HELP!!!!

[Krissy420]

I have a long haired female cat who has fleas REALLY bad .  I have given her a bath there still there, used frontline and it made her sick for weeks, used a flea collar and it made her sick, used the carpet stuff to get rid of fleas but they are still there.  They are so bad I had to shave her bald and give her another bath, but they are STILL there.  Now she is constantly scratching and licking herself so much she is making her nipples raw and there are scabs on her head, belly and back.    I have a one year old baby who's just walking and now he's getting attacked by the fleas.  What do I do???

[PrettyKitty1]

Not to make a joke out of this subject, but I have to tell the story because it was dangerously funny.  I bought my cat one of those stupid flea collars. That thing smelled horrible. The minute I put it in my cat he became stiff....and fainted. He was on the table when I put the collar in his neck.  That very second he looked down, closed his eyes, didn't move and let himself My reflexes worked well that day as I grabbed him before he could land on the floor. He would have hurt himself badly. I immediately threw the collar away. After we laughed I came to realize that my first emotion should have been anger and fear instead of joy...my cat could have died. I was ignorant, and my poor kitty lost consciousness for almost a minute. I had to make him come back because it was like he was completely spaced out. He looked funny..and I mean...extremely funny, and I take all issues related to my cat very seriously, but that day I ended up with abdominal pain of how hard I laughed.
Don't waste your money on those things....they don't work.

[Ghilly]

The problem is that your home is infested, so no matter what you put on your cat, she will still be attacked by fleas because they are all over your house.  The FrontLine will just kill them when they bite her, but it won't prevent them from jumping on her if they're still in the house.  Topical flea products do work, but in the face of heavy home infestations their efficacy is extremely limited, because the fleas still have to bite her for the product to kill them.  Once you get your home under control, the occasional flea that jumps on her will quickly be dealt with by the FrontLine.  I'm not surprised that the flea collar made her sick, those things are HORRIBLY unsafe, and the ones that are sold in stores under the names of Hartz Mountain, Sargent's, and Zodiac have ALL been implicated in many animal deaths.  Did you use the FrontLine and the flea collar together?  If so, that may be why your kitty got sick from the FrontLine, because it is usually one of the safest flea preparations available, and it's even used by vets on debilitated pets who have flea infestations because health problems are magnified greatly by the presence of fleas.

If they are as bad as you say, you may have to call in a professional exterminator to clean the house.  I would definitely consider this now that your baby is under attack by the fleas as well.  There are too many diseases that can be passed along by fleas, not the least of which is tapeworm should your baby accidentally ingest a flea that is carrying a tapeworm.  It's definitely worth the money to have the professionals come in to take care of them.

Ghilly

[PrettyKitty1]

Oh hun, those flea collars barely work.
Well to get rid of the eggs I would suggest the following...this should be an ongoing thing you have to do:

1 - Wash all bedding thoroughly.  While the bedding is free of coverings, vacuum the mattress, particularly in the crevices, where eggs might hide.
2 - Vacuum carpeting daily and dispose of used vacuum bags.  I do not recommend placing flea collars in the vacuum bag, as the heat generated by the machine could cause noxious fumes.
3 - Steam-clean carpeting.  This will kill any remaining eggs the vacuum might have missed.
4 - If necessary, use a whole-house insect bomb which specifically targets fleas. It is critical to remove all food dishes and live animals, including birds during this process. 5 -
5 - Hire a professional  to treat outdoors areas. Insist on a "cat-friendly" product for this purpose.  If you have an outdoor cat, keep him confined inside for the day.

Bathe her again, and keep a jar of diluted bleach nearby to shake the fleas into the jar as you comb her.  Tropical flea products work by affecting the nerve receptors of the flea so I am speechless as to why Frontline didn't work. Get some of the products I'll mention and apply to the cat's skin at the back of the neck. You can get one of the following:  Advantage, Bio Spot for Cats, and Revolution.  Follow a program and you'll see how you'll be getting rid of the fleas. It is too bad Frontline didn't work for you.

Good Luck.