Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby, Pandora, is an indoor cat, but somehow she managed to get fleas while I was living with a friend of mine. (I think they came with a couch he bought from a neighbor, but I can't be sure.) I started using Frontline Plus and they would go away for about two weeks, but then come back. We cleaned all the rugs and furniture with really expensive flea powder and kept giving her the Frontline Plus. Shortly after that, I moved into my own apartment. Since Pandora and I moved when she was on her first two weeks of Frontline, she appeared not to have any fleas. My new appartment obviously didn't have any...nor did my furnature, which had been in storage while I was staying with my friend. Everything was fine for about a month and a half, and now she has fleas again! And this time the Frontline Plus is not working AT ALL. It's so gross because they cluster in her whiskers and all over her face. I don't even want her sitting near me, let alone on me, but I don't know what to do. Everyone says Frontline Plus is the best, so what do I do if the best doesn't work? Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't understand how she keeps getting reinfested (I don't ever see fleas anywhere in the house except on her), and I don't understand why the medication has no effect. I've already been told that flea colars are useless, but I thought maybe there was some kind of special food or supplent cats could take internally to prevent fleas. If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. I miss cuddling with my baby, but seeing those nasty things running all over her poor face just grosses me out! Please help! Thanks! -Bryn

Hi There,

Unfortunately, it's not unusual for indoor cats to have fleas. Most likely the fleas hitched a ride into the apartment somewhere on you. At this time of year, stray cats, dogs, and wild animals are loaded with them.

It sounds to me like you may need to flea bomb your apartment. Ask your vet to recommend something. If your cat is flea-infested, you can bet that the apartment is also. I don't recommend using just flea powder to try and take care of the problem, no matter how "expensive" it is.

I would try another flea product, such as Advantage, once your place is treated. As long as you use something from the vet it will be safe. Just make sure that enough time has passed for it to be safe after the last Frontline application.

Please don't wait too long. Your kitty can become dangerously anemic from the fleas and she can become critically ill.

Take Care,
PHKitkat

As a follow-up to PHKitkat's advice, please read the article at the link below.

Toxic Flea Products

Hi Bryn

I got my baby from a shelter where they had supposedly been flead and wormed but we found out after a week or so that the house was infested. You could feel them biting when sitting on the couch...even thinking about it now makes me scratch

We did frontline spot treatment in 2 locations on his shoulder blades and were very careful to get the applicator right to the skin. We were also given an aerosol house treatment to use that same night so we all locked ourselves and pepsi in the bedroom over night closed the door and opened the window and had kitty bowls and litter tray in there overnight. I then sprayed the entire rest of the house and slept through. Next day I closed the bedroom door and sprayed everything inside the bedroom.

We then vacuumed all over the house paying particular attention to doorways and the edge of the carpet. I did have to re-apply to the bed a second time as that's where he slept and that did the trick.

We were also advised to worm at the same time and to worm a month later with the next flea application as kitties can get worms from digesting fleas and their eggs. That was 3 weeks ago now and within 30 hours or so we stopped scratching immediately , as did our boy and next week we are using frontline and wormer again to ensure we got the whole lot.

Hope this helps...we didn't believe that anything could help us...bu it worked a treat. Definitely call your vet !
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Kind Regards
Pepsi's human Janis
MAX - Earned his wings April 2006 - Sleep tight Pussy Cat

"Like those great sphinxes lounging through eternity in noble attitudes upon the desert sand, they gaze in curiosity at nothing, calm and wise"
Charles Baudelaire

Ive used it with great success. It is a pill that you give your cat and it kills all the existing fleas for about 4 hrs like a flea bath..If the fleas are in your new apartment then they will come back and you will need to treat the house. But for a quick fix the Capstars work. My vet sells them individually for like 3 bucks apiece. Of course give a cat a pill is no easy task(coat in butter, put on the back of tongue, shut mouth, massage throat), but better then a bath or sprays....BTW it has never made my cats or dogs sick, even my little ones.