holy crap fleas

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victoriavoodoo
victoriavoodoo Posts: 343 Member
in Chit-Chat
I house-sat a few days ago, for friends with two dogs and two cats. Their house is an hour out of the city in the country and there are bugs EVERYWHERE. I didn't notice fleas on their pets but I didn't look for them either. The cats don't go outside.

Anyway just now I was lying on my floor doing homework, on top of the white blanket I brought with me to their house when I stayed there. I SAW A FLEA JUMPING AROUND ON IT! I killed it and examined it for more but didn't see any.

Could they have followed me home? Where there's one there' s more right? I live in a second floor apartment and have NEVER seen a single bug in the two years I've lived here except for the occasional spider. I don't have pets and this complex has a strict no pets policy; they can't even visit. It's actually enforced too because the walls are very thin and the landlady is always around.

WTF do I do? I'm thinking about getting a flea trap that says it attracts them for up to 30 feet to see if it catches any more but my door isn't tightly sealed so I don't want to attract them from outside for 30 feet and bring more in. The door seal hasn't been a problem before because there have never been bugs around before.and when I say it's not sealed I mean I can fit my fingers under it to the outside air

Is there any chance the one flea was a fluke? =[ I am a college student who has not dealt with an infestation of anything before. That blanket is now in the dumpster outside.


EDIT: I can't stop itching now. I just checked myself for bites and didn't find any. Probably just paranoid because I wasn't itchy until I saw it.=[ I want to wash everything but I have to get quarters tomorrow to do laundry. Is there anything else I can do?

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  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Without animal hosts I doubt fleas would stick around too long. Clean bedding and steam carpets and should be fine.
  • victoriavoodoo
    victoriavoodoo Posts: 343 Member
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    Geez I really hope not. There are like 20 wild cats that live in the parking lot; They're probably covered in them.

    This is a cheap apartment in an old building with a 1/2 inch gap under the door so I'll probably call the landlady just in case.
    I have a kitchen light that flickers and the hot water faucet on my shower stopped working last month so I've been meaning to call anyway :/
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    That is no fun. First thing is to separate the clothes you wore there and the other stuff you brought back. And clean those cause they have the eggs most likely. Then go from there.

    http://howto.yellow.co.nz/home-garden/housekeeping-cleaning/how-to-get-rid-of-a-flea-infestation/
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
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    Sorry to push up a zombie thread, but I needed the info since we are fighting a major flea issue. I am so close to just wanting to burn the whole house down and start over. lol
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    Sorry to push up a zombie thread, but I needed the info since we are fighting a major flea issue. I am so close to just wanting to burn the whole house down and start over. lol

    All the animals need to be on a flea preventative. You may also want to talk to your vet about Capstar. Each of them should get a bath as well.

    Then you need a flea spray for the entire house and your cars.

    Wash everything you possibly can in HOT water. Vacuum everything you can, too--not just the rugs, but all upholstered furniture, draperies, pillows--everything.

    It takes a few months to completely eradicate a flea infestation because there are eggs all over the house.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    It depends on whether you want to kill them in the most non-toxic way or if you want to flea bomb your house. If you have pets and kids, I would go the less toxic route.

    Buy either Borax powder (on the laundry aisle at the grocery store) or DE (Diatomaceous Earth, I get it from Amazon) and sprinkle on your carpets. Then work it in with a broom and leave it down for 24-48 hours. Vacuum up and repeat at least 2 more times. Wash all your bedding and throw rugs in hot water. Make sure your pets are up to date on their flea preventative. You can use the DE as a dusting powder on them, but you have to be sure they don't breathe the powder in. Generally, after three treatments of your carpets, you should be flea free.
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    I also apologize for dredging up this old post, but I've never dealt with fleas before & need some people to commiserate with. I recently moved to a wonderful apartment in a wooded area with my indoor cat. It was in my lease to keep my cat on a flea treatment but I was skeptical since he's indoor and I've never really had reason to worry about fleas in the five years I've had him. I didn't want to medicate him if it was unnecessary. Well, karma I guess - I discovered he had fleas about a month ago & felt so bad because they had to have come from me dragging them in on my feet since he's an indoor cat who won't even go near the doors.

    Anyways, the vet gave him Capstar & Vectra monthly topical treatment. I also purchased two cans of the Mycodex environmental spray from my vet and use an entire can on my apartment after vacuuming every surface, washing every piece of fabric, & throwing away every spare piece of paper in the place. A week or two later, I did another round of vacuuming and used another half can of the Mycodex spraying everything again, even though the spray says it works for 200+ days & kills all stages of the flea. Today I'm planning on doing another round of vacuuming, washing all my bedding & blankets, spraying, & I might go buy some DE to put in my carpets.

    I know that fleas are fairly common & it's something you sometimes can't avoid when you're a pet owner. My question for my fellow pet owners out there is HOW do you keep from being totally paranoid & crazy about it? It's like every time I see my cat scratch himself I panic & think I have a new flea infestation or worry that his meds aren't working [since I've read a lot about fleas being resistant to the meds]. I also feel like I'm always itchy but I'm almost sure it's mind over matter, & I have a hard time sleeping because I have nightmares about swarms of them being in my bed. It also freaks me out knowing I'm probably bringing them in from outside & I can't do anything about it. Fleas are such a hard thing to deal with because you can't actually see them, so it's easy to go crazy worrying about it constantly! I think I've done everything right in regards to eradicating the problem, so at this point it seems futile to keep stressing - how did you guys get past it?
  • Kaelakcr
    Kaelakcr Posts: 505 Member
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    Fleas are the first-hand mates of ****ing Lucifer. Screw fleas.

    I caught them a little late and I think they made my cat anemic, which lowered his immune system because he's now dying of some infection. It's awful.

    All fleas should go burn in hell where they came from.
  • Bruceapple
    Bruceapple Posts: 2,026 Member
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    Borax powder , will work; sprinkle it around the room, works on all hard shell insects.
  • micheledavison39
    micheledavison39 Posts: 821 Member
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    If you aren't sure if you have fleas and would rather not treat until you're sure: take a jelly roll pan, add a teaspoon or so of dish soap and then fill with warm water almost to the top. Place the pan on the floor under a goose neck lamp or some kind that will shine on the water. Leave the light on overnight and check it in the morning. If there are fleas in the pan, you need to treat every week for at least 3 weeks, pets, clothes, soft furniture and rugs/carpets.

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