Hi there…I came across your and now better understand the flea cycle. I think with the help that you gave in it I have a good idea of where to start in order to rid the house of the pests. But I have a couple more questions. Let me fill you in on our problem first…We have 2 indoor cats and 1 primarily indoor dog (he goes out no more than an hour a day). We have treated them all with Capstar and the monthly preventative Program. It will be fine for several days and then all hell breaks loss. I finally hit the roof the other day when I found one on my 5 year old while I was brushing her hair. Our dog seems to not be as infested as the cats. He does have some probably but he primarily stays in the laundry room and kitchen where the cats do not go. However, the cats are COVERED and they are all over the house mainly in my room and my girls room. I am going to purchase the items in our article (Precor, Permethrin, and the gallon sprayer). I am prepared and willing to spray once a week for as long as I need to spray. But here are my questions…Since the cats sleep pretty much all the time on our beds can I spray mine and my girls beds and it not harm us? Should I strip the beds and wash all sheets when I spray in hot water? As for the cats…they HATE baths. What can I go to get the fleas off of them? Should I dose them with Capstar every time I spray the house? I think they might let me spray them down but bathing is out of the question. Also one last thing. We have carpets. We have hardwoods and tile. Will the sprays I mentioned I am getting harm my floors? Thank you Thank you Thank you so much! I now have hope that we can defeat this nasty things!
Here in central southern Oregon we are being told (as if we need to be) that we are being besieged with a new kind of flea. I’m almost ready to believe it too. Our cat gets washed almost weekly using sergeant’s skip flea shampoo. This cat is almost 10 years old, the first time I washed him, the water in the bath was almost bloody, I felt like such a schmuck for allowing it to go so far, I’ve never seen an animal this infested. We’ve been using Frontline on the back of his neck but he has began losing hair where we put the frontline. Several cats in the neighborhood have had the same reaction as well……..So, in the past three days we have torn out the carpet and have put in a wood floor which we will paint with an oil based paint in hopes that any eggs or pupae will die. All corners of the floors and walls are being caulked and seams spackled. I cannot believe that an infestation of fleas could ever get this incredibly out of control. Have you heard of this year being any worse for fleas in any state? I measured one flea over an 8th of an inch long!
How cold must it be to end the “flea season?” I live in the St. Louis area and currently it’s down in the low 30s upper 20s at night, but warms to 40s-50s during the day. Last week it was in the 70s. If it warms during the day, will the darn things continue to be active? My pets have been plagued since July despite a visit from the bug man in August to spray inside and regular applications of Frontline. From what I have read, I suspect I need to do some serious vacuuming and call the bug guy back. I was hoping for a reprieve when the cold weather hit.
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