laura asked 8 years ago
Hello I was wondering if you could help me. We looked after my friends cat for a few weeks and now we have fleas in our home and they are going into my little babies hair and mine. Ishe there any way I can prevent this from happening?. Also I’m hoovering everyday and have used the room fogger twice but I’m still seeing a few fleas. Now that the cat has gone will the fleas just die off eventually or is there anything else I should be doing?. I’m actually losing sleep over this and it’s making feel like a terrible mother so please any advice would help or even great news which would be that they will die out eventually ?
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello Laura,
If you don’t have any pets, then the fleas will die out on their own. Their life cycle, from egg to adult, completes in 17-26 days indoors. After the adults emerge from their cocoons, they’ll starve in around a week without pets.
There is one caveat. After completing their metamorphosis, adults can stay quiescent (dormant-like) inside their cocoons for up to 5 months while they wait for a host. The best way to force these fleas to emerge is to vacuum. The vacuum causes heat and pressure, two stimuli that simulate a host.
Fleas develop at the base of carpets, and thus are somewhat resistant to chemical treatments. So, you’ll likely continue seeing them here and there until they completely die out. Vacuuming regularly is the best course of action. It would also be a good idea to launder any rugs or bedding that the cat may have slept on. Anywhere where the cat rested, flea eggs likely fell.
Since most fleas develop in carpets, it may be a good idea to restrict your baby from the floor for a while, especially in areas where the cat spent a lot of time.
Hope this helps,
Adam
