Nick Schweissguth asked 8 years ago
I have never had a flea problem in my life so I am just now learning all about it. I have two indoor outdoor cats. A few months ago we started noticing fleas in the house. The fleas only seem to bite my wife. She has now forced the cats to be outdoors only. Flea problem seems to be worse and now she wants to call the exterminator. Rather than spending $500 for flea service, can I instead treat the cats and bring them inside? This way the fleas will effectively attack the cats instead of my wife and hopefully die off via cat treatment?
Also, how well do Seresto flea collars work (same formula as Advantage but in collar form)? My wife claims they only work on neck but they are way more cost effective (last 8 months). Are Seresto collars different than Hartz collars?
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello Nick,
It makes sense that the problem seems worse now. If the fleas weren’t detected or treated right away, then they were freely reproducing on the cats. Eggs are laid on the host, but they aren’t sticky and fall off within a few hours. Each female lays around 25 eggs a day. There are about 100 immature stages in the environment for every adult flea on the cat. It takes 17 to 26 days for the eggs to reach adulthood. So, all the adults you’re now seeing in the home, were laid as eggs a few weeks ago.
It’d be a better use of your money to purchase flea drops for the cats and an insect growth regulator spray for the home, rather than hiring a professional exterminator. This will be cheaper and more effective. Both the pets and the environment need to be treated, and the exterminator would only treat the environment (with the same products you can purchase for much cheaper).
Insect growth regulators (IGR) mimic the naturally occurring hormones in insects. When eggs and larvae in the environment are exposed to an IGR, they won’t be able to mature into adults. These compounds are much more effective than traditional insecticides, because of their long-lasting residual effect (7 months). Look for the ingredients pyriproxyfen (Nylar) or methoprene (Precor) in sprays (e.g. Precor Premise Spray). Or you can buy IGR in concentrate form (e.g. Martin’s IGR).
Some pet owners have success with flea collars. However, in the literature, it’s almost always recommended to use flea drops (e.g. Advantage II). These products have a reliable track record and have been thoroughly tested. I think flea collars may be more appropriate for prevention. Since you already have an infestation, and it seems fairly severe, flea drops would likely be the better choice.
Seresto flea collars don’t contain an IGR, while Advantage II flea drops do (pyriproxyfen). This is another layer of protection, as the IGR will sterilize female fleas before they’re killed. The adulticide, imidacloprid, can take up to 24 hours to kill all the fleas, though most die within a few hours. The IGR will ensure the eggs are non-viable, if the females have a chance to lay any.
I am not sure if flea collars affect the cat’s whole body. I have done less research on collars than flea drops. However, I’ve read the product label for Seresto, and can’t find any information about translocation (it should be there if it did translocate). Perhaps the product doesn’t product the whole body. The difference between Hartz and Seresto appears to be the adulticidal active ingredient used, and Seresto’s Sustained Release Technology. But, as I mentioned, my knowledge isn’t all that great yet with collars, as they aren’t recommended often in veterinary literature.
With flea drops, the product is applied to neck. It doesn’t get absorbed into the skin, but it does incorporate with the skin’s sebaceous (oil) layer. As result, the cat’s natural oils translocate the flea drops across the cat’s skin and fur, covering the entire body with 24 hours.
The fleas will jump onto the treated cats and die (and become sterilized before they die). This will help prevent your wife from being bitten as much. Though she’ll still likely get bites here and there. Wearing socks and pants, and tucking the pant legs into the socks can help prevent bites.
As for the fleas already developing in the home environment, vacuuming regularly is the best way to get rid of them. Traditional insecticides aren’t effective, because the immature fleas live at the base of carpets where the sprays can’t penetrate. And the pupae and pre-emerged adults won’t be affected much by the IGR. Vacuuming every other day is one of the best procedures for controlling fleas.
No flea control method is 100% effective. That’s why combining multiple strategies (pet treatment, environmental treatment, and vacuuming) is highly recommended and will result in the fastest control.
Hope this helps,
Adam
Wow thank you!!