I get? We have a pet "outlet store" in town.
* Alternative medicine. I've read about alcohol baths, tea tree oil, and stuff like that. Any recommendations that will get us through this while keeping both human tenants happy and all non-human tenants healthy?

Did I just acquire fleas?

Locative — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:24:17 -0800

Did I just acquire a infestation of mites and fleas and god-knows-what-else from a wild kitten? I picked up a feral kitten and petted it for awhile before realizing it was teeming with fleas and maybe other bugs. Once I saw the disgusting bugfest on the poor thing's tummy, I put it back with its siblings. The kitten is part of a litter I've been getting together resources to trap and spay, but they are only about four or five weeks old and still nursing (their eyes only just opened), so I can't do anything yet.

The litter lives under my porch, so it is protected, but within reach, which is how my stupid self came to pick it up and foolishly bring it in my apartment for about a minute.

My worry now is that I just caught myself a case of the same bugs that are afflicting the kitten and his siblings. I checked my body repeatedly and found a flea on my calf which I quickly killed, and now I'm all freaked out that I might have caught any and all of the following: fleas, mites, ticks, or lice.

I washed the clothes I was wearing in hot water and took a long shower, shaving my legs and armpits. I haven't seen any other bugs since the flea I killed (pre-shower) and I'm wondering about the following:

Could the bugs I saw on the kitten be living on me, bugs not visible to my eyes? What can I do?

Another Flea Question

Shane — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:45:38 -0800

When fleas can't nibble on your cats ('cuz you've treated the felines with Advantage or something), what do tehy live on? Fur? Cat food? They should just starve. But they say that if you don't sweep them daily you don't get rid of them... I have four cats. One got outside and brought fleas back in. HELP! Fleas are hell. Especially in a messy house. Do I have to do one massive (impossible) cleaning and sweeping!? Or one room per day?

So I read the AskMe posts and I hear Borax is good and fairly harmless to put down on the rug, mattress, etc and then sweep up.

Right?

Also, tomorrow I'm (hopefully) getting some Advantage (even though it's made by Bayer!) to get rid of the itchy beasts off my cats.

BUT MY HOUSE IS A MESS! There's no way I can clean it all at once. I'm just dealing with cleaning one room at a time, maybe one per day over the next few days, recycling piles of accumulated papers, moving my entire computer station and all the wires and components and sweeping up all the massive dust-bunnies (where most of the fleas seem to be spawning), etc.

Will this kill the fleas? 'Cuz, ya know, they hatch continually.

If the fleas can't get on my cats 'cuz of the Advantage, and I sweep the house over the course of a few days (re-sweeping everything each day as I go), will I get 'em all?

Or do I have to do one massive (impossible) cleaning and sweeping!?

I feel itchy just thinking about this.

Thanks.

my cat can't handle his insecticide

Mayor Curley — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:37:08 -0800

My cat's flea medication makes him ill. I need some alternatives to it to discuss at my next vet appointment. My cat has a terrible day after every dose of Frontline (the veterinary medicine, not the award-winning documentary show with the dashing and witty web developer.) Last night we gave him an application of Frontline Plus, following the directions to the letter (nape of his neck so he absolutely couldn't lick it, etc.) This morning, my wife found him very listless in the basement next to a pile of barf. His had similar (but less extreme) reactions to the previous few applications. He had perked up by 11 AM, but it's 6:30 now and he's not quite recovered.

He's getting a routine checkup in a couple of days, and I want to discuss altenatives with the vet. But I want to be able to have an actual discussion about it. The Internet suggests that most people are giving their cats Frontline-style flea meds, and Frontline seems more highly regarded than Advantage (Frontline works beautifully for our other cat.)

But I'm hoping there are effective treatments that don't involve dosing the cat with liquid chemicals because he doesn't seem to have the constitution for it. What are they?

Sleeping with the enemy

-harlequin- — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:33:33 -0800

How do you eliminate fleas in a bed? I'm under the vague impression that flea-killing products have limited to no success against the eggs (is this correct?), which hatch 3 weeks later, so what is Standard Proceedure? Put the matress in a plastic bag for a month with some flea product inside and sleep on the couch? I have no experience with fleas. My reason for thinking there are fleas in the bed is that ever since my girlfriend let her cats sleep on the bed in the midst of a heatwave-induced flea epidemic last summer, I've periodically noticed insect bites in the mornings. Cats were banned from bedroom, but it's been months now and I still get bites. They're not going away on their own.

Any firsthand success stories?

Do flea bombs work for eggs in beds?

The bed has a duvet, any duvet-treatment tips? (I really wouldn't know where the fleas are, just that they're somewhere).

Fleas

kmel — Fri, 27 May 2005 08:08:19 -0800

Yuck: Our house has a flea infestation. Looking for the best treatment option. We have two dogs and a cat (all indoor/outdoor), who have all been treated with spot treatments recently and do not appear to have any fleas on them. If it matters, our 1200 sqft house has pergo floors throughout (no worry about them being in the carpet, but of course we have furniture and fabric to worry about). We'd prefer to go organic but don't want to shell out money for something that won't work. Should we DIY or go professional? Cost is a concern, but getting rid of the fleas is a bigger concern.

Also, we've applied beneficial nematodes in the yard in the past, but our yard is so huge it's hard to cover the whole area effectively.

Fleas-B-Gone!

scarabic — Sun, 18 Jan 2004 12:47:50 -0800

I have an allergy which makes fleas bites on my body a real problem. In a concentrated infestation, I may actually become ill from too many. I'm looking for an effective way to keep my house clear of them. [more] Bug bombs are a pain in the ass, and I don't like using poison if I can avoid it. They also don't work 100% in my experience. I've recently purchased an ultrasonic repeller, but I suspect I might have wasted money on it. Any other ideas? And no, I'm not going to wear a flea collar ;)

Get rid of our cats' fleas and worms!

jdroth — Sat, 17 Jan 2004 19:49:42 -0800

Our three cats have fleas and worms. We've tried a couple of over-the-counter products, but they haven't helped (especially with the worms, which are our biggest concern). The vet wants to sell us expensive remedies, of which we are very skeptical. Before we shell out big bucks for the stuff the vet suggests, are there other things we should try? What has worked for you?