PSA

If you have pets, please take serious action at the very first sign of fleas. Apparently, this summer's flea population is particularly large and aggressive (possibly due to a mild winter that didn't kill them off as thoroughly as usual).

I do not want anyone else to have to experience seeing your poor kitty undergo the painful removal of a "flea nest" from his lower back-- a spot where dozens and dozens of fleas decided to congregate, upon figuring out that it's a tough one for said kitty to effectively groom. What results is a tangled, matted mass of flea droppings and corpses about three inches across. If this area gets a little bit wet (say, by a flea control spray you are applying in desperation at midnight after discovering the nest), the flea droppings will morph from dried blood (dark brown) back into wet blood (red, scary, and heartbreaking).

Thankfully, we got a vet appointment quickly and started on a very thorough flea-removal plan. (I feel the need to explain that we had been trying a variety of flea-control products; we weren't just twiddling our thumbs while this infestation took hold-- it's just that these fleas mean business and are resistant to a lot of OTC products).

Our plan: set off room foggers throughout all carpeted areas of house. While driving around waiting the required 2 hours post-fogger, give kitties a pill called Capstar, which will kill all the adult fleas on their bodies starting in about 30 minutes. Bring cats back into the house, but quarantine to a bathroom while you vacuum all the carpets. Now, give cats a very thorough bath using a product that will kill fleas AND flea eggs (because the Capstar only got the adults, which meant eggs and larva are still hanging out.)

That's where we stand now. The next step is to apply Advantage, which, like Frontline, is a squirt of liquid that you apply at the base of the neck, and the cat's natural oils will gradually spread the medicine across their entire body. But I'm getting conflicting advice on how long to wait post-bath to apply the Advantage (some say as long as 3 days to allow the cat's skin oil to fully replenish, but the package label doesn't mention this).

Supposedly, the Advantage will work pretty quickly and control fleas for about a month. However, our vet said that if we're starting to see fleas again soon after the first treatment, we can repeat as necessary in as short a time as a week.

Sigh. This happened so fast. We noticed them scratching, got some sprays, gave them a bath, tried different sprays, sprayed the carpet, etc., all about two weeks ago. We went away for a week, and came back to find the conditions that allowed for Ringo to become host to probably hundreds and hundreds of fleas. Poor little fella. The area where the nest took hold is red and raw, but finally flea-free. His sister seems to have fared better-- maybe because she's smaller, it's easier to keep on top of the grooming. Anyway, they seem to be doing much, much better.

SO: even if you don't have a problem as extensive as we did/do, you might not need to treat the house or bother with a bath, but GET THE ADVANTAGE (or Frontline, if you have dogs or outdoor cats; the difference is the Frontline has tick medicine, too). Don't mess around with sprays or wipes. The problem can explode really quickly and it's very sad. Not to mention infuriating. I tend to describe the fleas as "opportunistic little bastards," a phrase I've uttered many a time while trying to yank one out of a cat's fur, only to have it leap away, back onto the cat, and burrow in deeper. "Haha, suckers!" they seem to say. Opportunistic little bastards.


Edited to update: The Advantage hotline lady said the cats' oils should replenish in about 12 hours, so we're good to go. Cross your fingers that this does the trick. I'm feeling confident, the cats look good, and we've got the whole arsenal to repeat if necessary.