juleslondon asked 7 years ago
Every time I go to my dad’s house I bring something back with me that bites me (I feel a pin prick bite a crawling, but a rash and not an actual bite appears, also when it gets really bad I feel them crawling in my hair. At one point I though it was in my imagination, but my friend stayed at my dad’s over christmas and she too felt itchy and brought it back to her house..she thought probably fleas. The main reason I think it’s fleas is that my dad has a cat that he rarley treats with flea treatment who goes outside. I’m so fed up with the situation as over the years it has affected my relationship with my dad. The last time it took 7 months to clear whatever it was from my flat after visiting him. The thing is i sent him a flea trap and he said it caught no fleas. And when I visit him I don’t actually see fleas..though the cat does like to itch. It’s definitely not bedbugs, as we’ve even had a bedbug sniffer dog around to his house. He refuses to get his house treated with chemicals although I do suspect he has a lot of flea eggs in the carpet. I suspect that because he has an untreated cat in his house, all the fleas jump on his cat, as it’s usually only when I get back to my house after visiting him that I start to feel bitten.. I think I may be really sensitive to fleas (or whatever it is). This time I got my flat treated after being infested..*with something* 6 weekend later I mopped and steamed clean the floors and they came back. The thing is I don’t actually see anything. Also occasionally I have brought something back and infested my flat after just meeting my dad to go to the cinema and but not actually his house. Is this possibly fleas..? What else could it be? It certainly infests house/flat and not me so would not be scabies or lice etc) Any advice appreciated.I’ve got to the point where I might get my dad’s house treated when I know he won’t be there! Would it be possible to rid fleas from his house (if thats what it is) just by regually treating his cat, he would agree to this although I would have to go there to do this? Thanks so much for your advice at my wit’s end (and also almost at the end of my relationship with my dad as i cant bear it any more, which is a shame i am the only close relative hes got). Thanks?
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
juleslondon,
It sounds like a strange situation. From what you’ve described, it doesn’t sound like fleas. If there were fleas, signs would be on the cat, either live fleas or their feces (red-black specks that turn red in water). Also, he would have likely caught some fleas in the trap. And the rash you described doesn’t sound like a flea bite. Flea bites are similar to mosquito bites, with a papule forming. And fleas don’t tend to go to people’s heads unless the person lays on the floor.
Yes, studies have shown that monthly flea drop treatments on dogs and cats can end mild to moderate infestations on their own. However, it would be wise to be certain he is dealing with fleas first, and it doesn’t sound like he is.
I am not sure what pest or other issue may be causing the problems you describe. It may be a good idea to hire a professional pest control company to take a look in person.
I am sorry I can’t provide more insight.
Warm regards,
Adam
