Bill Graham wrote:
Mack A. Damia wrote:
Hello cat lovers!

Pookie adopted me almost two years ago; somebody dropped a litter of
kittens in a box off in our small community, and she made it through
several fences and a closed-in porch to my place. She picked the
right place.

This is the first summer I have noticed that she is having a very
definite problem with fleas, amnd I am not even certain where she is
getting them. She is strictly a house cat, although a have a
screened-in porch that she goes on.

I have tried everything - a flea collar (doesn't do a thing)
Frontline (seems to be water) and last week, the groomer put a
stronger lotion on her - supposed to last a month. She is covered
with fleas and very unhappy. So am I.

I have taken her to the groomer several times for a bath, and that is
the only time she seems to be free of them - for a couple of days.
While she is at the groomers, I fumigate the house with bombs and
sprays. Doesn't seem to help one bit.

I know she is upset because she hides from me. I can see them on her
face and cannot even pick the little devils off! I live in a warm
climate, and I am hoping that the fleas will abate as the weather
becomes cooler. As I said, this is the first summer season I have
noticed the problem.

Any advice and help with be greatly appreciated! Thanks! I am upset
because I think she is in misery.

Well, you said it. A bath is good for two days. So, bathe her every
two days. A real PITA at first, but she will get used to it and after
a bit, she will actually look forward to it. Perhaps you won't need
any soap, and just getting her sopping wet for a little while may do
the trick. (fleas have to breathe air like most everything else) A
little water softener will do the same thing as soap.... It will get
the water to flow all over her beneath the fur. Here in Oregon, it
rains a lot and our cats like to stand out in the rain and come home
sopping wet. I think they do this just to get rid of the fleas. I was
amazed when I first moved up here from California. Down there, no
self respecting cat would ever come home wet. No matter how bad the
storm, my cats would always stay dry as a bone. but these Oregon cats
are always getting wet....

Another thing you can do is to provide her with a place to sleep that is
cloth-free. Fleas like to hide in rugs, and other cloth places. Cats like to
be up in the air, and don't really care about cloth. Especially in warm
weather, they like to sleep on a cool, hard surface. So let her sleep high
up off the floor on a hard surface, such as the top of a bookcase or china
cabinet, where the fleas will have a hard time getting.... If you need a
cloth, then give her a towel to lay on, but change it daily for a fresh
washed one. - Oh. And brush her good at least once a day....