fed up with fleas.

A bit of background, I have 2 cats, one silky long haired, one medium haired
with a dense undercoat. Both cats are in the care of my brother because
we've had to move back home and the cats weren't welcome so he's watching
them until we can again. A few months ago he calls me because the cats have
been scratching and are losing their fur in places (this had been going on
for a month already at that point).

I was pretty sure the cats had fleas and I took them to the vet where they
got a steroid injection, program, and capstar and I bought something to
spray his apartment. So far it's not working, I've instructed him to give
them the capstar whenever he sees fleas, signs of fleas etc, spray his
apartment, but they just keep having fleas, I don't know what to do to get
rid of them. I've been seriously considering taking them to the groomers
and just having their fur cut off, at least the one with the undercoat, she
seems to be the one with the recurring problem moreso than the other one.
Is there anything else I can do?

Can they have advantage while still on the program injection (I got the 6
month injection) Also, he mentioned that the medium haired one with the
undercoat is throwing up a fair bit. She's always thrown up pretty
regularly because of hairballs, I got him the remedy from the vet, but I get
the impression she's throwing up more then normal now.

--
*******
The 3 sentences that will get you through life.
#1, cover for me
#2, oh, good idea boss.
#3, It was like that when I got here
-Homer Simpson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stormlady/

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
A bit of background, I have 2 cats, one silky long haired, one medium
haired with a dense undercoat. Both cats are in the care of my brother
because we've had to move back home and the cats weren't welcome so he's
watching them until we can again. A few months ago he calls me because the
cats have been scratching and are losing their fur in places (this had been
going on for a month already at that point).

I was pretty sure the cats had fleas and I took them to the vet where they
got a steroid injection, program, and capstar and I bought something to
spray his apartment. So far it's not working, I've instructed him to give
them the capstar whenever he sees fleas, signs of fleas etc, spray his
apartment, but they just keep having fleas, I don't know what to do to get
rid of them. I've been seriously considering taking them to the groomers
and just having their fur cut off, at least the one with the undercoat,
she seems to be the one with the recurring problem moreso than the other
one. Is there anything else I can do?

Can they have advantage while still on the program injection (I got the 6
month injection) Also, he mentioned that the medium haired one with the
undercoat is throwing up a fair bit. She's always thrown up pretty
regularly because of hairballs, I got him the remedy from the vet, but I
get the impression she's throwing up more then normal now.



Your brother has to eradicate live fleas and flea eggs, in all stages of
reproduction, from his apartment, so your cats won't get re-infested after
they are treated. A professional exterminator will probably be required. If
your brothers fellow apartment-dwellers have fleas, then you're all SOL
because they will migrate and continue to infest your cats. "Cutting their
fur off" will traumatize them and do nothing to get rid of fleas, because
this is an environmental management issue, not a cat hygiene issue.
I assume the steroid injection was for the itching . I have no idea what
"program" and "capstar" are.

Since your living situation is so precarious it might be kinder to rehome
your cats permanently.

"deja.blues" wrote in message
news:YBSoj.202$xE.121@trnddc01...

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
A bit of background, I have 2 cats, one silky long haired, one medium
haired with a dense undercoat. Both cats are in the care of my brother
because we've had to move back home and the cats weren't welcome so he's
watching them until we can again. A few months ago he calls me because
the cats have been scratching and are losing their fur in places (this had
been going on for a month already at that point).

I was pretty sure the cats had fleas and I took them to the vet where
they got a steroid injection, program, and capstar and I bought something
to spray his apartment. So far it's not working, I've instructed him to
give them the capstar whenever he sees fleas, signs of fleas etc, spray
his apartment, but they just keep having fleas, I don't know what to do
to get rid of them. I've been seriously considering taking them to the
groomers and just having their fur cut off, at least the one with the
undercoat, she seems to be the one with the recurring problem moreso than
the other one. Is there anything else I can do?

Can they have advantage while still on the program injection (I got the 6
month injection) Also, he mentioned that the medium haired one with the
undercoat is throwing up a fair bit. She's always thrown up pretty
regularly because of hairballs, I got him the remedy from the vet, but I
get the impression she's throwing up more then normal now.



Your brother has to eradicate live fleas and flea eggs, in all stages of
reproduction, from his apartment, so your cats won't get re-infested
after they are treated. A professional exterminator will probably be
required. If your brothers fellow apartment-dwellers have fleas, then
you're all SOL because they will migrate and continue to infest your cats.
"Cutting their fur off" will traumatize them and do nothing to get rid of
fleas, because this is an environmental management issue, not a cat
hygiene issue.
I assume the steroid injection was for the itching . I have no idea what
"program" and "capstar" are.

Since your living situation is so precarious it might be kinder to rehome
your cats permanently.

Yes the steroid was for itching. Program is an injection that stops the
life cycle on the cat, the eggs can't mature into adult fleas on the cat.
Capstar is a pill that kill adult fleas on the cat. I didn't realize at the
time the difference between advantage and program, or they'd have had
advantage, which is a solution placed on the cats shoulders that kills all
stages of flea development. Now I don't know if they can have both at the
same time, or if it would be too much.

My living situation is not precarious, I'm living with my in-laws and have
been for over 2 years now, this Summer I will be moving back out and taking
the cats again. I hardly see that as precarious. Truthfully, I would be
doing them no favors to rehome them, not many people would put up with
Shady's vomiting. Personally, I thought it was pretty responsible of me to
find a temporary home for them, rather than dump them at a shelter as so
many others do when their pets become inconvenient. I used to volunteer at
the shelter, so I've seen too many cats brought there, and what happens to
them to risk having it happen to my own cats.