Cat Fleas

[Lloyd Danforth]

Russell and Gidget are suffering from fleas. I tried Diotomaceus earth. They didn't like it and it didn't work. Does anyone know of a product that works on Cat fleas?

[Lloyd Danforth]

Thanks. I have heard that 'frontline' is good, but I would need to start a fucking 'chip-in' to fund it:(

[KBCraig]

Lemon Joy.

Seriously, dilute it about 3:1, and squirt it down to the skin and lather up the critter thoroughly before applying any water. Then comes the fun part.... you have to wait 10-15 minutes for it to kill the fleas, then rinse thoroughly and scrub dry with a towel.

And no, cats don't like baths, at all.

The Pet Armor brand that Wal-Mart sells is the same medicine in the same dosage as Frontline, but about a third the price. It will stop the fleas from coming back.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Thanks. I'll go to Walmart. I lost a lot of blood just trying to dust them with the DE.

[jerry]

I don't know any good cures but I have a warning... 
If you go for one of those oral or topical treatments, WEIGH THE CAT.  An overdose can cause really bad reactions.

[dalebert]

The diatomaceous earth is a preventative that prevents a resurgence once you've gotten rid of the fleas. You sprinkle it all over, but mainly into the corners and crevices like all around the edges of the carpet and down into the crevices between the boards of hardwood floors or pergo. I hear boric acid is even better though. It kills just the larva before they can reach maturity and start reproducing. Larva can come back up to a year later from dormant eggs.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I read an article about using straight DM on the cats and mixing DM and Boric acid to treat the carpet.
I tried dusting the cats with straight DM and lost about 1/2 pint of blood. It didn't seem to help. I will be mixing the two and treating the carpet and upholstery.
I believe a friend of mine from CT worked with a group in San Francisco to develop that combination as a safe way to eliminate roaches in housing projects, back in the 70's. I know that it has to smell better than the chemicals that they use.

[Kat Kanning]

 If you try the lemon joy, it is possible to bathe a cat without loss of blood.  I basically hogite them with one hand - holld all 4 paws, then bathe with the other.  At some point, they seem totally dejected by the process and stop fighting.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Damn! Another reason You should still be in town!  That might work for one of them.

[Kat Kanning]

They make a real fine toothed comb for fleas- might work if they like being combed.  Some cats like it.