Help my house is infested!?

Question

My cat has fleas,we have tried everything to kill them and they are jumping off her and living in the carpets and biting me. We have tried spray,spot on gel and she won't wear a collar. How can we get rid of the fleas on her and in the carpets?

Answer 1

This is an ongoing problem, not a one-shot deal.  You have to treat the cat, the house, and the yard simultaneously if she goes outside or you have another pet that does.

Baths work well, except cats hate them and flea shampoos stop working as soon as they are rinsed off.  Dips can be toxic.  Systemic insecticides prescribed by your veterinarian are best and safest, although not inexpensive.  Over the counter and discount store products may be neither safe nor effective.

Foggers work okay in the house, but you have to use plenty and do work to get them everywhere.  Set mattresses up on edge, pull the furniture out from the walls, etc.  You can also spray, or have it done professionally.  Thorough vacuuming is essential, because the flea eggs and pupae will continue to develop and present you with a whole new crop of the pesky biters.  Throw the vacuum bag away outside so that they don't hatch out inside the vac and start spreading again from there.

The yard can be done professionally as well, or you can use garden-center products like carbaryl (trade name Sevin) or others.

Contact your veterinarian or state university extension service for more specifics.  Try putting "flea control extension" into your search engine for lots of hits and advice.  Good luck.