Uncontrable Fleas in my house!

[Kimmim31]

I need help! I am in tears as I write this. My husband hates cats but I love them . He loves dogs and so do I so we have 2 dogs and 3 cats. My cats I had to put in the dark old brick basement with the concrete floors. Ever since I put them down there a year ago they have had flies that I just can not control. My long haired white cat looks gray around his neck now due to the flea dander and sores that he has developed. Now the fleas have gotten to the dogs who are allowed upstairs. I us Advantage from the vet on all of them each month but I think that the flea issue is just so bad already. My dog has sores all over her now both of them and now my Lab has a huge patch of hair on her hind end that is completely gone. I feel that they are suffering. I am suffering watching them suffer. My husband could care less about the cats and will not help me with them at all. I cant bath the one cause he is so mean and will bite and scratch. He wants me to get rid of them. I don't want to take them anywhere this way or at all for that matter in the shape that they are in. I truly am not cruel and I want nothing more that to get this issue resolved but feel that I am alone on this and need some support or guidance from someone that may have been in this sort of situation before.

I feel that the cats are miserable in the flea infested basement. they have NEVER been outside and are scared to even go out. I can't just throw them outside. We live in the city and they will get hurt or killed. What do I do. I live in Wooster,Ohio. Does anyone know of a NO KILL shelter that can help me? Or a husband shelter I can drop the husband off too..? hahaha

 

[HighStreetCoop]

You absolutely have to get the fleas under control. Your pets can end up anemic and even die from a infestation like you're talking about. You have to treat the environment and then the animals. Flea bomb and use something like Diatomaceous earth in the basement. Start with something like Capstar which will kill all the adult fleas within hours (you'll have to give this to them multiple times over a week or two in order to keep killing the fleas as they hatch). Then you can move on to some OTHER form of long term control since the Advantage is clearly not working.

 

[Kimmim31]

Thank you for your help. What is Capstar? Is it a pill?

 

[Kimmim31]

That Diatomaceous Earth is something I should spread around or feed to my cats in the basement. I am sorry just not sure what to do I have never used such products before. I am grateful to you for your help. I don't want anything to happen to any of them.

 

[fred081646]

Dawn dish soap will kill fleas on dogs and cats. Yea, I would flea bomb the basement too. I held my cats by the neck and dipped them in a bucket of dawn Good luck.

 

[Kimmim31]

Thank you! I do wash them in dawn dish soap ever so often. The dogs that is and it seems to dry them out pretty bad. the fleas stay away for a day or two but always return. My one cat is pretty mean if I try to bath him he tears me apart. I can never get it finished and no one is willing to help me with him. I am not looking for an easy way out I just want them to get flea free and my house too. every time we go down stairs dozens of them jump on our legs and socks not that bad upstairs yet. Our washer and dryer is downstairs and we have been using the laundry mat for month due to the flea issue. Want to get an exterminator but the winter weather ruined that. Now I am just so embarrassed to have anyone come over.

 

[Torch404]

D.E would be spread around especially in carpet. It is non toxic but microscopically is very sharp and should avoid being breathed in.

A vet should be able to get you a flea pill for all your animals. A flea bomb would help but is spraying poison all over your house.

I have had luck washing resistant cats by getting the bath run and all ready before you bring them in the room. then go be nice to them for a few and when they are relaxed wrap them in a bath towel with just their head sticking out. Then holding them like a foot ball take them to t the bath and dunk them towel and all. It isn't the best but after a few moments in the water you can kinda wash parts of them with the towel while keeping them wrapped and unable to scratch you.

Now for your hubby - your cats are inside cats if they got fleas they got them from the dogs that go outside and pick them up. As his dog are the cause he needs to be part of the solution and help you bathe the cat.

 

[fred081646]

I fought fleas all last summer too. I did some reading and am going to try nylar or precor this summer.
They are an IGR or insect growth retardent which stops the fleas from reproducing. It sounds like they work good.
If you bomb the basement you will kill most all the fleas down there in a matter of hrs.

 

[thechickendiva]

Diatomaceous earth is the safest and cheapest route to killing fleas. I moved into this house in the Fall and everything seemed fine. Spring came and to my horror the house was infested with fleas. I went to Tractor Supply and got Diatomaceous earth for cheap. Sprinkled it all over my floors....waited til the next day...and then spent all day sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping my floors. Made a mess but it made a serious impact on the amount of fleas. Do your best to bathe all the animals with dawn soap frequently and also vacuum daily. NEVER use any flea product made by Hartz...ever. As a vet tech we always told our clients the same. I don't know how the company is still on the market but their products are widely known to kill pets. It actually happened to my sisters cat about two years ago. Luckily he survived after weeks at the vets and lots of $ in vet bills. Oh and make your husband help you.....lol maybe he should spend a day in the basement and see how it feels. Good Luck!

 

[Watermelon123]

Hello fellow Ohioan! I deal't with this problem a coule years back, but with rabbits and because we have mutant- super fleas we had to do alot. What I did whas salt the carpet (the finer the better), flea treated everyone with revolution (lucily I won 12 vials of it in a contest), then in a couple of days, It was vaccume, vaccume, vaccume! Lastly re-application of the salt and so on. I also used dawn and the flea killing spray in the basment (keep animals out for at least a day).Hope this helps, and good luck.