wills asked 7 years ago
Hi there. We have 2 cats who unfortunately have caught fleas!
The cats do not come into the actual house, they are mainly outside but sleep in our tiled floor utility
I combed through their fur with a flea comb. Our one cat just had the black bits, which I presume was flea faeces but our other cat had about a dozen fleas on him, so I bathed him outside and combed through his fur.
I always though fleas were small and black but these were quite big, round and brown in colour
anyway we treated them with flea spot on bought from ours vets and they stayed outside for 24hrs. I then combed through their fur with a flea comb and they were completely clear.
I also cleaned all of our utility area… which has a fire door, sectioning it off from the kitchen. When spraying the floor, I noticed things almost like tiny silver worm type things? The floor looked like it was moving basically! After spraying them,they had died/disappeared the next day!
A few days after this I was changing our baby on the bed and I noticed one run across his head!!! I was mortified! Got it, squashed it and flushed it down the toilet!
So I hoovered the entire house, washed bedding and sprayed a domestic flea spray bought from our vets.
I haven’t seen anymore YET but wondered what else, if anything, I can do!
thank you
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Wills,
The infestation would only have spread to where the cats had access. Fleas lay eggs on their host, but the eggs aren’t sticky and fall off within a few hours. So that flea you found in your home likely hitch-hiked on clothing. I mention this because it probably isn’t necessary to sanitize the entire home and vacuum religiously.
What flea spray did you use in your utility room? Ensure that it includes an insect growth regulator (IGR), either pyriproxyfen (Nylar) or methoprene (Precor). IGRs mimic natural insect hormones and will prevent eggs and larvae from developing, remaining active for 7 months. It’s useful for preventing re-infestation.
Since the flea infestation originated outdoors, and you have outdoor cats, there are likely many fleas developing in your yard. You may want to consider outdoor control. Here is a comprehensive page on Outdoor flea control.
You may continue seeing fleas here or there in the utility room. Some of the larvae may be living in cracks and crevices in the tile or around the baseboards. If so they’ll emerge as adults over the next few weeks. Placing a flea trap in the utility room may be a good idea. Traps aren’t great for control, but they are useful for monitoring flea populations and determining when the infestation is over.
Your situation doesn’t sound too bad, as you have outdoor cats that weren’t allowed inside. And the only area they had access to was tiled. Good luck!
Warm regards,
Adam
