"Asfand Yar Qazi" wrote in message
...
Heya,

Sorry for cross-posting. Don't know which group to send to..

So, got this kitten from Charlton in South-east London. Absolute
bargain, only £20. Crazy little blogger. Does really stupid things.
Now about a year old.

But, since he's been going outside, a worrying phenomenon has
started....
SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHS CRATCHSCRATCH
SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHS CRATCHSCRATCH
SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHS CRATCHSCRATCH
SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCH

And that's just us humans. The poor cat wakes up suddenly at times and
viciously attacks various parts of his skin.

What can we do? I've checked this website:
http://www.yourfamilyshealth.com/fam...th/pets/fleas/

and it says to vaccum regularly could have an affect. We can't really
afford exterminators and stuff right now.

Would this not have happened if we didn't let him inside, and trained
him to stay inside all the time?

btw, as a side note, does anyone have any advice for us poor humans?
Any cream we can put on our skins to stop the biting? Oh, and will
washing duvets kill them?

Thanks,
Asfand Yar



One inexpensive aid to ridding your home of fleas is to construct a "flea
trap" All you need is a night light for an electrical outlet located low
down on the wall by a baseboard and a cake or pie pan or other shallow pan.
Fill the pan with water and add a few squirts of dish soap mixing it up
thouroughly but without making suds. When you get ready to go to bed, place
the pan on the floor below the nightlight and turn the light on. In the
darkness, the fleas will jump towards the light, land in the water, and
because the soap breaks the surface tension that would otherwise support
them on top of the water, they will sink and drown. It's pretty frightening
how many you can get up in the morning and see at the bottom! For
households with curious cats (isnt' that all of them?) putting a pie tin
inside of a just slightly larger shallow pan can help keep you cat from
turning it over and spilling the water.

This doesn't work by itself. You have to combine approaches. You MUST treat
your cat for fleas using Frontline or one of the other veterinary available
flea products. Don't waste your money and time and risk your cat's health
by using an over the counter flea preventative on your cat. You must also
treat the home environment, and that involves a lot of vacuuming. Vacuum
every day, and don't forget the soft furnishings like the sofa and the
drapes and the mattresses. Throw away the used vacuum bags every day and
don't let them sit in the closet. I do not know what home insecticide
treatments are available in the UK, but you want to purchase one (a fogger,
perhaps) with an insect growth regulator. Be sure to follow the directions
of any chemical you may buy, and remove the cat's food and water bowls as
well as any people food that might come into contact with the chemical.

You CAN rid your home of fleas, but it's not a quick process. And, once you
do so, you must be very vigilant about a reinfestation. The usual source is
an animal that is allowed to go in and out, or a new animal that's infested
already. If you wish to continue to allow your cat outdoor access, it's
imperative that he receive the Frontline monthly and you continue to
practice a lot of vacuuming and throw away the bags. It's a lot easier on
you and the cat if you just restrict his access to indoors only though.