# HELP! Fleas-even Frontline won't Help.



## HeavenHelpMe (Apr 28, 2006)

OK, I'm at my wit's end. This is a larger, 15 pound, very fluffy, indoor cat. 

We have tried:

The lame grocery store brand of "fluid"

Garlic

Sevin dust (that just didn't seem right, so not doing it again)

Brushing regularly

FRONTLINE (about a week and a half ago)

Fleas are still flipping the cat out. He runs and licks and scratches and runs more and makes horrible noises while itching. 

Any more suggestions? Poor Keekers! I feel so bad for him. Plus, he's infesting my house. Glad I have a bagless vac!

Any new suggestions would be soooooo appreciated. :help:


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Try pennyroyal oil/ tea made from the dried flowers, and sprinkle DE under your couch cushions and such. Give Keekers a haircut and bath too, to help get rid of the little nasties and at least give him some relief.

One thing I've done when I've had an animal show up covered is Sergeant's flea shampoo; I never would have tried it myself, but it's what my family has always used on pups, dogs, kittens and cats; I've even used it on a young, four-ish month old pup out of sheer desperation and she was fine. Put a towel down in the tub for him to cling to so he doesn't scratch the life out of you, and bathe from the tail and feet up; the fleas will run right to his nose (I use a sponge to wet the face with just plain water) and you can use a flea comb/your fingers to pluck them off and dunk them in a cup of soapy water. They'll come back if you don't treat the house, but at least he can have some itch-free hours.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Dawn dish detergent will work too. It's what our vets recommend for kittens with fleas.


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## naturewoman (Nov 12, 2002)

I'm not sure where you live, but in some climates (like in California) fleas go wild during the right conditions. When that happens and they have infested your house, you need to bug bomb the house to get rid of them. Your carpets are probably full of fleas and eggs, so treating the cat is not enough. The fleas are probably dying on the cat as they should (Frontline is very effective) but there are too many in the house so they just keep repopulating the cat. 

You will need to leave the house for some time, and remove animals and house plants, etc. while you bug bomb, but it will work. I had to do that when I lived in California.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

The fleas are breeding in your house. Once they feed off your cat, they jump off and congregate in your carpeting, drapes, etc. You need to try and confine your cat someplace so you have a towel or bedding that can be washed and dried in a hot dryer. Put DE on the carpeting. Anything that can go into the dryer on high heat, put in the dryer on high heat for a half hour to kill the eggs and larvae. You can get rid of them, but you need a multi pronged approach.


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

Ya to what Maura said..I had a cat with long hair that had fleas really bad when I got the poor grumpy old thing. The whole house got infested. He adopted me. I named him Mad Max and that fit him good. I sware he growled like a grumpy old man. Anyways I dont remember what it was called but it was some kind of flea bath soap stuff that we gave him a bath with. Took 3 of us to do it and we found out his growl was just to fake everyone out, he was just irritable from not being able to sleep without scratching himslef awake. It was pretty expencive like $15 for a bottle, from a pet store, but it worked great and he slept for 3 days straight. Then we used frontline after the bath too keep them off.
Meanwhile washing everything in the house he slept on, vacuuming a few times a day (keep the vacuum cleaner outside durring this) and putting out a pan of soapy water (1/2 inch or so of water and dish soap) with a desk light (what ever works) a foot or two right over it got the rest of the fleas in the house. The fleas are attracted to the light at night and jump for it landing in the soapy water and they drown. Just Dont let the light fall in the water.
I had a cat named Keeker once too.  
Good Luck


~~~
Sumer


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## Windy_jem (Feb 19, 2006)

Head and Shoulders shampoo gets rid of fleas too...


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Years ago I had my first and last experience with fleas. The vet used Frontline on the dogs and when that did nothing, he used the other popular product a few days later - which also did nothing!

This dummy woke up and remembered I had DE in the house. I covered all the floors in my house with DE. Woke up the next day to clean dogs and a house full of dead fleas and insects - some of which I had never seen before. All the dead scorpians kinda got to me! Didn't know I was sharing that rental! I left the DE on the floors for another couple of days and then vacuumed it up.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Rogo said:


> Years ago I had my first and last experience with fleas. The vet used Frontline on the dogs and when that did nothing, he used the other popular product a few days later - which also did nothing!
> 
> This dummy woke up and remembered I had DE in the house. I covered all the floors in my house with DE. Woke up the next day to clean dogs and a house full of dead fleas and insects - some of which I had never seen before. All the dead scorpians kinda got to me! Didn't know I was sharing that rental! I left the DE on the floors for another couple of days and then vacuumed it up.


WHAT IS DE ??????


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## QueenB04 (Feb 9, 2005)

DE= Diatomaceous Earth

Okay, here is the deal. Frontline, spray or topical application (between the shoulders) is rarely affective any longer. The best methods for getting rid of fleas these days is using Eucalyptus oil, diluted, and rub into the fur onto the skin. Especially areas of high flea traffic, under the neck, throat, back of the head, under legs, and on abdomen. Flea dips still work, but there is alot of danger associated with them. Use only as directed. If directions specifically say for dogs, only use on dogs as these chemicals formulated in dog dips can cause serious health problems and death in cats. If the products specifically says for use in cats, likewise, only use on cats. I recomend dips (and I hate chemicals) when the situation is bad. I cannot stand a flea. But only use when neccesary, and ONLY as DIRECTED! 
For use in getting rid of them in the house, you can use D.E. but a more effective method is to use 20 Mule Team Borax, or any powdered laundry detergent, GAIN smells so good, sprinkle through the house, onto the carpet, hardwood (watchout slippery) and furniture. Wait 20-30 minutes and then vaccum. You can leave on carpet longer, as in for a few days, but it may leave a greasy residue that won't appeal to your feet too much. You can do this once a week or twice a month (depending on carpet, size of house etc.) and I garauntee you your flea problem will be gone. You can also use Borax on the animals coat, or dip them in a mild solution, fill the bathtub and do 1/4 scoop(cats & small dogs) 1/2scoop(medium dogs dogs) 1 whole scoop (large dogs) and wash them in this. May irritate their skin slightly, but it's more from the irritant of the fle bites, a dip will cause the same effect but through use of caustic chemicals. Dish detergent as mentioned above can be used as well, fleas can't stand it, and you can safely mix dish soap with the borax mixture to use as a bath.
Last but not least.....vinegar. The animal may smell strong, and the vinegar will at first burn in any flea bites but will actually help heal and soothe the skin in the long run. The acidic nature of vinegar will kill the fleas. You can use white distilled or apple cider(better smelling) and they will equally be effective. Good luck!


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## trappmountain (Jun 22, 2005)

So I just deleted it. Besides previous poster spelled it correctly, unlike me


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Miz Mary said:


> WHAT IS DE ??????


You have just summoned Rogo  She'll give you the low down on DE.


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## QueenB04 (Feb 9, 2005)

Oops actually I even spelled it wrong, it's diatomaceous...let me fix that. Trickly little word!


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## naturewoman (Nov 12, 2002)

I have to say I'd be hesitant to use eucalyptus oil on a cat. I had a cat who accidentally got some Dr Bonners Eucalyptus Pure Castile soap on him, and licked it off, and almost died of poisoning.

DE I know to be harmless. I'm not sure what ingredient was in the Dr Bonners soap that my cat reacted to, but I would not chance it.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== What Is DE? ===

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is fossilized plants from the
oceans and lakes. These plants inhabit all the waters
of the earth, and serve as the basic food for aquatic
life, just as grass is the basic food for land
animals.


DE has been used for thousands of years by critters and humans, and its uses handed down by word of mouth, much like herbs. I've only known about it for 30 years.

I feed it daily to my house pets, poultry, large livestock so they have no sickness, diseases, conditions. I also take it daily. I have no vet or medical bills.

DE also kills insects. I know, sounds strange to ingest something that kills! 
It will kill any insect that lands on it or crawls thru it except earthworms. DE kills by slitting the outer skin and dehydrating the insect.

DE also deworms the critters. I don't use any other products.

Food grade DE is the grade to use. The bag will say FOOD CHEMICAL CODEX GRADE. If it doesn't, don't purchase.

Food grade DE is sold in feed stores and organic garden centers.


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## maryanne (Jul 20, 2005)

I have 2 toy poodles, one is pregnant, can she have it??. how much do I feed them???
also have boer goats, how much do I give them??
frontline plus doesnt work on my animals either....I have nver heard of this DE stuff before!!e


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

If you don't want to use the bombs in your house, you might try putting a pan of soapy water in the middle of the floor, Then hang a low watt bulb over it at night. The fleas will jump toward the light and drop in the soapy water and drown. Be sure to put the soap in the water. They can get out of plain water, but the soap will coat them so they can't get away. The next morning you will have a pan full of dead fleas. If you don't find any fleas in the water, then your house, or at least that room, is flea free. Try another room the next night. 

Shampoo kitty with the original blue dawn dish soap, it kills fleas better than some of the flea shampoos.


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## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

HeavenHelpMe said:


> OK, I'm at my wit's end. This is a larger, 15 pound, very fluffy, indoor cat.
> 
> We have tried:
> 
> ...


Welcome to the resistent flea club of America. I'm in the same boat. 

Believe it or not the best thing I have found was the old fashioned "flea comb". I have been combing my two kitties every single night before I go to bed. The first night I got about 10 off of Jimi and about 15 off of Moggy. The second night it was down to about 6 and 10, the third and fourth night were both less and less. Last night there were only three on Jimi and five on Moggy. 

Now, I know I am not getting all of them, but the point is that it is helping relieve a lot of the misery that they were going through, and eventually, I will be "keeping up" with the fleas as they hatch and multiply. For now (until winter), this is the only solution I have come up with that works at all.

Also, treat your carpets with salt and borax so that the fleas will not breed there! I also use Frontline and it did bupkus this year. You gotta feel sorry for the outside animals this year - for sure.

Hope that helps.

Edited to add: Have a soup bowl with water and a squirt or two of Dawn liquid in it to dump the fleas in as soon as you comb them out. The Dawn kills them on contact.

donsgal


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## sewsilly (May 16, 2004)

While you're waiting for the DE to work, shave the cat... it's miserable for the long haired ones. I had a himalayan and the poor thing hated the warm months, because it meant a frequent shave. Daily brushing has to occur, shaved or not, to keep them trained to it.

If there's not as much hair to cover, the frontline works much better.


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

Try Advangtix. Works more than the other shoulder drops.


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

I was told by the vet...
The frontline will kill the fleas AFTER they bite the animal. This prevents them from breeding or jumping back on or on you. The advantix will repel them, they are still in your house just not feeding on the cat.
If your house is infested the only thing you can do is bomb. The reason they are still bothering the cat is that they have bred in the carpet or sofa and now need to feed. Once they do they will also die, if they feed on the cat.
Frontline works best if used before the fleas get too bad.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Been there done that with my himi's- I raised them for years. Here is what I did as the one was allergic to all flea drops and they only worked for a short time anyways, also any sprays made for cats caused her allergic reactions too. 
Note- I will no longer own cats because it was so much work to keep them free of fleas-easy to keep the dogs flea free but the cats would get them if there was 1 in a 20 mile radius.

First- bathe the cat in dawn- it does work. Leave the cats suds up for about 5 mins or so. Dry and flea comb.

Second- this section is important as you HAVE to treat your environment. Get some seargents gold household flea spray- or any that has Nylar or Precor in it. Apply it to all areas of the house from the floor up to waist high. You only have to do this once every 6 months- unless you shampoo your carpets- then treat them again. Apply that every 6 months without fail- it will keep the fleas from reproducing and makes it easier to treat the cat only.

Then vaccuum daily at a minimum. You want to vaccuum undersides of fabric furniture, under cushions (I also spray these areas), the rest of the fabric furniture, drapes, carpets, cracks in hardwood floors and baseboards, linoleuem and tiles, etc. You want to keep this up for 4-6 weeks. My husband would tease me and say he had seen a flea- just so I would vaccuum so well daily.

Twice a day I would get a cup with warm water and a few drops of dawn in it. Flea comb the cat and dip the flea comb after each swipe to kill any fleas you catch. Comb the entire cat from head to tail. 

If you cat is not allergic to pyrethrins- this does still work. My allergy prone cat could tolerate this fine if made for kittens or birds. Adams flea and tick mist is a good one. Hartz used to put out a spray called control for dogs that was also residual that worked excellent and I would only have to treat her once a week or 2. She could also use that. I have been unable to find it though so i think they stopped making it. It was pyrethrins with a flea regulator in it (like Nylar). 

Outside- does need treated even if the cat is strictly indoors- as of you are infested inside, you will have them outside too. You do not need to treat areas that get full sun exposure, but you do need to treat cracks around entrances and under decks, etc. I use sevin dust. You will need to reapply after rain. You can also use food grade DE, but I have been unable to find an economical source to ship and no one local to me carries it.

Garlic does work to help repel fleas- but it takes a while to get it into thier system enough to where thier skin will emit the odor that the fleas can smell, but we can't. I used that as a preventative with my dogs and it does work. My cats would not come near anything with garlic in it, so never was able to use this on them.

Good luck. It is quite a process- but the only way I have found to eliminate fleas. Bombs do not work as they do not reach all the cracks and crevices- no matter how many you use.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

You can't use Advantix on cats, it's only a dog product (advantage is OK).


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

The best easiest way to get rid of fleas is called capstar. It is one tiny tablet and the fleas drop off in half an hour. This kills all adult fleas instantly. You can combine frontline with capstar. Whenever I get wild flea ridden kittens, I give them half a tablet and within a half hour to an hour, they can come indoors with us. They are too young for frontline so I treat a couple of times with capstar. Your vet will know what I am talking about. It is very cheap. I even got mine free. It is a lifesaver for instant relief!


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

When you see adult fleas you are not seeing the BIG picture. For every adult flea you see there are a hundred eggs which have already been deposited in the animal's environment. The eggs fall off the animal because they are not sticky like lice nits. Those eggs will hatch out into larva, morph into the pupa stage, then emerge as adults to start the cycle over again. I use Frontline Plus because it causes the eggs of the female fleas to be sterile once the flea has brushed up against a hair from the treated animal. (The fleas do not have to bite the animal.) Those eggs won't hatch and the adult flea will die to lay no more eggs.

It takes more than one dose of any product to beat the flea war if they are already established in the environment because of the nature of the fleas' life cycle. You have to attack the environment as well as the fleas on the pet in order to get good control. You have to break the fleas' life cycle.

I've used Frontline Plus on my 3 farm dogs and my 5 indoor/outdoor cats for 5 years. They get treated once a month and we have absolutly no flea problem.


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## Vanne (May 10, 2007)

IME, Frontline Plu is the most effective treatment. When using it, you don't need to treat the environment (your house).

Are YOU bringing in fleas from outdoors? It happens!

Did you bathe your cat 48 - 72 hrs before or after applying Frontline. Did you apply it to the fur or the skin? Does your cat wear a collar?


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## Vanne (May 10, 2007)

Pyrethrins(sp) products like Hartz kill cats. Please don't use it.


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## Tracy (May 2, 2002)

What are you feeding? A dog or cat that has a strong immune system will automatically repel fleas. 
The best thing you can do is feed a raw diet. Over time the immune system will be stornger and fleas will not be attracted to the animal.
I have raw fed for 5 years now, have 4 dogs and none of them have fleas and we do not use any type of flea treatment.


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## busybee870 (Mar 2, 2006)

I Just Bought Some Spray Called Natures Garden By Sergeants, It Contains:
Peppermint Oil, Cinnamon Oil, Lemon Grass Oil, Clove Oil, Thyme Oil, Vanillan, Isopropyl Alcohol, Ill Let You Know How It Turns Out


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## Milkwitch (Nov 11, 2006)

apple cider vinegar. I have had as many as 7 dogs in the barn and 9 cats that are in and out of the house and we have never had problems with fleas. I spray the place where the kittens get born, ( who knows where next!). fleas are gone! Same with dog beds. Wipe coats down with cloth wrung out in vinegar, makes coats shiny and fleas free! 
A friends border collie had fleas so bad he had chewed his legs and belly raw and nothing they tired worked. I got them to use the vinegar and with in three days the fleas were gone. 
I have a spray bottle loaded with vinegar ready all the time.You can spray furniture, and bedding and rug....etc. it smells for about half an hour, but it also kills exsiting oder. You can also put a cup in rinse water if you bath the animal


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## HeavenHelpMe (Apr 28, 2006)

Wow, I can't believe this got bumped again. Sorry I haven't checked back here in awhile. Some great ideas here, and yes, we probably do bring them in on our clothes after petting the dog. The cat never goes outside. Oh, and by the way, I'm feeding him Nutro for indoor cats. It's the only thing that keeps his coat looking nice and shiny. I tried feeding him raw food before, but he refused to eat it, and I'm not wealthy enough for trial and error.

The cat is also very sensitive to flea products in general. I have tried a flea collar and that almost killed him within 24 hours. The cheap brand of "fluid" almost killed him, too. Bathing, unfortunately, is not an option. He's a big, strong male, and trying anything in the bathroom with him will get you a trip to the ER for stitches. He's normally a sweet baby around all of us, but the threat of water brings out the devil in him!

I bought that powder in a can for the carpets, and I vacuum 2 or 3 times a day, and it has helped. I just have to keep up on it, and keep adding the powder at least once a week (hope the chemicals in that aren't too toxic to human skin....). I always get a few fleas with every vacuum session. Like Donsgal, I'm whittling away at them a little at a time, and though not a perfect solution by any means- it is helping to relieve some of the misery.


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## busybee870 (Mar 2, 2006)

well its been 24 hours since i sprayed the dogs with this natural stuff, they arent scratching anymore, must be working


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## Vanne (May 10, 2007)

> I was told by the vet... The frontline will kill the fleas AFTER they bite the animal.


This is not correct. I worked for a vet clinic and have spoken with a Frontline rep who explains HOW frontline plus works.

Frontline plus spreads acorss the skin on the animals natural oils and is absorbed into the sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands coat every hair on the animal with frontline and continues to secrete frontline for about a month.

Frontline begins to kill on contact. The thing the vet may have been trying to say is that it takes long enough for Frontline to kill the flea or tick that it does not prevent all flea bites. This is important because the animal is stiall at risk for contracting a tapeworm from flea exposure, even whe Frontline is used monthly.

Frontline causes and "active death." In severely infested animals, you start to see the fleas swarm after Frontline is applied. Frontline doesn't make fleas worse, it makes them more visible as they are dying.

When frontline is used, no environmental treatment is necessary.

I have a friend whos home had a SEVERE flea infestation for 10 years. Nobody would visit because they would get fleas bites on their ankles within minutes of setting foot in the house. The 2 cats were almost bald and bloody from scratching the fleas and the people that lived there were covered in horribly itchy flea bites. They spent hundreds of $$$ on every treatment imaginable - except frontline (it was "too expensive" at $15 per month) After 3 months of treating the cats with frontline and no environmental treatments at all, the fleas were gone.


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## leecofarm (Feb 5, 2007)

i throw my 2 cents in for bathing dogs with eucalyptus soap. kills fleas instantly. but then i still have to use flea bombs indoors. i think i will try some of yalls ideas because i dont like cleaning up after flea bombing or knowing that the residue is still around for a long time after.


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## lyceum (Oct 20, 2006)

I work at a Vet's office. Someone asked that same question today. The answer, if you don't start Frontline at the beginning of flea season, it will take several applications to get them under control. So, next flea season, if you want to use Frontline, etc. start as soon as you notice fleas and they should be much better.

On an even better note, I believe that the vet had mentioned that Frontline had some sort of guarantee. Not for sure though. If your vet contacts them, you might get free stuff.  

Carisa


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

I've been using frontline since the beginning of summer, applying on time each month.. and we still have fleas on the dogs. It just hasn't been working anymore the last couple of years.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

lyceum said:


> I work at a Vet's office. Someone asked that same question today. The answer, if you don't start Frontline at the beginning of flea season, it will take several applications to get them under control. So, next flea season, if you want to use Frontline, etc. start as soon as you notice fleas and they should be much better.
> 
> On an even better note, I believe that the vet had mentioned that Frontline had some sort of guarantee. Not for sure though. If your vet contacts them, you might get free stuff.
> 
> Carisa


I would recommend starting even before you see fleas.

There is an 800 number on the inside of the package if you have questions about the product or are not satisfied.


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