ok so i am SO over this. Salsa is on raw now (2 months in) and suddenly we have fleas again. i hate using the harsh chemicals on her, feels gross when she's eating raw. Rango is a total wimp and hisses if i try to do anything near his ears so i can't even do a simple check. how do you guys handle this without nuking the house with poison? i'm at my wit's end.
Hello Lisa, I understand your frustration. Fleas can be very stubborn, especially with multiple cats in the house. It is important to remember that the cat is only 50% of the problem; the other 50% is in your home environment. I would suggest starting with a thorough environmental treatment to kill the eggs and larvae in your carpets and furniture. This is often the missing link when trying to stop a re-infestation.
Hi Lisa. Have you looked at the raw diet and flea susceptibility thread? I know a lot of people think the diet matters, but honestly, fleas don't care if your cat is eating kibble or raw. They just want a warm body. I think the issue is that Rango is shy, so you might not be catching the early stages on him. You could try the proper flea combing technique on Salsa to at least keep her clear while you figure out the environment.
The data suggests that environmental control is the most critical variable. According to the flea life cycle breakdown, eggs hatch in 2-3 days, larvae take 5-11 days to develop, and pupae can remain dormant for weeks. If you treat the cats but not the home, the cycle continues. I have written up my specific protocol for non-chemical control in my thread Natural flea control that actually works. It uses diatomaceous earth and regular vacuuming. For Rango, since he is shy, you might need to look at flea management for shy cats to avoid stressing him out.
This is so stressful! I'm glad I found this thread because I have a kitten and I'm terrified of fleas. Does it matter that I have a kitten? I read somewhere that you have to be extra careful with them. Also, how do you keep them from jumping from Salsa to Rango? I think I saw a post about preventing flea spread in multi-cat homes but I didn't understand it. Can someone explain?
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