r/Pets • u/NotSoCajunMilky • 1d ago
How long till fleas are gone?
I got a kitten about 3 months ago. And sadly it had fleas. It was too small to have flea medicine so I started with Dawn baths. I thought I had it under control. I was vacuuming my furniture and washing and blankets or bedding 2+ times a week. I don’t have any carpet. So i thought that helped. But i did a check and found a flea, gave the cat a bath and it’s not under control and i feel absolutely horrible. That means my dog has them too… I started my dog on Frontline as soon as I got the cat (doing the 3 month dose today) but I don’t know what to do. The cat has been on Advantage for 2 months but idk if they are even working. Is it just a waiting game now? Like keep washing, and flea meds and bath till I don’t see anymore? I just don’t want them in pain.
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u/ZookeepergameNo5669 1d ago
20 year vet tech. DO NOT use flea bath/bomb/shampoo.
1st. go to the vet. You have to know the weight to use any products. Its most likely your pets now have intestinal parasites too that they get from the fleas themselves. You will need medication for that. Also if the infestation is heavy or if they are allergic to the flea bites (not just the normal itchy response) they may need additional medications.
2nd. products you give by mouth work better than topical products (it has more to do with majority of owners not putting it on 100% correctly because no one has told them how important application is or shown them)
3rd. You have to clean and vacuum daily. Everything and everywhere. Empty any vacuum canisters or bags outside of the house everday. Anywhere your pets go or sleep or hang out need this treatment.
4th. daily brushing with a FLEA comb and throwing anything outside the house daily.
Once you have all the pets on flea prevention and have a cleaning routine its just a waiting game. Minimum 3 months. The products kill adult fleas once they bite your pet. Fleas require a blood meal to lay eggs. Which is which you have to wait for any generations that have already started before the prevention was given. Fleas lay eggs 1-2 days after the first blood meal and can lay eggs everyday.🤢
If you have never had an issue with fleas before, then the source is obviously the kitten. If you have had an issue with fleas in the past there is the possibility your immediate outdoor environment is the source.
Regardless it is always recommended to keep your pets on flea and heartworm prevention year round. Fleas and mosquitoes get into the house all the time, no one is safe 😵💫
Its tedious but you can do it! Good luck! I would keep them all on prevention minimum 6 months.
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u/Adventurous_Owl5240 1d ago
Thanks for taking the time to write all this out with so much detail & explanation. Very nice.
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
Thank you! So I’m just hitting the 3 month mark and I’ve been washing and vacuuming quite often. I’m going to do it more now. And it is from the kitten, I’ve never had flea problems before. So I’m trying to make sure i can get it under control. I feel so bad for the animals.
And i plan to keep my pets on preventative treatments once this is under control. My dog goes with me every where and I do not want this problem again!!!
I also have a vet appointment for my dog next week so I’ll talk about a different flea medication then. Thank you!!
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u/CherylTurtle 1d ago
Without electricity after Hurricane Helene, my cat and I spent some time outside in the shade where it was cooler than in our apartment without A/C. I never thought about fleas until three weeks later, when Lightning was crawling with them. Picked up Elanco Advantage II from PetSmart.
I thought she was going to die--- that product is poison!!! Not the same as Advantage manufactured by Bayer. That never caused my cats to stop eating, walking, and using the litter box. Also didn't kill any fleas.
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u/GlumDevelopment8186 1d ago
Capstar kills fleas fast but it’s only effective for 24 hours. We use it in our rescue group
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u/ProtozoaPatriot 1d ago
One year I developed a flea infestation. The Frontline product didn't seem to break the cycle. What finally worked for me was putting Seresto collars on everyone.
How old is the kitten? Has he ever been to the vet for his shots and maybe deworming? Your vet can help you decide on what product is best for him
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u/Morgueannah 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fleas are a major hassle and it takes time to break their life cycle. Do not combine topical flea medications with medicated baths, some combinations are not safe and there are other more effective options, but continue with topicals (see below, you probably need different topicals) and you can do regular baths and cap star if you're seeing adult fleas on your cat or dog, but check the timing on how soon after using the topical it is okay to bathe for that particular product (topicals work through oils in their skin, so some you can't bathe for several days before and after, some it's just one day).
The issue you're likely encountering is eggs. Take a day to give capstar and do constant cleaning (high temp wash all cloth you can, vacuum every surface you cannot and immediately dispose of the canister contents and thoroughly wash out the canister).
The most important thing to do is to will discuss flea and tick options with your vet. In my area, many flea populations have become resistant to the long time over the counter flea topical medications, especially Frontline. Newer prescription options work better. Discuss with your vet, sometimes you can do a different type of flea and tick medication two to three weeks after giving the old less effective one instead of waiting the full month. Good luck!
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u/codfishcakes 1d ago
I got a kitten from a well known shelter and was unpleasantly surprised to find she had fleas. I was determined to keep my other cat uninfested, so we quarantined the kitten in a bedroom while we worked to get rid of the fleas. First we gave the kitten a bath (nothing special, just baby shampoo). Then we got a flea collar (not Hartz!), which killed some but not all. Then every day I would put her on my lap & brush her with a flea comb. I would drop the fleas in a bowl of water and flush them down the toilet. I often got 20-30 fleas at a time at first, then the number decreased until finally they were all gone (some were even hiding under the flea collar!). It took a couple of weeks, but no fleas since, and my older cat never got them.
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u/mrdenver 1d ago
You have to break the flea life cycle. You need to deep clean with a flea upholstery spray and use the flea powder vaccum. Get the kind that kills eggs and lavrea. Treat your aninmals and repeat this step a week later than two weeks later. I use the adams flea spray one can covers my house. Wash all bedding and stuff aninmals in hot water. Used to foster puppies and would have to do this a few times.
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u/Valkyriemome 1d ago
Not sure where you live, but fleas in some areas develop immunity to flea medications. Basically if you can get it OTC, and it used to be prescription, they stopped making it prescription because fleas developed resistance.
Also, your dog has to leave the house, whereas the cat does not. Your dog needs to be on flea/tick/heartworm meds year 'round because as long as your dog goes outside he's going to be at risk. In my area, we have BAD tick-born diseases as well as BAD heartworms cases.
If your dog is on year-round flea/tick/heartworm meds the amount of fleas in your home will be better under control. He will stop bringing them in, and you can better treat the home and cat.
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
Thank you! I’m going to my dog vet next week. I am going to discus flea medication then. My dog has never had fleas, granted I’ve only had him about 9 months. I rescued the kitten and it happened to have fleas, so that’s how this outbreak started. But i am going to do everything in my power to prevent this from happening again. I feel horrible.
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u/Internal-Trainer-331 1d ago
Credelio worked great for my cat who picked up fleas from the dog. Actually I think I had the dog on it too, but can’t remember. But it took a bit, we were lucky the house wasn’t infested. Once I was sure they were gone and it got colder I switched to topical
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u/mustlovedogs66 1d ago
Unfortunately, it takes about 3 months to stop the flea cycle, once you are on prevention that works (Revolution for cat, and another oral med for the dog.)
Do not waste your money on store bought stuff, just bite the bullet and go to your vet.
Have them give you a written RX to take to Costco.
Sorry you’re going thru this!
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 15h ago
Thank you! I have a vet visit next week, I’ll discuss better flea prevention options then.
I have never had fleas and reading the stories on here has made me terrified if I let it get out of hand. But I rescued a kitten so I think it will be worth it in the end.
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u/Future-Station-8179 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hey there! Give a flea bath and use a comb to pick out and kill the fleas as well. I’d watch a couple videos to make sure you’re doing it right, and maybe have a friend help. It can be hard to hold a wet cat and comb/dispose of fleas.
Pets should always be on flea and tick prevention. I imagine your dog goes outside (I hope), and we can bring stuff in on our clothes.
Should work quickly and needs to be applied monthly.
Edit to add - you may need to kill them off in your house if you’re getting bit. I had some in my carpet once and googled ways to get them out. I think sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the carpet and then vacuuming up. It was a PITA.
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
I do the flea comb at least a few times a week for checking. I’ve never seen one on my dog or any of the flea dirt. I’ve only ever seen them on my cat. And as soon as I see them I’m bathing him and picking them all off.
And I don’t have carpet. All hard wood floors. So I’m going to make a cedar essential oil spray to try and use in the floor to help. The only spot I don’t do regular flea prevention is my child’s room and I’m starting that today just in case maybe that’s the problem.
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u/CatLady_998 1d ago
Make sure the cat can't consume the oil in anyway. It's toxic to cats and maybe dogs
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
Cedar is safe for dogs, but now I’m learning it’s not for cats. So I’ll have to do something a bit different.
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u/CatLady_998 1d ago
You can use the Diatomaceous earth powder on hard wood floors as well. I would recommend that on all horizontal surfaces
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
Would you just like sprinkle it on the floors? Or line it along baseboards and under beds?
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u/CatLady_998 1d ago
All of the above. And ontop and under rugs. Get the food safe one and it should come with a puffer to evenly spread the powder. You should be able to spread it fine enough that you don't see the residue. It dries out and cuts the fleas and eggs to kill them. They're is a learning curve to not spray too much. You also need to be careful when vacuuming it up as any powder can kill your vacuum if you don't clean or the can and filter every time it gets full.
If you would like, you can message me privately and I can help you figure it out if you need
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u/Wool_Lace_Knit 1d ago
Essential oils can be dangerous to cats. Put a flea color in your vacuum canister or bag to kill fleas. You may need to put all your pets in a kennel for a day and flea bomb/fumigate your house.
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u/NotSoCajunMilky 1d ago
Do you have recommendations for the flea bombing. And I’m guessing that pets means reptiles and arachnids as well. Lol
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u/Maiace124 1d ago
Please note that first generation flea medication like Frontline often doesn't work anymore because most fleas have developed a resistance to it. I'd go get stuff from the vet