Fleas!

[LibraryLady]

Damned fleas! A pox on the cat for getting them!
We put OTC drops on the cat's neck in April. I think it was dessert for the fleas.
Purchased Rx flea drops in May and put them on the cat.
Made me sad as I think those drops burned his skin when we applied it.

When we returned from Canada, the cat and house are rampant with fleas. Bombed the house on Monday.
Cat still has the varmits.
Monday it will be time for a second application. Cat won't be happy. Last time he gave me hateful looks and ran from me for a week after the application.

I want to dip him, but I don't want to be scratched to death for doing it.

...and my husband makes me do the dirty work when it comes to pets--therefore he remains the one who loves them and has no flaws in the cat's mind.

[crocmommy]

LOL on your husband and the cat.

We are struggling with fleas on the dog. I bought Frontline Plus at Petsmart when the Advantage didn't work. If I see fleas on the dog tonight, I will be calling the vet. I hope the fleas haven't built up a resistance to the flea meds. I don't think the dips and spray work. Will the cat let you use a flea comb on him?

[Red Oak]

Try some Capstar for Cats, and pick up welding gauntlets and Leather for the Flea bath, any welding supply will have them.

[crocmommy]

One more thing, are you sure you burned the cats skin with the flea meds? A burn is not good, but fleas are very bad for him too. I had a cat nearly die from fleas we couldn't get rid of before the new meds were available. The new meds were a life saver for us. Sprays and dips just made the cat sick and the fleas came right back.

[millergrovesue]

I can't explain it...........except for no close neighbors - but there are plenty of wild critters around us - but we have never had a bad flea problem since moving here more than 26 years ago. I certainly don't miss the fleas or the flea treatments. Even with the cat being indoors and outdoors we have no fleas.

Florida was the absolute worst for fleas. We continually sprayed the perimeters of our yard in an attempt to keep them at bay.

[grouchy]

I can't explain it...........except for no close neighbors - but there are plenty of wild critters around us - but we have never had a bad flea problem since moving here more than 26 years ago. I certainly don't miss the fleas or the flea treatments. Even with the cat being indoors and outdoors we have no fleas.

Florida was the absolute worst for fleas. We continually sprayed the perimeters of our yard in an attempt to keep them at bay.

Sane here, absolutely no fleas. Lots of scorpions though.

[millergrovesue]

Sane here, absolutely no fleas. Lots of scorpions though.

We had lots at our old house, which was surrounded by trees. Since we built here, about 200' behind where the old house stood and with no trees, I've only seen 2 scorpions. That's in 4 1/2 years. Not bad. I miss the trees but don't miss seeing Bob on the roof cleaning out gutters.

[crocmommy]

I checked the dog last night for fleas and didn't find any. So it looks like the Frontline Plus is working so far. I bought flea shampoo just in case.

[ann jusko]

We use Sentinal for the dogs....no fleas for years. It's also heartworm medication and it's a tablet every month. Our cat has no fleas at all since she stays upstairs. If the dogs do go up there, they have no fleas so it's ok. We also haven't given her the rabies shots for years. We lost our wonderful Persian cat because the rabies vaccine was given too high up. It needs to be given in the leg as low as they can go. Our Persian died of cancer from the vaccine. They found that out shortly after she died. Or rather they broadcast it after. Who knows how long they'd known.

Definitely capstar for the cat's fleas but it's fast acting and wears off quickly. Ask your vet for something else, for long term (a monthly) for fleas, along with the capstar. Some topical applications cause lots of skin problems for the cats.

Those damn flea eggs can sit dormant for a long time and then hatch. If your cat is on something long term, they'll jump on him and DIE!

[LibraryLady]

I don't know how it felt to the cat (burning or not) but based upon his reaction--I think it didn't feel good to him.

I believe that whatever is given to dogs gets in the bloodstream and kills the fleas.
Cats = not in bloodstream. Fleas cross the product on the way to get near the eyes/mouth for moisture....at least that is how I understand it works.

Last night we combed him with a flea comb and got several off.

His hair is ultra fine and ultra thick. Makes it hard to handle for fleas. That makes me think a good dip is all that will get rid of them. We did that to the last cat we owned. It was not pretty and that was one angry cat.

Husband blames the presence of the fleas on the squirrels and other wildlife that live around here.

[Jim Jack]

My vet told me a couple of months ago that some of the topical solutions are starting to lose effectiveness, that maybe the fleas are building up some sort of resistance to the stuff. He said that medicine that the dog takes is better.

However, he let me continue to use what I had since my old puppydog doesn't show signs of fleas or ticks. So far, so good.

[ann jusko]

That is true. I'm on a site with about 4,000 Great Pryrs and many are looking for alternative flea prevention.

[crocmommy]

I checked my Siamese cat and found quite a few on him too. For a 15 year old cat, he still has quite a thick silky coat. He seemed to actually enjoy me using the flea comb on him to get them off since they were probably bothering him. However, I saw little scratching going on. And yes most of the fleas were around his neck, head and shoulders. I have the meds from last year, but am being hesitant to use them.

[PlanoSooner]

our dog takes a pill. never had a flea.
i dont know if they have it for cats.
call the vet

[LibraryLady]

Already spoke with vet.
No pills for the cats.

[crocmommy]

Still haven't given the cat the flea meds yet. He REALLY enjoys being combed over for fleas every night. Purrs the whole time and looks disappointed when I stop.

[LibraryLady]

Ours seems to enjoy the combing and brushing also.