I got Patches to the vet and back. Vet says he has fleas, gave me some expensive medicine

[Walleye]

To be applied once a month. It’s called revolution. I put it between his shoulder blades. The vet also insisted he should get a rabies booster since he hadn’t had one in eight years. I’ve been stressed out all day over the idea of putting him in the cat carrier, turned out to be easier than I thought of course. He made some noise at first, but when I got him to the vet, he settled down until he decided to jump off the table and get under a chair. I just put a little dish of tuna in there to take him and he walked right in. The vet said I should call an exterminator to get the fleas out of the carpet. Anybody have any experience with that? Anyway, I guess there’s really nothing wrong with Patches except for the fleas, he said it’s easily treatable. So that’s a relief. I gotta figure out what to do about an exterminator. Thanks everybody For your concern. it wasn’t as much of an ordeal as I thought it would be. A little bit expensive, but I just gotta watch my spending money now.

[onecaliberal]

1. Cat can get anemia from fleas. It can be very dangerous.

[SheltieLover]

2. Nope. No exterminator needed!

$8.50 for a 4 lb bag of diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle liberally in your carpets, then vac up in a day or so. Although it is the consistency of powdered sugar to us, it scores fleas' shells and kills them.

Make sure the get Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth so there are no toxins in it that can harm your precious baby.

It will take a few days, then you will be flea free. Make sure to take the vac bag out to the dumpster after vaccuming, then reapply the diatomaceous earth.

Humidity will render this product useless because it soaks up moisture like crazy.

(Sorry to say so, but the cheapest source I've found online is Hellish Home Depot.)

I hope this is helpful!

PS - You and Patches will not even notice it's in the carpet unless you can see white powder. It flies everywhere so when you apply it, get close to the carpet. Sort of like an artist working with charcoal. LOL But, IMO, it sure beats paying an exterminator to spray poison in your home.

Hugs to you & Patches!

[Walleye]

4. Thank you that certainly sounds like it's worth a try. I think we used to use diatomaceous in New York

I will look for it online. Thanks for your very helpful advice

[SheltieLover]

6. You're welcome!

Just don't wait because fleas carry all sorts of nasty parasites and diseases! You can get it today most likely at a local hardware store.

So glad your sweet gentleman kitty is OK! T Y so much for the update!

[livetohike]

7. A second vote for the Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth.

Works great 👍🏻.

[SheltieLover]

8. Yes, it does! I've used it many times

[DemonGoddess]

25. This works like a charm!

Also, small dishes (saucers) with dawn and water. They are drawn to it, go in to drink, and die.

[SheltieLover]

35. Is it harmful to pets?

We use Dawn to bathe the dog when he picks up fleas outside, but not sure how drinking it might affect pets?

[DemonGoddess]

40. The animals don't drink it.

At least mine never did.

[marybourg]

3. I didn't know my cat had fleas until

the cat moved out with a family member. The fleas then attacked the remaining human family, and we were covered in itchy bites. Called the exterminator and boom! the fleas were gone! How that works when the cat (and any remaining members of his entourage) are still around, I don’t know, but I would follow the vet’s instructions.

Edited after reading the previous post: the exterminator didn’t spray anything, he applied powder to the carpeting. Maybe it was even diatomaceous earth, who knows? But the fleas were gone immediately.

[Walleye]

5. Sounds promising thanks

[SheltieLover]

9. Do NOT dust your kitty with it because it's very fine and can get in his lungs. Wear a mask when you dust carpet and

put Patches in another room, just incase any dust is flying. (If you keep the dispenser close to the carpet, you will eliminate most of this.)

[Walleye]

19. Thanks for the tips

[SheltieLover]

21. YW!

[livetohike]

10. Thanks for the update. Sorry about the fleas. Patches will feel

better soon. It’s manageable. We use Frontline Gold drops on our two dogs. Once a month. Easy to apply and worth it.

[Midnight Writer]

11. I would hold off on the exterminator.

In my experience using Revolution, the fleas will be gone from Patches within a day and any fleas in the house will die off pretty quickly, within a few days.

Revolution interrupts the life cycle of the fleas and will cause them to stop reproducing.

If after a few days you still have a problem, then you still have the option of seeking other solutions.

[Walleye]

20. Thanks I will take that advice

[XanaDUer2]

12. Patches 4ever!

[Figarosmom]

13. WSh all linens smd start vacuuming

Daily. Empty vac bag or canister outside. Vac any set furniture too.

[MotownPgh]

14. Revolution should be applied monthly

[sinkingfeeling]

15. There are several flea-borne diseases that a cat can get. One of my outdoor cats came down

with one, years ago. I can't recall the name of it.

One other thing you can buy at Walmart, etc., is Capstar. One little pill and it will kill any fleas on Patches within 30 minutes.

[LoisB]

16. That's good but to echo everyone else, fleas can be very dangerous.

[werdna]

17. Here's aproduct that will kill all the fleas -

- on your pet immmediately.

PetArmor CAPACTION (nitenpyram) Oral Flea Treatment for Dogs

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713BF+RyfyL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

[2naSalit]

18. The revolution stuff...

Sounds promising. I put bay leaves, just a few, under the cushions in any upholstered furniture along with the diatomaceous earth as mentioned above.

The flea anemia is what killed a couple of Siswan's babies in the last six weeks. It's a serious thing. Larger cats can fight it off, kittens can't.

Hope all this takes care of the problem.

[niyad]

22. Thank you for the reminder about the bay leaves! I had forgotten about

them. Fortunately, we do not have a flea problem in this alpine desert, but it is an excellent thing to remember. Like storing rice and other dry goods with bay leaves.

[SheltieLover]

36. I'd never heard of using bay leaves for fleas.

Does it kill them or just repel?

Ty, 2na!

[2naSalit]

42. I think it...

just repels them.

[SheltieLover]

43. thx, 2na

[HeartsCanHope]

23. I've used Fleabusters. https://fleabusters.com/services/ as my exterminators.

They came to my home each time I needed the carpet treated and put the product into the carpet. It's supposed to be a natural product, and I can tell you it works. One treatment lasts a whole year. You have to wait at least 24 hrs before vacuuming. My cats were always indoor only pets, but somehow some of them got fleas anyway over the years.
You can also buy their product from Amazon or Chewy: https://fleabusters.com/product/fleabusters-rx-for-fleas-plus/ and apply it yourself. Just keep Patches out of the product whoever applies it, and use the Revolution to make sure Patches feels better quickly. This is a bad year for fleas! Sorry you have to go through this. Take care.

[Walleye]

24. Thank you so much. That sounds like it'll work. Patches seems fine this morning and had a very good night last night.

So I think the Revolution is working,. Fingers crossed.

[DemonGoddess]

26. For flea topicals

I use Cheristin. It is specifically formulated for cats. Works very well with my bunch. I have six...

[Walleye]

29. Thank you, I will look that up.

[Diamond_Dog]

27. Good to hear it's something treatable!

Good luck with all the excellent advice above!

[Walleye]

28. Thank you Patches seems much better. I'm laundering all the linens and so forth.

He had a very good night last night. Now I’m gonna order a few new pillows and throw these old ones away. Thanks for your concern.

[Clouds Passing]

30. I use food grade diatomaceous earth. Not a user of pesticides.

[Walleye]

31. I'm looking through a few things now,thank you

[Clouds Passing]

32. If your kitty is an indoor/outdoor, get a puffer and puff it on the yard. That works great!

Wear a mask. Fleas suck, literally.

I’m glad you're both better!

[SheltieLover]

37. Only works outdoors in arid climates because it is ineffective

when it soaks up moisture.

[Clouds Passing]

38. During drier spells it does work well in the midwest.

[SheltieLover]

39. if you are getting morning dew on your grass, it's been rendered ineffective

That's great if it works in your area. I very much prefer this to toxic chemicals that will end up killing birds & other wildlife.

[Easterncedar]

33. Vacuum a lot

Hard floors and carpet. I have read that the vacuum cleaner has resulted in a world of change for flea-human relations, and flea populations everywhere. But if the fleas reoccur, you can buy pesticide bombs for your house. They work, although it’s of course better to avoid if you can.

And keep the cat inside. They live longer that way.

[MiHale]

34. My dog got infested last summer...

We used D.E at first followed by a bath in Adams Flea & Tick Shampoo for both dogs and cats.

The fleas natural cycles of egg laying need to be broken. They are determined little creatures. This shampoo prevents the eggs from hatching for 30 days. With the continued cleansing of the living areas during that time the cycle is disrupted sometimes for good. Within 3 weeks we were flea free, visually. Roscoe got two baths within that time and we could see the fleas in the rinse, third week bath…none.

I would suggest getting the carpet cleaned deeply after about a couple months of treatment to remove any leftover eggs. I’m slightly biased on this cuz I used to own a carpet and upholstery cleaning company. I’ve cleaned many, many flea infested homes over the years. After treatment the hot steam kills most anything that’s left and gets sucked away.

Adams also makes a spray that prevents flea and tick infestation for treatment afterwards. I used this for the upholstery.

[Walleye]

41. Thank you for the professional advice. I'm still trying to figure out what to do. I will be keeping this. Thank you.