Flea infested house - cats sick

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Websterthecat

Member Since 2014
Hi everyone. I'll try to make this short , however, it's likely going to be very long winded. :smile:

About 1.5 months ago I noticed that my indoor cat started to scratch and I found flea dirt around his neck. After a close examination I found fleas on him.

My first reaction was to give him an OTC flea medication but after reading about several people who had cats that became sick from such products, (Hartz in particular) I decided to go the natural route by dusting my cat with diatomaceous earth.

I dusted him several times over the next couple weeks and the fleas seemed to multiply and not "dry out and die" like some suggested. I was finding flea eggs which eventually turned to larvae all over my floors. I had it at this point. The diatomaceous earth was not working and they were multiplying not only on him but also all over my house. It was time to break out the big guns.

After doing some research, I was convinced that Advantage II was much less dangerous in comparison to Hartz. Even at a cost of $70 for four tubes it was well worth the piece of mind. I picked up a box of the "large cat" dosing and put it between his shoulder blades as instructed. A couple days later I didn't notice any fleas on him.

I did begin to notice that his black fur started to dull around the neck area. I saw that this was a side effect and didn't think much of it.

Fast forward - My cat was diagnosed with diabetes (with DKA and hospitalized for 4 days) one week ago or about 3 weeks after applying the Advantage and about 6 weeks after applying the diatomaceous earth.

That being said, It occurred to me last night that his initial symptoms of Diabetes which were drinking a lot, peeing a lot, losing 4 lbs occurred withing days of applying the Advantage and a couple weeks after dusting him with diatomaceous earth. Is it possible that the diatomaceous earth or Advantage started a series of events which lead to what the vet believes to be diabetes? Is it really diabetes that is causing issues with his BG or some nasty reaction to all the flea stuff that I put on him? My guess is that this is highly unlikely but a thought that I am sitting here pondering.

Now... I was recently out of state and returned home last night. My house is now INFESTED with fleas. They are everywhere - in my carpet, in my bed, I'm under attack! I was getting chewed up last night while tying to catch a few hours of sleep after watching my cats BG till late night.

I have a sick cat who I'm trying to get his BG levels stabilized and lowered, a house full of fleas and now they are back all over Webster.

After that long winded introduction, I'm ready to ask my question...

I'm concerned that the Advantage or perhaps the diatomaceous earth may somehow be linked to my cats recent diagnosis somehow, some way. The initial symptoms of diabetes and flea med application occurred simultaneously. Coincidence? Very likely.

It's been 4 weeks since his last dose and my house and my cat are under attack right now and I hesitant to apply the Advantage. I knows that it's very unlikely to be related but I'm afraid to put this stuff on him which may have somehow caused all of this to begin with?

I'm have been under a ton of stress since last Monday when we almost lost Webster due to DKA. I'm dealing with glucose monitoring, insulin shot, administering antibiotics, and now... I'm trapped inside my flea infested house planning my attack on the fleas but am afraid to proceeded. I'm planning on vacuuming my house a several times per week and washing all bedding but don't know what to do with my poor cat.
 
I don't know if the Advantage gave your cat diabetes. My Long John Silver is a recent diagnosis, most likely from steroids he was given. All I can say is Google it and see if there's a known relationship.

As far as the fleas, I've also seen bad reactions to using the Hartz stuff on cats. However, nothing's better for de-infesting your house than the Hartz spray. It really gets rid of it. My neighbor up the street had professionals do a bomb kind of thing and that worked as well with a lot less effort (but more expense).

Good luck on it. Please let us know if your cat's diabetes was most likely caused by the flea stuff.

Linda
 
Many years ago we had a terrible flea infestation. We didn't realize it until we saw hundreds of flea eggs in our bed! We had to have the cat "dipped" at the vet's (this was before Advantage, Frontline, etc.). And I vacuumed every day for several months, using a new vacuum bag each time. The house was never so clean (and hasn't been since!).
I hope you can get this cleared up soon. Perhaps the professional "bomb" job is the best course of action. But only if you can move yourselves and your cats out of the house for a few days. I don't think Advantage could have caused diabetes. I have no experience with diotematious (sp?) earth. During flea season we use Frontline Plus (because it also works on ticks).

Good luck!

Ella & Rusty
 
lshaffer said:
I don't know if the Advantage gave your cat diabetes. My Long John Silver is a recent diagnosis, most likely from steroids he was given. All I can say is Google it and see if there's a known relationship.

As far as the fleas, I've also seen bad reactions to using the Hartz stuff on cats. However, nothing's better for de-infesting your house than the Hartz spray. It really gets rid of it. My neighbor up the street had professionals do a bomb kind of thing and that worked as well with a lot less effort (but more expense).

Good luck on it. Please let us know if your cat's diabetes was most likely caused by the flea stuff.

Linda
Click to expand...

I couldn't find much info on Google concerning a connection between diabetes and advantage or Diatomaceous earth. Will look further into before dosing Webster again. Will look into the Hartz house spray. Thanks.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Topical flea meds like Advantage can cause full loss but that is very rare.
Ingestion of diatomaceous earth should not cause any problems
http://www.livestrong.com/article/51074 ... nternally/

Did the flea meds have any effect on eating? if not eating well and the reaction to the Advantage could cause the problem but then again then may only have pushed the cat over the edge.
Click to expand...

He did start eating a bit more lately, but I'm not sure of exactly if this started before of after the whole flea problem. The excess eating started sometime in the past couple months but can place a finger on the exact time.

If anything, I would say that he started to eat and drinking more up in recent weeks until the DKA set in and he stopped eating and drinking all together.

Yes, it could have been an underlying issue and the DE or Advantage pushed him over the edge. This is another (more likely) possibility that I had not considered until you mentioned.
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
Many years ago we had a terrible flea infestation. We didn't realize it until we saw hundreds of flea eggs in our bed! We had to have the cat "dipped" at the vet's (this was before Advantage, Frontline, etc.). And I vacuumed every day for several months, using a new vacuum bag each time. The house was never so clean (and hasn't been since!).
I hope you can get this cleared up soon. Perhaps the professional "bomb" job is the best course of action. But only if you can move yourselves and your cats out of the house for a few days. I don't think Advantage could have caused diabetes. I have no experience with diotematious (sp?) earth. During flea season we use Frontline Plus (because it also works on ticks).

Good luck!

Ella & Rusty
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! I am bothered by the fleas but my number one concern is Webster's safety.

My wife on the other hand is terrified of the fleas so she's obviously insisting on an immediate solution but that's difficult if we are concerned about using the Advantage again. As we all know, you have to eliminate the fleas on both the animal(s) and the environment.

In the end bombing the house may be necessary but a last-ditch effort. I hope that we don't have to go down that road.
 
I used this on my cats, and my mother in laws dogs.
http://www.amazon.com/Frontline-Flea-Tr ... line+spray

Her dogs and house were INFESTED! I used it on her dogs, and washed all her linens and the dogs things, sprayed her carpet and couch with this every week and it got rid of them.

The spray only lasts for up to 30 days but if your cats indoors only then you mainly just need to tackle the current situation. I would also give your cat a bath if it is manageable, and definitely use a flea comb if not already.
 
I've always just used the can bombs you can buy at the store. We had small houses at the time, so 2 or 3 did the trick. Fleas can often cause tapeworms, as the cats ingest the flea eggs. I'm thinking that could be causing appetite issues? I am not an expert on fixing tapeworms, but I think you can get something OTC to take care of that yourself. Otherwise, you'll need to go to the vet. You can tell if kitty has tapeworms if you see little rice looking things in the stool. I hope you find a solution soon. ICK!
 
Tara & Buster said:
I've always just used the can bombs you can buy at the store. We had small houses at the time, so 2 or 3 did the trick. Fleas can often cause tapeworms, as the cats ingest the flea eggs. I'm thinking that could be causing appetite issues? I am not an expert on fixing tapeworms, but I think you can get something OTC to take care of that yourself. Otherwise, you'll need to go to the vet. You can tell if kitty has tapeworms if you see little rice looking things in the stool. I hope you find a solution soon. ICK!
Click to expand...

Fleas can also cause other issues. My cat Callie just went through 3 weeks of antibiotics because of a bacterial infection caused by fleas. She was not eating at all and peeing where she was laying.

I have never had an issue with Advantage causing issues with a diabetic cat. But some cats can be sensitive to it.
 
Use Advantage on all 16 cats including the 3 diabetics as well as the dog without a problem with any of them. However, just rescued a kitten that was extremely ill from fleas, we almost lost the little guy due to the extreme anemia brought on by the fleas. Luckily he was adopted by one of the vet techs at my vet clinic so she was able to get him the intense veterinary care he needed to pull through.


Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Board the cats for a day, bomb the house. This will work if you con't have lots of stuff covering surfaces fleas can get under. Otherwise, it is only partially successful. May want to avoid if crawling babies due to deposition of chemicals on surfaces.

I used a flea spray, sprayed bed pads, then laid it spray side down on quilts that couldn't be washed. This helped.

Boric acid - may help kill fleas, ants, etc. Combine with the diatomaceous earth and place along cabinets, aound house foundation. Avoid inhalation.

Marigolds contain natural pyrethrins which deter fleas. So do mums. Plat borders near the home.

CapStar - Orally dosed. Lasts 24 hours. Only kills egg-laying adult fleas. It is safe to get the large dog version and dose 1 quarter per cat per day. See this post

A flea comb can be used to remove fleas. If you shake the debris into soapy water, it will kill the live fleas. If adult fleas are hoping off, a plain gelatin (Knox, not pectin!) solution with some extra water to make it goopy, can be used to dip the comb in, shake/wipe off most of it, then comb. Gelatin is protein based and should not harm the cat, while helping stick the fleas on for removal.

Vaccum with flea collar placed in vacuum bag to kill sucked up fleas.
 
Many parasites and infections are transmissable through fleas. If cats are ill, get to vet.

- tapeworms - assume infection and get wormed if strong enough; praziquantal is available over the counter as Tape Worm Tabs.

- mycoplasma felis - looks like feline herpes ... isn't!. Requires antibiotics (doxycycline, azithromycin)

And so on.
 
Tara & Buster said:
I've always just used the can bombs you can buy at the store. We had small houses at the time, so 2 or 3 did the trick. Fleas can often cause tapeworms, as the cats ingest the flea eggs. I'm thinking that could be causing appetite issues? I am not an expert on fixing tapeworms, but I think you can get something OTC to take care of that yourself. Otherwise, you'll need to go to the vet. You can tell if kitty has tapeworms if you see little rice looking things in the stool. I hope you find a solution soon. ICK!
Click to expand...

Iv'e checked his stool several times for tapeworms couldn't see anything visible and the vet did not note anything. No actual worm tests were performed so this could still be a possibility to keep in mind.
 
BJM said:
Board the cats for a day, bomb the house. This will work if you con't have lots of stuff covering surfaces fleas can get under. Otherwise, it is only partially successful. May want to avoid if crawling babies due to deposition of chemicals on surfaces.

I used a flea spray, sprayed bed pads, then laid it spray side down on quilts that couldn't be washed. This helped.

Boric acid - may help kill fleas, ants, etc. Combine with the diatomaceous earth and place along cabinets, aound house foundation. Avoid inhalation.

Marigolds contain natural pyrethrins which deter fleas. So do mums. Plat borders near the home.

CapStar - Orally dosed. Lasts 24 hours. Only kills egg-laying adult fleas. It is safe to get the large dog version and dose 1 quarter per cat per day. See this post

A flea comb can be used to remove fleas. If you shake the debris into soapy water, it will kill the live fleas. If adult fleas are hoping off, a plain gelatin (Knox, not pectin!) solution with some extra water to make it goopy, can be used to dip the comb in, shake/wipe off most of it, then comb. Gelatin is protein based and should not harm the cat, while helping stick the fleas on for removal.

Vaccum with flea collar placed in vacuum bag to kill sucked up fleas.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the great info!
 
Hi, my former neighbor used a professional service to get rid of fleas. The service used something called 'orange oil,' or similar, which is supposed to be safe for people, kitchen surfaces, pets, etc. My neighbor and two cats moved out for a day or two. Her small house cost about $1000. My neighbor also used a lotion on herself that bugs do not like, something called 'Skin so Soft' by Avon. She thought that the lotion helped her.
Best wishes, Sophie
 
sophie said:
Hi, my former neighbor used a professional service to get rid of fleas. The service used something called 'orange oil,' or similar, which is supposed to be safe for people, kitchen surfaces, pets, etc. My neighbor and two cats moved out for a day or two. Her small house cost about $1000. My neighbor also used a lotion on herself that bugs do not like, something called 'Skin so Soft' by Avon. She thought that the lotion helped her.
Best wishes, Sophie
Click to expand...

$1000 for a small house? WOW! I hope that it doesn't come down to that.

It only takes a couple to infest a house. Webster is an indoor cat but I recently learned that fleas can easily hitch a ride on your leg or perhaps come from a visiting friend who unknowingly leaves them behind. It only takes 2 and the next thing you know, there is a million of them. It's amazing how easily they can get into your house and multiply.
 
Unfortunately, fleas are highly opportunistic travelers! Sorry, I forgot to add that my neighbor's flea problems started in her attic where rats made themselves at home by eating a hole under her eaves. She never went up there and first noticed the issue by seeing flea dirt on her range which sat directly under the opening to her attic. That's in her over 100-year-old house! So the service to get rid of rats, clean up her attic until it shined, etc., was probably much more involved than most incidents would involve. My intention was to let everyone know about oil of orange and Skin so Soft lotion. Hope your wife, and you, can use the lotion!
Best of luck, Sophie
 
Hi Mike - My name is Donnis - I joined back in July because the vet told me one of my cats had diabetes - turned out with a change to wet food & an antibiotic for a UTI she was OK so didn't need insulin - The reason I'm responding is we've had a major flea problem this year - (We live in central FL - fleas are terrible here this year ) I have 2 dogs & 6 kitties - One of the dogs is a FLEA MAGNET - The only thing we could use on him was Advantage II ( He has skin allergies & it was the only kind that didn't bother his skin) All the cats are inside kitties & I have always used Advantage II on them too - But this year with Barney bringing in every flea in the Neighborhood, all the cats got fleas too - When my vet was here in Sept. we discussed the problem & he suggested A Seresto flea collar for Barney - I ordered one & Barney has worn it for 4 weeks now & he hardly has any fleas at all - It killed all of them in 24 hours & if he gets more on him when he goes outside they die in a couple of hours - My DH combs him with a flea comb every morning before he goes out & NO FLEAS - It's suppose to last for 8 months - I bought it from DRSFoster&Smith - It was $49.99 (free shipping cause it's over $49) - On DRSFoster&Smith website they had over 1300 reviews about this flea collar & just about everybody raved about it - It's also suppose to be safe for sugar kitties too - I also posted about this flea collar on here about a month ago & BJM replied & said you might be able to get it from Amazon too (I never looked so if they have it, it might be cheaper) I also use Borax on the carpets - vac every 3 days, sprinkle Borax on carpet, leave it & vac again in 3 days - It's worked for me for at least 20 years to help get rid of fleas in the house - BUT I did read somewhere that dia. earth might be better cause the Borax might effect your animals (breathing) but I've never had any problems - Just research to make sure Another thing that might work is a spray we got for my DH aunt - She fell about 2 years ago & injured both shoulders & had to go to the hospital & rehab for about 6 to 8 weeks - Anyway she had a dog & her sister (my DH Mom) took the dog with her - Now everyday DML went to her sister's house to check if everything was OK - By the 5th day she started getting covered in fleas when she went into the house - So my DH found a spray at Walmart Called Bengal Flea & Tick Spray - It's suppose to last for 210 days - He used it in the in his aunt's house & it ended up flea free for a year - You can spray floors, carpets, furniture etc. - We also used it in My DH shop(Barney again - the boy infested everything) & it worked great - I think they have a website but can is out in the shed & it's pouring rain right so can't get it to see - I hope the suggestions can help - GOOD LUCK
 
Donnis said:
Hi Mike - My name is Donnis - I joined back in July because the vet told me one of my cats had diabetes - turned out with a change to wet food & an antibiotic for a UTI she was OK so didn't need insulin - The reason I'm responding is we've had a major flea problem this year - (We live in central FL - fleas are terrible here this year ) I have 2 dogs & 6 kitties - One of the dogs is a FLEA MAGNET - The only thing we could use on him was Advantage II ( He has skin allergies & it was the only kind that didn't bother his skin) All the cats are inside kitties & I have always used Advantage II on them too - But this year with Barney bringing in every flea in the Neighborhood, all the cats got fleas too - When my vet was here in Sept. we discussed the problem & he suggested A Seresto flea collar for Barney - I ordered one & Barney has worn it for 4 weeks now & he hardly has any fleas at all - It killed all of them in 24 hours & if he gets more on him when he goes outside they die in a couple of hours - My DH combs him with a flea comb every morning before he goes out & NO FLEAS - It's suppose to last for 8 months - I bought it from DRSFoster&Smith - It was $49.99 (free shipping cause it's over $49) - On DRSFoster&Smith website they had over 1300 reviews about this flea collar & just about everybody raved about it - It's also suppose to be safe for sugar kitties too - I also posted about this flea collar on here about a month ago & BJM replied & said you might be able to get it from Amazon too (I never looked so if they have it, it might be cheaper) I also use Borax on the carpets - vac every 3 days, sprinkle Borax on carpet, leave it & vac again in 3 days - It's worked for me for at least 20 years to help get rid of fleas in the house - BUT I did read somewhere that dia. earth might be better cause the Borax might effect your animals (breathing) but I've never had any problems - Just research to make sure Another thing that might work is a spray we got for my DH aunt - She fell about 2 years ago & injured both shoulders & had to go to the hospital & rehab for about 6 to 8 weeks - Anyway she had a dog & her sister (my DH Mom) took the dog with her - Now everyday DML went to her sister's house to check if everything was OK - By the 5th day she started getting covered in fleas when she went into the house - So my DH found a spray at Walmart Called Bengal Flea & Tick Spray - It's suppose to last for 210 days - He used it in the in his aunt's house & it ended up flea free for a year - You can spray floors, carpets, furniture etc. - We also used it in My DH shop(Barney again - the boy infested everything) & it worked great - I think they have a website but can is out in the shed & it's pouring rain right so can't get it to see - I hope the suggestions can help - GOOD LUCK
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing the story of your cat. I really hope that a short stint of insulin and a change of diet gets Webster off the juice.

I'm writing down your product suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
 
A day later we have made a decision and are moving forward with our plan which includes:

1. Applying Advantage - I can't find any evidence on the internet or from anyone on this message board to suggest that Advantage may have trigger high blood sugar/ diabetes. It's been 29 days since his last dose so we put a tube on him an hour ago.
2. Vacuum several times per week and sprinkle a layer of diatomaceous earth all over the carpet. Empty vacuum canister immediately after use to ensure that the fleas don't escape. I picked up a 40lb sack of this stuff for $20 and made a shaker out of a 1/2 gallon mason jar by drilling holes into the lid. While I had no luck killing fleas on Webster with DE over a month ago, I did notice that in my own unscientific experiment it killed fleas that were placed in a jar with a layer of DE in it.
3. Wash throw blankets and linens all around the house.
4. Explore more aggressive action (Baths, dips, sprays,bombs, flea collars, nuclear warfare, etc) if conditions do not improve or worsen.

Setting aside my fears and speculation, I we used the Advantage on Webster and applied a dusting of DE on the carpet. Wish us luck. Will post the results a few weeks from now.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Regarding vacuuming, what I have doe was to put one of the flea collars in the vacuum bag to kill the fleas
Click to expand...

Do you think that the DE will have the same effect on the fleas once inside the vac?

Thanks Larry
 
Yes but the DE would take longer to kill them. Back in the good days (before the topicals) when the collars were in vogue and I had flea problems, I just placed the extra length that I cut off the collars in the vacuum bag.
 
If Webster will tolerate bathing, you may consider the following in 4 weeks.

Since fleas don't like drowning, when he's due for his next application of Advantage, first do a bath in something safe, such as Dawn dishwashing liquid. (Do not use another flea killer - too many chemicals!) Comb off and drown as many flease as you can; they will migrate to a dry area so consider where it will be easiest to use a flea comb. Placing a towel in the bottom of the tub will give the cat something to hold onto.

After the bath and drying, then apply the Advantage.
 
BJM said:
If Webster will tolerate bathing, you may consider the following in 4 weeks.

Since fleas don't like drowning, when he's due for his next application of Advantage, first do a bath in something safe, such as Dawn dishwashing liquid. (Do not use another flea killer - too many chemicals!) Comb off and drown as many flease as you can; they will migrate to a dry area so consider where it will be easiest to use a flea comb. Placing a towel in the bottom of the tub will give the cat something to hold onto.

After the bath and drying, then apply the Advantage.
Click to expand...

Humm.. Never tried to bathe him. That might get ugly. I will do it as a last resort. I do have a flea comb which works but sometimes I cant get him to sit still long enough.
 
Just a quick update on the infestation.

I put the Advantage II on Webster and it seems to be killing off the fleas on him.

As for the diatomaceous earth, not the best idea. We sprinkled a layer on the carpet ( about 1 gallon over 1300 sqft) 3 days ago. I sprinkled close to the ground to avoid scattering dust. Well, dust still ended up in the air and all over the house. The problem compounded when we walked around and kicked it up. There is a thick layer all over the house, all over everything. I know.. this stuff is not good to breathe.

We tried to vacuum it up but this effort was disastrous. The DE created a fine layer of dust that coated the roller belt, motor shaft, and roller. This caused the belt to slip and soon enough we smelled burning rubber as the belt slipped on the roller and shaft. In addition the filter is completely clogged with DE. :?

Our next course of action is to put a micro filter on my shop vac and use a large carpet sucker attachment to try and suck up the DE without agitation it with a roller and blowing dust everywhere. In addition we might shampoo the carpets - unless wetting the DE turns my carpet into a mud pit. Will like try to get it up tomorrow. Webster is freaked out by the vaccuum and he's having a bad day due to a low BG numbers. (Actually a good day - Can you say insulin reduction :mrgreen: )

The good news is that we haven't seen any fleas. I'm not sure which is worse - breathing this DE dust of having flea bomb poison all over everything.

Anyone else deal with getting DE power up? I'm sure that I layered it too thick.
 
BJM said:
I haven't used it in my home, only on the garage cats a bit.
Click to expand...

Probably best to keep it out of the home. I'm an idiot and applied a generous sprinkling all over my entire house. You live, you learn. ;-)
 
BJM said:
Eh, you live, you learn! If you're lucky , you learn from someone else!
Click to expand...

Only in recent years have I realized that the fastest way to gain knowledge is to listen to those who are much older and wiser. Doing so will save a lot of time going through the process of trial and error. ;-)
 
I've made more than a few - stabbed myself with lancets, and syringes; sliced myself with can lids.

Didn't make a mock up of a syringe when I had someone else giving the dose and he didn't read the syringe properly.

Changed the food for the first diabetic cat I had and wasn't testing nor reducing the insulin, so was up all night testing with a sleep disorder trying to knock me out. That was rough!
 
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