Big problem, fleas on my sphynx!

[sphynxsophia]

So I found a cat tree on Craigslist. 5ft tall, nice. We already have one but i wanted one for the backside of the house as she likes to watch birds.. Drove out to the middle of nowhere to get it Saturday Night...

And now Sophia has Fleas!!!! This is the only logical place she could have gotten them from as its heavily carpeted, like shag. They were crawling on her last night, so we bathed her in dawn (which I about lost an arm and eye doing!)..

Im grossed out, itching like crazy, and finding fleas in my bed...

help!

 

[Inflamed]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Fleas? I always assumed sphynx couldn't get them... But if they were on the cat tree, hmmm. I would get some environment spray and try to kill those bugs! I don't think they will actually become a problem for Sophia as she has no hair for them to hold on to (they will crawl on her like they would on a human but they cannot nest or lay eggs).

Good luck, I hope you kill them all soon!

 

[kyles74]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

I would definitely start by using some form of flea killer, not only on the tree but your whole house aswell as they can breed in carpet. Sorry about the hassle, what a pain in the butt

 

[momofmaxamillon]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

How horrible, maybe someone can advise you on a safe way to rid the fleas, while
keeping the carpet safe for Sophia, I am so sorry, fleas are nasty little critters!

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Yea my husband says last night: SHe has fleas" and i jumped up..how the heck can a hairless cat have fleas!? But sure enough, about half a dozen crawling on her legs.. Ugh this sucks..they can breed in the carpet? then what? we dont have anything for tem to hitch a ride on..i thought they needed a critter?

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Oh no they will happily live in you carpet, couch, bed, you any place and they will multiply faster then heck. You need to take the tree out side and soak in with flea killer then rinse and let it dry. You are also going to have to treat your entire home. If one is missed they will be back.
Do you have any other pets? If so they have to be treated also.
We got them once years ago after taking in a stray, I took all the pets to be cleaned and had an exterminator come in, but we had 3 dogs at the time also.

Being she has no hair they should be easy to get off your self, then see if she can go visit a friend until you get the house all cleaned and flea free.

Good luck to you, this stinks.

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

No no other pets. I dont have anyone else she can go visit..I guess we can hang out in the car for awhile or something.. If I flea bomb, can that just kill whats in the cat tree?

 

[Candys]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Let this be a lesson to the rest of us. This can be a real pain in the rear. When Kika ran off a couple of times, he would go across the street and under the neighbors house. When he ran back to my arms - YIKES - he was FLEA INFESTED. A nice bath took care of that. The cat tree will have to go outside and away from the home to be treated with flea killer. Close up that back room where the tree was and fog it with flea killer. Wipe everything down before inhabiting the room.:Worn-out:

 

[Big Hoss]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Don't you love Craigslist?!?!?!!?......Nasty little buggers!! I hate fleas!!.....

They wont be hard to get off the naked cat it's the rest of the house that is going to be the issue..You will have to treat to kill the adults and then in 7-10 days treat again to get the babies that hatch out before THEY lay more eggs...Fleas can be HARD to get rid of....I had an outbreak a few years ago and it took 3months to get rid of them and that was with the good stuff from the vet.....Cost me over $300 bucks to get rid of them...All from one trip to the dog park

 

[wright878]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

We had a problem with fleas a few years back. A good friend worked at a pest control store and told us to get flea bombs. He said to make sure they were the kind that killed eggs as well as adults. We found the right kind at Walmart. It worked great. We had to leave the house for 4 hours, but it sure was a lot cheaper than an exterminator coming in. Good luck!

 

[Ripley]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Finally a post that I have a bit of expertise in. My parents and my brother each own their own pest control business and I have had some flea problems recently, so here goes...

I have tried this trick and it works quite well. I got it from my dad. Put some moth balls in your vacuum cleaner bag (or bagless canister) and vacuum the whole house. This would work on your cat tree as well. Take the bag outside and dispose of it. Do it all again. Take the bag outside. Now, you need to repeat this once daily for a week. That will likely take care of your problem. Since you know the offending piece is the new cat tree, I would take that outside and spray it down with flea killer. The vacuuming technique works well even if you don't have carpet. I have used in on hardwood floors even without rugs. The vibrations encourage eggs to hatch and you can suck them up before they get a chance to feed.

The flea cycle is approximately 3 weeks. The flea hatches, feeds, then lays eggs...a LOT of eggs! Then repeat cycle. Unfortunately, the flea only remains on the host for about 18% of its lifetime, so you guessed it....they are in your carpet, sofa, between the cracks, everywhere. Even if you get a handle on the adult fleas you will likely see new hatchlings in about 3 weeks. If you stay on the vacuum cleaner with moth balls theme, you will eventually get ahead of them. Your house will smell awful in the meantime though.

You can also treat the animal. The best thing on the market is Comfortis (available from your vet). It is currently only approved for use in dogs, but *don't kill me* my vet says is effective in cats and is not harmful *don't kill me*. This medication breaks the flea cycle because when they feed on the host animal they die before laying eggs. You are correct that they won't live on your hairless cat, but they will get plenty of food from him. Fleas are heat-seeking missiles and who do you think the hottest one in the house is? That's right! The 103 degree Sphynx!

Notice none of this advice involves the use of an exterminator. That's because when people call my brother he sprays with commercially available flea spray. It's really more diligence on your part that gets rid of the problem. You can't have dirty clothes, towels, etc. any fabrics laying around. Teenager's rooms are a nightmare!

I hope this information is useful. Good Luck!

 

[Boonecat]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

my furry cats had a touch of fleas last year mid summer, & they're indoor cats. i put bio spot on them & gave each of the a capstar pill. in less than 30 minutes, it kills all fleas on the cats. you'll probably have to buy a few flea bombs though to get rid of all the others in your house.

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Ipulled a dozen off her yesterday afternoon when we returned home. I used turkey as a deferent so she wasnt fighting me. We bought a spray. We looked at everything. I couldnt find a fogger. I might have to go to Lowes or something if this didnt do it. But we bought an aerosol spray. I soaked the heck out of the cat tree and then sent a thank you note to the lady I bought it from and told her to treat her cats if she loves them and stop passing on her problems. Last night, I didnt see any in our bed or on sophia. I will probably spray every couple of days to be sure.

I like the mothball idea but I dont use bags, i use a Dyson so does this still work? How to i dispose of it then? Bags you can throw away and they cant escpae..bagless is something else..


Thank you guys.. Remember, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.. the lady sold it to me 25 bucks less than she wanted, and now I know why and ended up spending that much thus far on treatment!

 

[Ripley]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

You can put moth balls directly in your bagless vacuum. I believe it kills the fleas that get sucked up (not sure..didn't really think about that). Anyway that's what I did with mine and I emptied in the burn pile out back. We live in a rural area so that's convenient for me. I suppose in the city you could empty it into a trash bag and put that in your outdoor trash.

 

[Nofuratu]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

OMG!!! STOP!!!
I wish I was on here sooner to hear about your problem and give some advice. Im out of the country and not online much..

Please dont do any of the things the others have reccomended ....there is absolutely
NO NEED for houshold sprays, bombs etc for fleas!!!!
Ripley's advice about the vacume was good.
But dont do any of the other things. If you have bought spray. Stop using it.

Sorry if I sound mean...Its just an emotional topic for me!!
As a retired vet tech Ive dealt with so many people and pets over the years who go out and spend hundreds of dollars on nasty chemical sprays that dont work and are harmful for your pet even when they say they're safe. You are wasting your money and putting yourself and your pet at risk.

You wouldnt use chemical sprays or bombs etc around your kids, dont do it with your cat. There is an easy solution that works.

Bayer "Advantage" is available through your vet. It is a small ampule of oil you squirt on the back of your pets neck once a month. It kills an adult flea in 24 hrs and also kills the larvae that will hatch in 3 wks.
Problem solved.
The only other thing you may want to do is vacume as ripley suggested and throw away the vacume bag or empty the canister otherwise the fleas will hop back out.

Advantage is only about $10 for a single treatment or about $50 for a 6 pack. For treating an infestation it is reccomended to treat for 2 months, just to be safe. In short for one cat you will spend about $20 and solve your problems.

Advantage is safe....you can eat it....it tastes very bitter and may make your pet drool if they lick it which is why you apply it to the back of the neck. It would take many boxes of advantage to make you sick....if it even would....
Because it kills the adults and the larvae that hatch later it stops the cycle. You dont even need to throw away the scratching post. Also, the flea doesnt have to bite your pet with this product, in order to die. So your pet is bitten less...

You DO need to treat all the pets in your household for at least 2 months. Thats it.

You may have heard about flea eggs lying dormant for years, and this is true in a place like a basement or shed where there is no one walking around. Flea eggs are stimulated to hatch by vibrations, so if you got fleas, treated with a bomb or spray, and then left the house for a month or longer....you end up with an infestation when you walk in because your activity causes the eggs to hatch....If you live in your house every day you dont need to worry about that....those sorts of things happen in a cottage or rental place left vacant. Ive actually reccomended to people with that problem to move into the infested place WITH a pet that is treated with advantage so the eggs are stimulated to hatch by vibration activity, and then they hop on the pet and die.....and so do the larvae.

There is another product called "Revolution" available from your vet....It is a good product but Advantage kills a higher percentage of adults faster.

Dont buy a product that looks or sounds like "advantage" from your pet store....most of them are only safe for dogs...and can kill cats and still dont work.
There are other products from your vet like an injection or pills but dont get those, although they are good, they only kill the eggs. You want something that does two stages of the life cyle.

As we have all learned, hairless cats can get fleas. The good thing is you can see the flea sooner on a naked cat.

Nofuratu got fleas a couple of months ago, I suspect from my dog when she went to the groomers. I treated my hairy cat, Nofuratu and my dog with advantage for two months in a row and now we're all fine. Although Ive been out of vet medicine for almost 10 yrs and thought maybe the clinic would have a newer product out that works better....they dont.....they all still use advantage.

With a sphynx apply it in a couple of spots on the back of the neck and down the back where they cant lick it off...because there is no hair to slow down the flow..youwant to be careful it doesnt drip off.
Also, although Advantage doesnt wash off....with one bath.....it will be less effective if you have a pet that swims daily or has lots of baths. So hold off on the weekly bath, or reaply every 3 weeks instead of every 4.

Sorry if I sound abrupt.....this is just an upsetting topic....Im so mad at companies that keep marketing dangerous chemicals to people because understandibly, people are scared of flea infestations....they take your money, may make your pet sick, and dont work well, if at all!!! Ive gotten so many phonecalls from owners with sick, dying cats because of this problem.....

Advantage came out in about 1997, and before that its true....flea infestations were a nightmare!!! but since this product has come out, theres no need for all that other stuff...
Any questions feel free to pm me....or call your vet...

Adventures of A Naked Cat

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Im well aware of flea meds for animals.. I just dont understand how doing that for my cat will take car of whats in the carpet on this tree. Its like THICK shag carpet.. And we have found them in our sheets.. I can only imagine where else they have made i to in the 48 hours before we saw them on her.. She is easy to deal with.. Its the flea infestation on this tree that im trying to kill....I dont like using chemicals, but again I wouldnt stay in the home either while a bomb is going off. Im better safe than sorry even if it says safe... I even remove my plants! If this doesnt works bu next weekend, I will have no choice but to bomb the house, but dont worry, NO ONE (Sophia included) will be here.. I wouldnt NEVER harm anyone or thing.. Im all about au natural being that I am a huge huge Green girl. I appreciate the advice.


ALSO! I know this is gonna sound silly but ive never dealt with this.. is there anything I need to do as ahuman? Can I carry fleas in my hair or my kids? I know to wash blankets, which I have done with my sons as Sophia sleep in his bed..but what about our bodies?

 

[Big Hoss]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

When I had my outbreak years ago (Please note it was a dog, not a hairless cat)...I did use Advantage on my dog.......I used it for 3mo and still couldn't get rid of the flees. I went to the vet and he told me that the Advantage alone would NOT get rid of the fleas.. I had to treat my house.....As soon as I treated my house the flees were gone in a month!!!.....That's just me tho......Good luck!!

 

[Boonecat]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Im well aware of flea meds for animals.. I just dont understand how doing that for my cat will take car of whats in the carpet on this tree. Its like THICK shag carpet.. And we have found them in our sheets.. I can only imagine where else they have made i to in the 48 hours before we saw them on her.. She is easy to deal with.. Its the flea infestation on this tree that im trying to kill....I dont like using chemicals, but again I wouldnt stay in the home either while a bomb is going off. Im better safe than sorry even if it says safe... I even remove my plants! If this doesnt works bu next weekend, I will have no choice but to bomb the house, but dont worry, NO ONE (Sophia included) will be here.. I wouldnt NEVER harm anyone or thing.. Im all about au natural being that I am a huge huge Green girl. I appreciate the advice.


ALSO! I know this is gonna sound silly but ive never dealt with this.. is there anything I need to do as ahuman? Can I carry fleas in my hair or my kids? I know to wash blankets, which I have done with my sons as Sophia sleep in his bed..but what about our bodies?

Yes, you have to vacate your home for a few hours after fogging. Make sure all food is put away in cabinets or in the fridge as well. Put away all pet toys too after washing them. Wherever you are going, make sure you all take showers before returning home, & if you can get a flea comb or a lice comb to do your hair, just in case any of you have fleas in your hair. What a pain in the arse. So sorry your family has to go through all of this.

 

[Jenn.Dios]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Fleas are just looking for a warm body to live on, hair or not. Believe me, I'm a dog /cat groomer and you have to bomb the house, wash all clothes on the floor or at least bag them in trash bags tied in a knot so fleas cant get in or out, spray the car the cat tower came in w/flea spray and just clean it very well if you are keeping it. Vaccum everything. Make sure the flea bombs kill eggs too. Get carpet powder to be on the safe side, and if you have birds, board them some where for a couple days. Make sure to turn off your gas oven if you have one. Oh man, good luck!

 

[Nofuratu]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Im well aware of flea meds for animals.. I just dont understand how doing that for my cat will take car of whats in the carpet on this tree. Its like THICK shag carpet.. And we have found them in our sheets.. I can only imagine where else they have made i to in the 48 hours before we saw them on her.. She is easy to deal with.. Its the flea infestation on this tree that im trying to kill....I dont like using chemicals, but again I wouldnt stay in the home either while a bomb is going off. Im better safe than sorry even if it says safe... I even remove my plants! If this doesnt works bu next weekend, I will have no choice but to bomb the house, but dont worry, NO ONE (Sophia included) will be here.. I wouldnt NEVER harm anyone or thing.. Im all about au natural being that I am a huge huge Green girl. I appreciate the advice.


ALSO! I know this is gonna sound silly but ive never dealt with this.. is there anything I need to do as ahuman? Can I carry fleas in my hair or my kids? I know to wash blankets, which I have done with my sons as Sophia sleep in his bed..but what about our bodies?

The flea meds work because the fleas need to eat. They can only eat cats and dogs. So when they hop on the pet to eat, they are exposed to "advantage" and die, if they have time to lay eggs, or have laid eggs allready, those eggs eventually turn to larvae and the advantage kills the larvae too. Once an adult flea hops on a pet treated with advantage, it is usually dead withing 24 hrs.
They can bite humans and other species, but cant feed off us...that is why they bite us move a few inches, bite again, etc. You dont need to do anything to humans.
If you do get a bomb because it makes you feel better, then go for it...I understand!
As far as treating your house, you just need to vacume and empty your canister into a bag you can seal.
The last time I had fleas and used advantage, I saw the occasional new young flea on Nofuratu, maybe four of them over a 3 day period....then nothing.

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

OK. I sprayed the heck outta the tree and while I cant see any, she is still carrying them somehow... We saw carpet powder. I have decided IF they are not off of her by next weekend, when I leave town, I am bombing and she will just go with us to travel. I pull about a dozen off her a day..and we find a few hopping on us in bed or ont he couch. I have washed blankets and sprayed like crazy. Im gonna pick up a capsule of something to help her fight them off at the vet.. Now let me ask this..

The stuff goes usually on a spot at the back of the neck between the blades.. does it soak into the skin or soemthing? Her fleas are only hanging out in the patch of fur she has on her thighs.. will the med still kill these since they are not traveling near the med spot?

thanks for tolerating my ignorance.. I have always just treated pets before and never had this..but as she rarely goes outside and is hairless, i just assumed she was safe..

 

[Big Hoss]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

The stuff goes usually on a spot at the back of the neck between the blades.. does it soak into the skin or soemthing? Her fleas are only hanging out in the patch of fur she has on her thighs.. will the med still kill these since they are not traveling near the med spot?

Poor baby her fuzzy spot has been invaded!!!!!

Yes it will still work!......

 

[sphynxsophia]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

LOL. Yea her only hair and its being taken over! She is miserable and I feel like things are crawling on me nonstop!!

Make sure if you buy a USED cat toy, you ask first if there is the possibility of fleas! It never crossed my mind since i forget cats have fur that hude fleas and some owners just dont care enough to medicate!

 

[Nofuratu]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

OK. I sprayed the heck outta the tree and while I cant see any, she is still carrying them somehow... We saw carpet powder. I have decided IF they are not off of her by next weekend, when I leave town, I am bombing and she will just go with us to travel. I pull about a dozen off her a day..and we find a few hopping on us in bed or ont he couch. I have washed blankets and sprayed like crazy. Im gonna pick up a capsule of something to help her fight them off at the vet.. Now let me ask this..

The stuff goes usually on a spot at the back of the neck between the blades.. does it soak into the skin or soemthing? Her fleas are only hanging out in the patch of fur she has on her thighs.. will the med still kill these since they are not traveling near the med spot?

thanks for tolerating my ignorance.. I have always just treated pets before and never had this..but as she rarely goes outside and is hairless, i just assumed she was safe..

You need to get advantage from the vet as soon as possible...immediately....
The sprays and powders are useless ....if you dont treat the animal....and you have millions of flea eggs and larvae that are going to hatch in 3 weeks.

Advantage does NOT soak into the skin. That is one of the nice safe things about it...it is not absorbed into the body at all.
It is a slightly oily type of liquid that sits on top of the skin (but you cant see or smell it) and spreads around the outside of the whole body.
Most people think it gets absorbed into the skin, because after about a half hour, the spot where you applied it has dissapeared...you cant tell it is there.

Most fleas hang around the groin and armpit area. Since advantage travels around the whole body within a few hours, it gets all of them.

With a sphynx you need to apply the liquid in a few spots down the back of the neck, shoulders in the area your pet cant lick at it. If you put it all in one spot, it will start to pour down their sides because there is no hair to slow the oil down.

Put it on your pet while they are sleeping...so they arent running around or rolling and wiping it off onto something else. It will "dry" in a half hour or so, and then you wont have to worry about them wiping it off.

Dont bath your cat for the next 2-3 weeks.

All the pets cats/dogs in the house need to be treated or it wont work.

You need to do a 2nd treatment in a month....and if youre worried....do a third treatment in two months.

Dont put too much faith in the sprays and household treatments. The fleas need to feed of your cat to survive, and if your cat has advantage on then they will be killed, and the larvae will never hatch.

When you treat the enviroment and not the pet, all it takes is one single flea to "escape" the spray or bomb and hop on your cat and start the cycle all over again...and as you allready know, they multiply quickly.

Also, make sure you get the advantage on her before you travel...otherwise you are going to bring the problem somewhere else....
Good luck!

 

[Nofuratu]

Re: New Cat tree.. Big problem!

Im well aware of flea meds for animals.. I just dont understand how doing that for my cat will take car of whats in the carpet on this tree. Its like THICK shag carpet.. And we have found them in our sheets.. I can only imagine where else they have made i to in the 48 hours before we saw them on her.. She is easy to deal with.. Its the flea infestation on this tree that im trying to kill..

I was just re reading what you said here....and I think there is some confusion....I know you THINK you are trying to treat the cat tree.....but the cat tree is no longer the problem. That is what brought the fleas into your house, but its not what is keeping them alive long enough to lay eggs.

Your cat is the problem. Even though you say you are only picking about a dozen fleas off your cat per day...there are more than that feeding off her...and once they eat, they multiply....kind of like gremlins.

Whether or not you have carpet or fleas in the bedding, none of that matters because you have to eliminate/treat the FOOD SOURCE, which is your kitty.

I know this point doesnt help you now, but to others reading this who might develop a flea problem:
The first step if you see a flea is to rush to your vet and get Advantage and rush home and apply it to your pet.

Vacume your home and throw away the bag or empty the cannister into a sealed bag.

Then if you want to use sprays, powders, bombs go ahead....but they shouldnt be your first step. The longer you wait to treat your pet, the worse the situation gets.