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My guess is that you somehow brought them inside, either on your shoes or pants and they found their way to the cats.
I'd call your vet and get some spot-on treatment. Do not use OTC stuff like Hartz! Some of it is toxic to cats. You'll need to treat the carpet (some people like diametrous earth)--I know I spelled that wrong. Wash all bedding in hot water.
Either you brought them in or someone in the complex has animals with fleas and they migrated to your place.
Even though your cats are indoor they should always be treated for fleas monthly as well as wormed and tick prevention.
Wash everything that can be washed in all hot water, treat your carpets and furniture as well.
I live downtown Fort Lauderdale away from any grass. On top of that I live on the second floor of a condo building with no grass.
My three cats have fleas and they are now in my carpet.
They are indoor cats.
How did this happen?
Any suggestions?
Help!
you brought them in or someone else with cats brought them in. You need to treat your home and your cats and get your cats on a fulltime flea treatment to prevent this from happening again.
And you live in Florida...it's bug paradise.
There are some OTC products that are safe for your cat....talk to your vet.
Look for a spray for the hard sufaces in your home, too. Make sure it says it breaks the fleas life cycle. I think it is the pupae stage that is very hard to kill, so unless you can break the life cycle, it will start back up once the pupae "hatch" and become the larvae stage.
I had an infestation a few years back. UGH. Good luck!
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Look for a spray for the hard sufaces in your home, too. Make sure it says it breaks the fleas life cycle. I think it is the pupae stage that is very hard to kill, so unless you can break the life cycle, it will start back up once the pupae "hatch" and become the larvae stage.
I had an infestation a few years back. UGH. Good luck!
^^This^^
Also, before you spray your carpets/furniture, be sure to vacuum first, then spray, then vacuum again. The prior vacuuming will help open up the eggs so the spray will kill them. If you don't, the eggs could survive the spray and the infestation can continue. I've had to de-flea my house twice in the past, and the key is to wash EVERYTHING in the house that will fit in the washer, and vacuum/spray/treat EVERYTHING or area where your cats hang out. It's a lot of work, but the only way to get rid of them.
Good luck.
^^This^^
Also, before you spray your carpets/furniture, be sure to vacuum first, then spray, then vacuum again. The prior vacuuming will help open up the eggs so the spray will kill them. If you don't, the eggs could survive the spray and the infestation can continue. I've had to de-flea my house twice in the past, and the key is to wash EVERYTHING in the house that will fit in the washer, and vacuum/spray/treat EVERYTHING or area where your cats hang out. It's a lot of work, but the only way to get rid of them.
Good luck.
Get in every crack and crevice you can. Flea eggs are extremely small and can fall in between couch cushions, under the sofa, etc. Also, I would recommend a flea comb for the cats. Comb them often and look for flea dirt, which is basically flea poop. It is dried blood that they poop out and leave behind for the newly hatched fleas to eat. It looks like fine black dots in the fur, and usually has eggs in it which are white. With a flea comb you will be able to see this as evidence that the fleas are present. You might also pull out live fleas - and they are FAST jumpers. This might sound funny but when I was in the midst of my bad flea infestation, I would sit on the bathroom floor next to the toilet and comb the animals, dropping the fleas, flea dirt, and eggs in the bowl and flushing them all away. My animals started lining up for the combings as they must have felt great
Also, do not hestitate to start attacking this problem NOW. Fleas multiply VERY quickly. And keep in mind that for every flea you see, there are 8 fleas you do NOT see. Also, many cats are allergic to flea bites. One of my cats started losing fur on her belly and was pretty miserable with her allergic reaction to the bites.
It is a TOUGH battle but you can win it. You just have to be persistant and work at it!
I recommend a flea comb like this...it is light colored and easy to see the fleas and dirt by contrast. I use the fine tooth side.
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I've had a cat in FL for 12 years now and this year the fleas are the worst I've seen. My dogs generously bring them home to the cats and the topical treatments seem ineffective for the dogs so I'm going to try the oral route next. My one cat has a bad reaction to topical treatments so I use capstar for the cats and treat the house.
We frontlined all three (and they are already feeling better!) and just did the carpet and the sofas in the house as well as all the hard floor surfaces with Adam's Plus. The hubs also Flea Freebreezed the floorboards of both cars.
I've never had this problem before living above the ground floor! It's crazy!
I'll keep you all updated and thanks so much for the tips!
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