A flea mystery needs to be solved.
May 10, 2018 4:28 PM Subscribe
My indoor cats have fleas. Help.
I should clarify that these three cats are mostly indoor -- they get to sit on a deck off the living room, but get no further outdoors than that. For years and years we've had no flea troubles at all. All of a sudden in April they had fleas.
So first I'm not exactly sure how they could have picked up the fleas. From a bird that landed on the deck? They definitely haven't caught a bird. But there are birds all around, of course. Maybe...a squirrel came onto the patio at night? And left a flea behind?
At any rate, middle of April I realize they've got some fleas. We used Advantage on all three. Now here we are, three weeks later, and one of the cats has fleas again. I know that seems impossible -- they must all have them! Because they live together, sleep together, etc. But after extensive combing, I only see fleas and flea dander on one cat. The other two are, like, pristine. I had them on a white towel so I could see any of the little black flea dander -- none. No evidence of it in their fur.
Still, I guess all three need to be retreated, just to be safe. But it's only been three weeks since the last treatment. Is it okay to do it again? Should I be using something other than Advantage? What is the best flea treatment in 2018?
I should clarify that these three cats are mostly indoor -- they get to sit on a deck off the living room, but get no further outdoors than that. For years and years we've had no flea troubles at all. All of a sudden in April they had fleas.
So first I'm not exactly sure how they could have picked up the fleas. From a bird that landed on the deck? They definitely haven't caught a bird. But there are birds all around, of course. Maybe...a squirrel came onto the patio at night? And left a flea behind?
At any rate, middle of April I realize they've got some fleas. We used Advantage on all three. Now here we are, three weeks later, and one of the cats has fleas again. I know that seems impossible -- they must all have them! Because they live together, sleep together, etc. But after extensive combing, I only see fleas and flea dander on one cat. The other two are, like, pristine. I had them on a white towel so I could see any of the little black flea dander -- none. No evidence of it in their fur.
Still, I guess all three need to be retreated, just to be safe. But it's only been three weeks since the last treatment. Is it okay to do it again? Should I be using something other than Advantage? What is the best flea treatment in 2018?
Best answer: Not sure about best treatment, but just to say—our completely indoor cats got fleas once—I learned they can “ride in” on you/anyone who had been outside.
posted by msbubbaclees at 4:49 PM on May 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by msbubbaclees at 4:49 PM on May 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
A maintenance guy at my apartment complex brought fleas into my home and infested my four cats about a year/two years ago. Before I knew it, the four of them were getting chewed up daily. So was I.
I used a combination of Comfortis/Program (which, I think is like Advantage) and FastCaps (Nitenpyram). I gave them the Comfortis for three months. The FastCaps I used three doses for each cat over the course of several days.
The monthly dose sterilizes the eggs... or interferes with the life cycle somehow... something... while the FastCaps kills the adult fleas immediately.
I bought all of this on Amazon and the flea issue was gone in less than a month (I continued the Comfortis to make sure the fleas didn't come back).
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:14 PM on May 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
I used a combination of Comfortis/Program (which, I think is like Advantage) and FastCaps (Nitenpyram). I gave them the Comfortis for three months. The FastCaps I used three doses for each cat over the course of several days.
The monthly dose sterilizes the eggs... or interferes with the life cycle somehow... something... while the FastCaps kills the adult fleas immediately.
I bought all of this on Amazon and the flea issue was gone in less than a month (I continued the Comfortis to make sure the fleas didn't come back).
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:14 PM on May 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yes to re-treating as above. Also wash what you can wash, and vacuum everything else. Throw in a cheap flea collar with your bag (or canister if bagless) to your vacuum, and empty said bag/canister outside so you don't reintroduce the fleas to your house. I have definitely seen indoor-only cats get fleas; they can hitch a ride on you/your shoes. Think about keeping your kitties on a flea preventive monthly, at least during the warm months. It is infinitely easier than fighting an infestation. If your cats tolerate wearing collars, I've heard good things about Seresto collars. They last for 8 months before needing replaced.
posted by cozenedindigo at 5:25 PM on May 10, 2018
posted by cozenedindigo at 5:25 PM on May 10, 2018
Yes to retreating, you're only killing the adults & the eggs are hatching, usually takes a couple of rounds to wipe them out. Fleas can come in many ways, a stray cat under the floorboards, they hitch a ride in on a person, cat fleas can live quite happily on squirrels, so one in your roof might have bought them in to say hi.
posted by wwax at 5:34 PM on May 10, 2018
posted by wwax at 5:34 PM on May 10, 2018
Advantage is virtually useless for us; the fleas reappear within a couple of weeks. I switched our kitties to Bravecto, which is good for 3 months, and so far it 's working for them.
posted by mogget at 5:52 PM on May 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mogget at 5:52 PM on May 10, 2018 [2 favorites]
Our indoor cats get fleas pretty regularly; fleas are bad where we are. The vet suggested we do Advantage twice/month instead of once/month, and then wash/vacuum every soft surface thoroughly. Change sheets, vacuum rugs, wash any blankets the cats sleep on, etc. We dealt with a bad infestation this year, and that routine fixed it.
posted by linettasky at 6:32 PM on May 10, 2018
posted by linettasky at 6:32 PM on May 10, 2018
I cannot recommend Seresto collars enough. My groomer told me about Seresto and said that it was the new best thing for fleas. My poodle was getting constantly reinfested by neighbors' cats in our apartment building, even after professional flea treatments. He was, pardon the visual, crawling with the things and miserable. Within three days, the fleas were gone and it also treated any flea infestations that might have been starting in my apartment. We're now six months into the eight-month cycle of the collar and it's still going strong. I paid $55 for it at Wal-Mart and was freaked out by the high price but would pay double for what it's done for him. Not sponsored but, man, I effing hate fleas.
posted by Merinda at 7:43 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Merinda at 7:43 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Advantage is awful.
I'm a huge huge huge mega fan of Revolution. I researched it once and has the least toxic to mammals type chemicals for the topical monthly flea treatments available at the time AND it's also effective against ear mites. I've only ever applied it once a season with GREAT results on outdoor/indoor cats. One of my cats is sensitive to Advantage (I guess it stings?) but the Revolution is fine. Anyway, that's my pitch.
Is there soil under your deck? The soil under your deck may have fleas and you might want to treat the yard. That said, a good topical should be enough.
posted by jbenben at 8:28 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm a huge huge huge mega fan of Revolution. I researched it once and has the least toxic to mammals type chemicals for the topical monthly flea treatments available at the time AND it's also effective against ear mites. I've only ever applied it once a season with GREAT results on outdoor/indoor cats. One of my cats is sensitive to Advantage (I guess it stings?) but the Revolution is fine. Anyway, that's my pitch.
Is there soil under your deck? The soil under your deck may have fleas and you might want to treat the yard. That said, a good topical should be enough.
posted by jbenben at 8:28 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nthing Seresto. My best friend had an indoor cat with a miserable flea infestation. Topicals didn’t fix it. A Seresto collar did. They last 6-8 months.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:15 PM on May 10, 2018
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:15 PM on May 10, 2018
My cats got fleas from a stray that came to my door to be fed. I used Revolution and the fleas went away. The drugstore/grocery store products from Hartz and the like are vile and toxic and a hazard to your pets' health. I absolutely recommend you, and anyone else reading this thread, to stay away from such products. I took care of re-infestation by giving the stray cat Comfortis; the fleas all but fell off him.
posted by Crystal Fox at 8:00 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by Crystal Fox at 8:00 AM on May 11, 2018
My dogs are on regular treatment, but we somehow ended up with fleas coming in the house last year and I figured out they were in the yard (probably from a neighbor's rat situation, ugh.)
I was really skeptical, but had good luck treating inside and out with this spray in addition to baths and treatment for the dogs.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 8:06 AM on May 11, 2018
I was really skeptical, but had good luck treating inside and out with this spray in addition to baths and treatment for the dogs.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 8:06 AM on May 11, 2018
The reason they are back is that certain treatments do not work on all stages of the flea lifecycle, and so these new fleas are newly hatched ones that were not affected by the previous treatment.
My standard advice, tested and true, and bequeathed to me by amazing Board-certified veterinary dermatologists, is as follows:
1) One dose of Capstar for all pets.
2) Treat suspect areas with Knockout ES, following all label instructions.
3) Exactly three weeks later, another does of Capstar for all pets.
One of our cats picked up fleas after a recent vet stay (and yup, just one out of 4) and we began my treatment protocol (skipping step 2 as we knew there were no environmental fleas), but my wife also skipped step 3 because, hey, the fleas were gone and Capstar ain't free! (She's a world-renowned veterinary technician - classic "the shoemaker's son goes barefoot" situation). A few days later, the fleas were back. Another quick dose of Capstar put them to bed for good.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:54 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
My standard advice, tested and true, and bequeathed to me by amazing Board-certified veterinary dermatologists, is as follows:
1) One dose of Capstar for all pets.
2) Treat suspect areas with Knockout ES, following all label instructions.
3) Exactly three weeks later, another does of Capstar for all pets.
One of our cats picked up fleas after a recent vet stay (and yup, just one out of 4) and we began my treatment protocol (skipping step 2 as we knew there were no environmental fleas), but my wife also skipped step 3 because, hey, the fleas were gone and Capstar ain't free! (She's a world-renowned veterinary technician - classic "the shoemaker's son goes barefoot" situation). A few days later, the fleas were back. Another quick dose of Capstar put them to bed for good.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:54 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Our indoor-only cats got fleas a few times in our previous house. Once we think it was due to visiting family who had a dog with fleas, and the fleas hitching a ride with one of us back to our house. The other times we're pretty sure were due to the squirrels living in the attic (which were a prime motivator in quitting renting and buying, as the owner wasn't interested in replacing the netting on the eaves that they chewed through for access with something sturdier).
posted by telophase at 11:46 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by telophase at 11:46 AM on May 11, 2018
You need to treat for 3-4 months in a row. You can only kill certain life stages of the fleas. And you could have brought the fleas into your house or they could have just hopped in. You in all likelihood have flea eggs in your house, and you will most certainly continue to have a flea problem if you do not treat your cats with an effective product for at least 3-4 months. Washing all possible bedding (including furniture cushions) in hot water every week, vacuuming every day, etc, these will all help, but you need to treat every animal in the home for 3-4 months in a row. I would opt for Bravecto or Revolution rather than Advantage. Capstar is great, and will dramatically kill every adult flea on the cats within a few hours. However it will do nothing for the larvae and eggs in your home, and it will do nothing even to adult fleas on your cats after 24 hours.
I manage a veterinary hospital, I treat my dogs year-round, and I still ended up with a flea problem a couple of years ago because I used a topical and my dogs go swimming quite often during the summer. Topicals do not last the full 30 days if the animal gets wet more than once a month, even if they are used properly. Now I know this. Dealing with a flea infestation was horrible. You have my sympathy.
posted by biscotti at 1:40 PM on May 11, 2018
I manage a veterinary hospital, I treat my dogs year-round, and I still ended up with a flea problem a couple of years ago because I used a topical and my dogs go swimming quite often during the summer. Topicals do not last the full 30 days if the animal gets wet more than once a month, even if they are used properly. Now I know this. Dealing with a flea infestation was horrible. You have my sympathy.
posted by biscotti at 1:40 PM on May 11, 2018
Seconding revolution. Lots of fleas have developed resistance to advantage.
posted by zug at 4:30 PM on May 11, 2018
posted by zug at 4:30 PM on May 11, 2018
Here in Georgia, where fleas are a year round problem, they all seem to be resistant to Advantage, Frontline, and Revolution. We have had luck with Comfortis and Program, and currently we are using Bravecto for the first time, which seems to be working well.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:05 AM on May 12, 2018
posted by hydropsyche at 5:05 AM on May 12, 2018
Our indoor-only cat got flees a few years ago because our downstairs neighbor had taken in a kitten that was just infested with fleas, and was keeping said kitten in our communal basement. presumably the fleas either rose upstairs on our clothes after we went down to do laundry, or they just found their way up the stairs on their own.
We treated with, I think, Revolution for three or four months, and also rented a steam cleaner and thoroughly cleaned the particular chair that the cat liked to sleep in, and washed our own bedding in super-hot water (she also liked to sleep on our bed) and replaced her cat bed, stuff like that.
posted by sarcasticah at 8:45 AM on May 12, 2018
We treated with, I think, Revolution for three or four months, and also rented a steam cleaner and thoroughly cleaned the particular chair that the cat liked to sleep in, and washed our own bedding in super-hot water (she also liked to sleep on our bed) and replaced her cat bed, stuff like that.
posted by sarcasticah at 8:45 AM on May 12, 2018
Response by poster: We did retreat with Advantage and that seems to have solved the problem.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:27 PM on June 10, 2018
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:27 PM on June 10, 2018
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As for which treatment, sometimes that depends on your area. Apparently fleas adapt to certain flea meds. Your vet can recommend which treatment is currently working best in your area.
posted by hydra77 at 4:47 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]