Fleas! Please, Please Help!

[Guest amysonricker]

Hello all,

 

I have been using Frontline Plus monthly on my grey, Reggie, every since I adopted him (over a year ago). Just 7 days ago I was trimming his nails and spotted fleas w/in the white part of his fur on his chest. Upon closer inspection there had to be at least 6 or 7. He was due for his monthly application of Frontline that night so I applied it, used a flea comb, and vacuumed like mad.

 

That was a full week ago now, and I've vacuumed daily (sometimes multiple times a day), vacuumed Reggie (he didn't mind!), gave him a bath w/ Dawn soap and water, flea combed him each day, sprinkled flea powder on carpets and then vacuumed up, sprinkled food-grade diatomaceous earth on my carpets (lightly while Reggie was outside...), washed all pet bedding, toys, carpets, and today I found more adult fleas than ever...

 

I'm just exhausted, and upset. I feel like a horrible grey-mom, and don't know what I'm doing wrong. Should I be taking him to the vet ASAP?? How are fleas all over the place if I've been using Frontline religiously for over a year each month??

 

I moved to an apartment in Maine from Massachusetts this past April - could this be associated w/ this apartment?? My upstairs neighbor has several cats that I don't think are wonderfully taken care of - could their fleas be getting into my apartment and infesting Reggie??

 

I have a TON of flea bites on me too! My ankles are the worst as well as my abdomen - I think most of these bites occurred while brushing him (he's a leaner). I'm so sad, and just tired. Please help! Any advice would be much appreciated! Am I doing the right things so far?? Do I just need to be more patient as I know the flea life cycle can take some time to stop?? Thanks for any and all help/advice!!

 

THANK YOU!!

 

-Amy & Reggie

[Guest greytexplorer]

First of all,

and

 

Amy, it sounds to me like you have walked into an apt full of fleas, through no fault of your own.

Now, what to do about it?

For starters, I would talk to "my staff" at the vet's office. The other day, I heard them talking about one of the vets having a flea problem at their house, and the vet was bombing the garage once a week for like a month!!!!

The vet clinic folks will know what to do for YOU and REGGIE.

Would you be able to have a pesticide company come every month for a while to help you get it under control? That would be another option. I'm thinking of doing that myself, because we have ants, spiders, roaches, etc...from time to time, depending on the season and the weather.

I think you've done all the right things thus far, but you're gonna need more ammo/bigger guns to fight this war.

Also, you should alert your landlord to this issue. Maybe they could pay for the flea treatment in the apt. They ought to!

Keep us posted. We care about everyone on this forum. Good luck!!!!

 

hugs,

~Pat

[Guest karma98104]

Gosh- I second that last post. Call your vet and talk to your landlord. That really sucks!

[Guest LindsaySF]

It could be from the apartment. Have you tried flea-bombing?

[Guest longdogs]

Fleas are like little time-bombs and your apartment might have had a store of fleas just waiting for a chance to break out. You say you are applying flea powder and vacuuming it up. Use a puppy-safe powder on all soft furnishings and leave it down for at least a few days. Carpets can be treated with flea-powder or given a generous sprinkling of borax, worked into the carpet with a brush. Again, you you need to give it a few days to work. You might want to use a puppy-safe flea powder daily on Reggie too, or Frontline Plus spray according to instructions. Wash anything that can be washed, especially animal bedding. You just have to keep at it until the fleas die out which might take a couple of weeks. If Reggie is really troubled you can give him a Capstar and take him out for an hour or so. That will get rid of all the fleas that are actually on him.

[Guest Dillymom]

We've had several in our group saying that Frontline hasn't been as effective this year as it has in the past and they've switched to Advantage or Advantix. I've also heard that you can apply it as often as 2x a month so you might need to in order to keep them off Reggie until you get the apartment cleared up. I would try flea bombing and definitely call the landlord and complain.

[Guest Cris_M]

Along with all the other advice given, you may want to change from the Frontline Plus. Each year we have used it, it has become less and less effective. And, the vets have been telling us this for several years. This year we are using Vectra 3D. The difference is amazing and it has lasted longer than 30 days just like they say it probably will.

 

Now, in my house, fleas aren't too much of a problem. In my son's where he doesn't vacuum often (ever) and he has a dog and two cats, the Vectra 3D is still working -- longer than 30 days. That's high praise in my book.

 

Hope you get the problem under control and that the landlord is as concerned as you are.

[Guest KennelMom]

I don't use frontline anymore. The fleas down here seem to laugh and point fingers at it as they go about their merry way. Advantage works much better. Combine it with Capstar and bomb your living space.

[Guest amysonricker]

Thank you for all for your suggestions.

 

My one lingering question is: Is there any way to be sure, or to know with any certainty, what the source of these fleas are, and that it isn't just my fault w/ Reggie bringing in a stray flea...?

 

I moved in to my apartment this past April so why have I just noticed adult fleas suddenly as of 8 days ago? I'm just kind of nervous to bring it up to my landlord that I have a flea "infestation"... I don't want to be 'blamed' so to speak when I thought I was doing everything right by using Frontline, brushing Reggie daily, and just keeping a clean apartment in general by vacuuming quite regularly...

 

On a related note, I am wondering your thoughts re: the possibility that my fleas MIGHT be related to my upstairs neighbor having three cats that, in my opinion, aren't greatly cared for - they used to go outside, and used to wander into my apartment even via my back porch (I used to leave the back door open on hot days... but no longer). I complained, and now the cats are indoor-only, but my upstairs neighbor does empty their litter box out on his deck above me, and litter will fall through the cracks in the deck flooring...

 

I'm just hesitant to place blame on anyone, but I don't know how suddenly I feel I have a MAJOR flea problem... I literally have over 50 bites on my body

 

There is no way for me to treat my yard, as there really isn't one. When I take Reggie out we either cross the busy street and walk through our neighborhood, or walk behind my apartment along a dirt/sand/gravel 'road' along the Kennebec River... There are SEVERAL stray cats out there that I'm sure don't help the outdoor flea situation, but could that be the source of my fleas??

 

I'm just wondering where they are coming from, and trying to establish if Reggie and I have infested my apartment, or if I can be certain that it isn't our 'fault' so to speak. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks again, and happy to finally be chattting to everyone on Grey Talk I've been reading the site for some time w/out participating!

 

-Itchy Amy & Reggie

 

 

[Guest luckydog]

Looks like the fleas are living off of you. You need to bomb the apartment.

[Guest MAXNAV]

You poor thing. If you call the landlord, ask that they check the upstairs apt. too, just to make sure. Don't point the blame on them, but ask that they check all apts., and maybe you just might find the source of the problem. It may not be you at all. You might be right about the outdoor cats upstairs.

 

Good luck.

[Guest amysonricker]

Looks like the fleas are living off of you. You need to bomb the apartment.

 

Does flea-bombing kill all stages of fleas? I have a small open studio so perhaps this would be the best solution. Ugh.... I just hate the idea of using that stuff in my place.

[Guest luckydog]

Looks like the fleas are living off of you. You need to bomb the apartment.

 

Does flea-bombing kill all stages of fleas? I have a small open studio so perhaps this would be the best solution. Ugh.... I just hate the idea of using that stuff in my place.

 

I'd have to look up the life cycle of the flea, but I recollect that they can remain in the egg stage for 60 days, so if I need to bomb, I do it three times--once today, again in 30 days and then again in 30 days, just to be sure. The fleas don't live on the mammal they bite--they just jump on the mammal, feed and then jump back off.

 

Yes, the fleas *could* be coming from the cats upstairs, especially if they had been wandering into your apartment. I must say it's disgusting that their owner dumps the kitty litter so that it falls down into your area. VERY unsanitary. The idiot needs management to tell him to cease and desist.

[DevilDog]

it is very possible that the flea infestation is coming from your upstairs neighbor. I had that problem a couple years ago with my neighbor as well. I couldnt for the life of me figure out where the fleas were coming from, when i noticed terminix visiting said neighbor 3 times. After that, (and my excessive cleaning) the fleas magically disappeared.

[Guest amysonricker]

it is very possible that the flea infestation is coming from your upstairs neighbor. I had that problem a couple years ago with my neighbor as well. I couldnt for the life of me figure out where the fleas were coming from, when i noticed terminix visiting said neighbor 3 times. After that, (and my excessive cleaning) the fleas magically disappeared.

 

Thank you again for the comments -- I wish there was a way to determine where they were coming from for sure - just hate to point the finger at anyone, but I still can't honestly see how it is possible that I suddenly have this massive problem. I really am quite the clean-freak and Reggie is on both monthly Frontline as well as Heartworm meds... ugh, just so frustrated. I'll visit my upstairs neighbor tonight and see if I can determine if he is having a flea problem as well... Then I'll chat w/ my landlord...

 

No time is a good time for a flea problem They are gross little things!!

 

-Amy & Reggie (still itching)

[Guest amysonricker]

Ugh, so I came home for lunch to talk w/ my upstairs neighbor to see if he is seeing fleas on any of his cats... His back porch has kitty litter all over it, and there is an open garbage bag w/ cat litter in it. He wasn't home... so I walked back down the outdoor back stairs. Before going into my apartment, I looked at my pant legs and there were over 8 fleas on my pants, shoes, and socks. I'm pretty sure this is the source of my flea infestation. I'm so upset, I just want to cry. Any thoughts on if fleas can get in via holes in the ceiling and/or any other means besides my back porch? If they are just coming in from the back porch that is easier to deal w/... but I assume his apartment is infested too so they could maybe be coming down via the ceiling or along cracks in the walls??

 

YUCK. Thanks again for all of the advice and comments...

 

Amy & Reggie (I actually feel better knowing the source of the problem)

[Guest greytexplorer]

Ugh, so I came home for lunch to talk w/ my upstairs neighbor to see if he is seeing fleas on any of his cats... His back porch has kitty litter all over it, and there is an open garbage bag w/ cat litter in it. He wasn't home... so I walked back down the outdoor back stairs. Before going into my apartment, I looked at my pant legs and there were over 8 fleas on my pants, shoes, and socks. I'm pretty sure this is the source of my flea infestation. I'm so upset, I just want to cry. Any thoughts on if fleas can get in via holes in the ceiling and/or any other means besides my back porch? If they are just coming in from the back porch that is easier to deal w/... but I assume his apartment is infested too so they could maybe be coming down via the ceiling or along cracks in the walls??

 

YUCK. Thanks again for all of the advice and comments...

 

Amy & Reggie (I actually feel better knowing the source of the problem)

 

Anyone and anything going past your infested neighbor's apt is going to be transporting fleas to another area.

No doubt you and Reggie picked up fleas from said neighbor and infested your own home. Thanks, neighbor!

TELL your landlord NOW what you said in the above post. Let him know that you have already been treating the problem from within your 4 walls, but you are fighting a LOSING BATTLE if the neighbor continues to do little/nothing.

And you are not telling lies, either, so don't feel bad about pointing fingers at anyone. Fleas cause sickness. Nuff said.

I feel bad for everyone living there! Including those poor upstairs cats!!!!!!!

Landlord needs to see and feel them lil critters himself. That should do it.

 

Amy, put your big girl panties on and go talk to the landlord. Now.

Don't make me come over there

 

hugs,

~Pat

 

 

forgot to add> you should show Landlord all YOUR bitemarks. Ok, maybe not ALL of them

[Guest LindsaySF]

Ewww, the cat litter thing is disgusting! Why dump it on the porch? Haven't they ever heard of garbage bags?

 

Tell the landlord what you've seen, demand that these people shape up.

[Guest MAXNAV]

How can people live like that? EWWWW YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope the LL does something about the flea infested neighbor's apartment.

[MerlinsMum]

Oh no, you poor thing, that sounds horrible!! I would guess that the neighbor in question is definitely to blame for the infestation. And you can tell your landlord you HAVE been using flea repellent religiously, so that puts you in the clear at least in his/her eyes (you may want to try some other kind though. I use it, and I haven't had a bad problem, but when I lived in an apartment I once saw a couple of fleas on Merlin and freaked out. I am sure it was coming from the apartment below.)

 

The bites sound nasty. Ugh! I'm so sorry this happened. Hope you get this resolved.

 

BTW, whereabouts are you in Maine?

 

[Guest amysonricker]

Well, I talked to my landlord, and he said he'd 'check it out' tomorrow. I must say, I'm a little skeptical about his ability to determine whether or not there is a flea problem -- I told him to wear white socks... Anyhow, he said he'd ask the guy upstairs to not change the cat litter outside on the deck above mine, and to keep all garbage inside of his apartment. He said that if there is a flea infestation upstairs that he'd take care of it. He claims that my apartment is completely secluded and so therefore I should be fine if I just stay off my back porch for a while, and it will go away since Reggie is on Frontline.

 

I don't think that is right -- if my apartment is 'infested' wouldn't it take more than Reggie being on Frontline to stop whatever has begun in my apartment?! I also mentioned that the upstairs neighbor's cats used to go outdoors, and I found them a couple of times in my kitchen!!! That could have brought plenty of flea eggs in right there!! Right?? He then said that if he didn't find fleas upstairs then he wouldn't be able to do anything because he blamed that on the stray cats that live outside. I'm pretty confident he'll find fleas upstairs!

 

Arghhhh -- this will all get taken care of I know, as mad as I am I am just happy to know the source of the problem and to be able to take care of Reggie and I as best as I can from here on out...

 

I happen to be the state vector-borne epidemiologist so I plan to give him a lecture about diseases transmitted by fleas if he doesn't get this all taken care of!!!

 

Thanks again all -- I'll be sure to update once I have more information.

 

I must mention that I am constantly saddened by how some people treat their animals... Can't wait to one day be able to adopt another grey, and give him a happy home!

 

Oh no, you poor thing, that sounds horrible!! I would guess that the neighbor in question is definitely to blame for the infestation. And you can tell your landlord you HAVE been using flea repellent religiously, so that puts you in the clear at least in his/her eyes (you may want to try some other kind though. I use it, and I haven't had a bad problem, but when I lived in an apartment I once saw a couple of fleas on Merlin and freaked out. I am sure it was coming from the apartment below.)

 

The bites sound nasty. Ugh! I'm so sorry this happened. Hope you get this resolved.

 

BTW, whereabouts are you in Maine?

 

 

I live in Hallowell, ME -- a wonderful 1.9 mile commute to my work in Augusta. It's a bit lonely up here though, and I haven't met ANYONE! Portland would be too far of a commute for me though... Thanks for the note - I really appreciate all of the advice and comments from everyone.

[Guest greytexplorer]

Hi Amy and Reggie,

just checking in for an update.

Did the LL go and visit? Hope he was wearing hazmat gear! no, seriously!!!!

In the meantime, have you decided what to do in YOUR apt?

What do you do for YOUR flea bites?

 

more hugs,

~Pat

[LakeshoreGreys]

Hopefully the landlord drops by unannounced. Not that he calls ahead to your upstairs neighbor, who decides to clean up the cat litter and trash bags before LL arrives. Not that that changes the flea infestation at all, but it looks better for you if he sees the stuff laying out that you did.

 

Also sounds like he doesn't know much about fleas.

 

Hang in there, itchy!

 

 

[DevilDog]

Yea, that's ridiculous. I'd give it a couple days, see if the neighbor is making any changes and also talk to your LL again and see what the deal is. If you don't feel like the apropriate changes are being made, I would tell your LL that if he does not take care of the problem ASAP, you will call and report him. It is ultimately his responsibility. Your neighbor sounds like a dirty, lazy person so it wouldn't surprise me in the least that the fleas are from his place. AND he shouldn't have those poor cats in that condition! Maybe a report to the local ASPCA wouldn't hurt either.

[Guest greytexplorer]

bumping for an update from Itchy and Scratchy