Cat Health

I thought this would be a great thread where we can discuss cat health issues. I'm about to post something in a second, but I wanted to have a nice, neat "introduction" post

Okay, here is my post. I posted this on a cat forum, but got zero responses

Let me begin by saying I moved into a new house around August 1st. I brought my two cats with me. I also should add that I live in Southwest Louisiana ... hot and humid ... flea country.

My cats are indoor-only cats and were flea-free when we moved here. However, after one week, I noticed them scratching frantically, so I bought some Advantage. Applied it to each cat, and the scratching stopped ... for about three days.

Then it returned.

I thought this was very odd, until I actually noticed fleas HOPPING ON ME. I realized I had a flea infestation on my hands. Being totally inexperienced on how to deal with this situation, I simply removed myself and the cats from the house and fogged it.

When I returned, there seemed to be no fleas. However ... they returned, again, in 3-4 days.

By this time, my cat Bastet, who is highly allergic to flea bites, had been scratching so much her skin was turning black and she was losing the hair around her neck. It was time for a vet trip.

The vet basically confirmed that they had fleas (it had only been 2-3 weeks since the Advantage application!) and gave me a list of products that I could use to exterminate the fleas from my home. Specifically, he told me about IGRs, an "Insect Growth Regulator" that would prevent the fleas from laying eggs, eggs from hatching, or something to that nature. However, he seemed reluctance to assure me that this would be a sure thing, because of the climate we have here in Southwest Louisiana. He did not think I could get rid of all the fleas, forever.

The cats were given tapeworm pills, just in case. I went home and fogged my house for the time being. Fleas were gone for a few days, but of course returned.

The following weekend, my grandmother gave me some Frontline Plus, which I applied to each cat (one tube each). I then vacuumed thoroughly, with a high-powered shop vacuum, every pieces of material in the house: couch, rugs, sofa chair, cat condo, computer chair, you name it. Then I sprayed the inside and outside of the house (including floors, closets, etc.) with the flea insecticide and IGR mixed with it. I sprayed very thoroughly, to the point of having to cough b/c the fumes were getting in my lungs.

I then waited an hour to let the stuff dry, then let my cats out of the bedroom. I then did the bedroom.

No scratching for a day or two.

Then, on the third day, I found a flea on Bastet.

The next day, both she and Nefrit were scratching.

Yesterday, before bed, I found yet another flea on Bastet.

Please, please, PLEASE ... can anyone help me determine my next move. I am disgusted by the thought of these nasty things crawling all over my darlings. I have done everything a cat mother with limited means (I'm a graduate student, living on 13K a year) can do. I'm afraid to put more Advantage on them b/c the Frontline Plus application was only last Sunday. I know the floor still has the repellent on it b/c it turns my bare feet black after a few hours.

WHAT CAN I DO????

we had a flea infestation the summer before this, because all the cats are outdoor cats but are allowed in, so they carried the pests inside. we had to do a complete scrub-down twice and eventually mothballs got rid of the fleas. i don't recommend it though, it stinks.
in the meantime though, we used parakill (an equivalent for frontline but in comparison - it worked. frontline didn't!) for the fleas on the cats. i am not sure it's available in your country, but it worked beautifully - it comes in small dosage plastic bottles and one tube was enough for the army of cats we have. it's supposed to work for a month, but we had to do it again after about three weeks, because they found new sources of fleas (they were socializing with other pets running loose).
during those three weeks i didn't see any fleas on them, and no flea "by-products".
so - if the cats weren't allowed outside, then the house is the source. if all that cleaning didn't help, then you need professionals. i talked to a friend in another forum and he had the same problem - the house he'd bought was infested with fleas and his family - and pets - fell victims to them in no time. he had to call some specialized guys and then he had no trouble with fleas. i don't know what they used. i heard some rumours about a agricultural insecticide, that wouldn't be licensed for in-door use because it's too strong and may prove toxic, called sano k300. it's supposed to be for roaches but the person that recommended it said it worked on everything moving. i am not sure it should be used - with cats and all - but maybe it's worth investigating.
so - one choice is using parakill, if you can get it. if the cats will allow flea-repelling collars, get them. my cats don't like them, so i am treating them with this at about 3-4 weeks interval.
but if the house is infested you have no chance. it may be more costly but it's safer and cheaper in the long run. call the professionals. if the cats get dermatitis because of the flea bites, they're open to a lot of possible infections and it can get really ugly.

the roach (or all) spray

parakill (just for the info on active substance if it's not avl there)

and the google says
flea removal challenge

PS: make sure you throw out the bag after vacuuming, the fleas can hatch and escape the bag if it's not removed.
if you can abide the smell... place mothballs around the house after cleaning - but the smell is atrocious to the sinuses.

my cat once had fleas because of the outside dog and he had to get shaved. and we had to clean the WHOLE house from head to toe.

Since you had a real flea infestation in your house, I think that you will need the help of a professionnal exterminator. The simple fact that your cats are indoor cats but got reinfested despite the frontline treatment tells you that the problem lays in the house itself.Fogging works well but it doesn't really cover areas like the matresses and stuff like that. Fogging is useless if your have hardwood floors. You need the house to be spayed EVERYWHERE, in very crevasses.

I do have hardwood floors, actually ^^

And I fogged twice, but sprayed myself once (before posting the original comment). I used an insecticide with permethrin plus an IGR, which is what an exterminator would use. I sprayed each and every room, and piece of furniture, removing cushions, etc.

Apparently, the problem was the Frontline Plus (partially). I called my vet, and the assistant told me point blank over the phone, "That doesn't work." I went and picked up some Advantage that day. I spoke with the vet and he also recommended spraying the house all over again, even though it had only been two weeks. I said, "But it says it lasts seven months!" and he shook his head, sort of like "pfft!" and said, "It's not true. Just spray again."

So I did, and I medicated the poor dears with Advantage, and as of today (two days later) we are FLEA FREE!!! No one has scratched for a full 24 hours. This hasn't happened for a full month now *gleeful* They are so happy and relaxed ... hopefully Bastet's hair around her neck will start to grow back, too

Thanks for the advice, everyone. All I can say is, if you live in the states, please go with Advantage over Frontline Plus.

I have a question about cat claws. Recently, about a couple months ago, my boy started to develop this black layer of film underneath his thumb claws. They look a little like this: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LlfXWxcpJy...law-sheath.jpg. His nails used to be clear, pink and see-through, but now they have a layer of dirty-looking black film underneath, and if you scrape it, flakes come off and it apparently hurts him.

I trim and groom him regularly, and still I have this problem. Could it be a fungal infection?

In humans it is a sure sign of fungal infection, especially flaking and hurting. You can take nail clippings and take them to the lab, to analyze, what kind of fungi it is. Of course, if you have such a veterinary lab in your city (my city has such a lab - I am really lucky) (it is not good to take them to the lab specialized in humans as there are some species differences what is infection and what is a normal flora). If not, better take the cat to the vet, usually such infections are quite a standard ones. Or just try some broad antifungal cream, but then you need to put a veterinary collar on your cat to stop it from licking it off. Or if your cat really, really hates such collars, then go to the more posh animal shops and buy the socks or shoes for some smaller dogs (or make them yourself - remember the cat is able to untangle a string but not this nice burr closure). In case of my cats, they tolerate such socks much better, than the veterinary collars. Buy min. 2 sets of them and when you put fresh layer of cream, you need to put fresh socks on and clean the old ones. The cleaning is best done with sam sanitization agent. You can buy them e.g. in farmacy (not in all of them) or the shop for dentists (the best!). It should be the something, which can destroy not only bacteria but also fungi (so the antibacterial soap is out, it is not strong enough) - you need something strong and washable. At my house I use Skinman Scrub for washing hands and Spitacid for washing surfaces (e.g. cats' cuvettes from time to time). The second one is stronger but also quite washable from clothes.

Artemis Moonsong @ How are your cats, now? Much better I hope!
I have never had this problem, so I am sorry, that I was not able to give you any advice.

They still occasionally scratch ^^;; But things are definitely much better.