Cat might have flea problem, need help!

Question

Ok, so recently I've been having these bites around my legs and after doing some research, I've come to believe they are flea bites. Now, the real problem is removing the fleas, my cat absolutely hates water so I'm not able to give her showers. Recently, I took a trip to Petland and upon leaving, I purchased Hartz Ultra Guard Flea & Tick collar for cats and Hartz Ultra guard Flea & Tick powder for cats. But much to my dismay, I found this website: http://www.hartzvictims.org/ , I now am afraid to use these products after reading what it's done to some pets. Does anybody have any feedback on these products after using them? Any comments are appreciated, thanks!

Answer 1

a flea collar won't fix your problem anyway. You're going to have to purchase some FrontLine. It comes in packs of medication for 3 months, you put it on the back of the neck and it lasts for a month. That will kill and help prevent future infestation. This fixes the problem with the cat. If you're being bitten, that means that you have a flea infestation in your house. The only way to fix this is to use a flea bomb. You can purchase them in most pet stores or online. You will need to leave the house for a number of hours after you set it off and clear out all your animals. You may have to make several passes to completely rid your house of the fleas, depending on how severe the infestation is.

The key to avoiding this in the future is prevention, prevention, prevention. You should always supply your animals with flea medication, even on indoor animals.  

Answer 2

Try using Advantage, it has worked for me for 3 years. You also need to treat your house and your yard. Be careful with what products you use, cats are very sensitive to certain chemicals.

Answer 3

I would use the flea medication that you put on the back of the neck!  That works great!!  As for your house you need to bomb the fleas....you can by the flea bombs at Wal-mart.   That's what I did and it worked!  Good Luck!!

Answer 4

you have to go to a vet and buy Advantage, it goes on the back of their neck between the shoulder blades.  

it kills any flea who bites them.

however even using this stuff it can take months to get rid of fleas since the fleas have to jump on the cat and bite them to be killed, so you have to wait for all the fleas in your house to hatch and jump on the cat which takes months.

you can buy flea bombs and sprays for the house, it's debatable if they really work,  but honestly treating the cats is the most important part.

my vet said you may still fleas for 4 -6 months even using the Advantage.  

we had them for about 3 months now and i have been using Advanatge and finally i thik they are going away.

they are disgusting and very hard to get rid of.  i plan to use Advanatge year round from now on so i never have to deal with this again.

It is very expensive, $120 for a box but a box lasts you a few months.  

Answer 5

Hartz does nothing to get rid of fleas.  The meds in it are outdated.  Use Frontline or ProMeris for the cat and get an exterminator to come to your home to take care of the fleas in the environment.

Answer 6

I would be very leary about applying these products on your cat - I have had experience with some of these products causing seizures.  Also flea collars only work up around the neck.  I would seriously think about calling your local veterinarian and getting some topicals called:  Advantage, Frontline Plus, Promeris, Revolution, Profender(this one will take care of tapeworms as well).  These are all safe products to use(and you do not have to worry about seizures or getting scratched up from giving your cat a bath.

Answer 7

Never use over the counter flea products@ Especially Hartz! Bad Bad Stuff!

You can buy Capstar and Frontline Plus at drsfostersmith.com . The Capstar will kill all the fleas on your cat almost instantly and the frontline will prevent re-infestation. Use the Capstar right away. It will kill all fleas on your cat with in an hour. It is imperative that you do not skip this. Frontline (or advantage, revolution, promeris, etc.) is only effective if the flea bites the cat. Fleas have a 3 week lifespan and only feed for a few days of those three weeks, so you must use Capstar to kill all live fleas on your cat. After you Capstar add on the Frontline Plus and it will keep fleas off your cat for 30 days. Any eggs that hatch will be killed when they feed by the Frontline. Refrontline every 30 days. No vet visit required and totally safe.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr...

Frontline contains fipronil, which spreads via the body oils killing fleas within 24 hours and ticks within 48 hours. Ticks are generally killed before they bite, decreasing the risk of tick-borne disease transmission. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

Frontline Plus also contains (S)-methoprene, an Insect Growth Regulator, which prevents an insect from maturing or reproducing. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

You can use FRONTLINE flea and tick control once a month and it's completely waterproof. Provide your cat with the best flea and tick protection, right from the start.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr...

Capstar - Treats flea infestations on pets. Starts killing adult fleas on the pet within 30 minutes. One dose lasts 24 hours. Use when pets are likely to be exposed to fleas. Also may be used prior to surgery, boarding, or grooming. Active ingredient is Nitenpyram, which interferes with the normal nerve transmission of insects, effectively killing them. Not a preventive. For pets over four weeks of age. Package of 6.