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How to Prevent Flea Infestation In Your Home

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Cats and dogs are wonderful to have in your home. They give you endless, unconditional love and affection through out their life span. However, if they become riddled with fleas, it can make you both miserable. Here are a few tips that can help prevent flea infestation in your home and on your pet.

Cat and dog - Photo credit: Flickr; https://www.flickr.com/photos/qole/54934107
Help your cat and dog friends – prevent flea infestation.

1- Check your pet regularly for fleas. You can easily tell if a pet has fleas by shaking their hair over a white paper towel and then running it under water. If the specks turn red, that is flea dirt (blood from biting your animal). In that case a treatment is needed immediately. Also, part their hair with your fingers to look at their skin for any redness, irritation or bumps. Definitely do this if you yourself are experiencing bite marks in clusters on any part of your body. Also, monitor your pet regularly for excessive scratching. The earlier you catch the problem, the easier it will likely be to control the situation.

2- After doing yard work or being exposed to outdoor cats, don’t come inside with the same clothes on. Disrobe in your garage or another private area and change into something clean before coming inside. Even one flea can get on your pants and get tracked into the home. While you’re doing yard work, spray your grass and nearby plant life with a pest control product to get rid of fleas outside.

3- If you are certain that your pet has fleas, do not use the cheap brand of flea killer. Invest in the high end, top of the line brand flea treatment for cats and dogs like Revolution. The cheaper brands (including cheap flea collars) may not kill the fleas with one application and will be a waste of money in the long run. Revolution can be difficult to find and expensive, but it is worth it if you want to keep fleas from infesting your home. I think they also offer Revolution at Vetco locations on the weekends (find out more at Petco). If you can wait about a week (not highly recommended if you want to prevent an infestation), you can order it from here. I’ve also heard good things about Advantage II for cats and dogs.

4- Add a brand name flea collar to your vacuum cleaner to kill any fleas that get picked up when vacuuming your floors or carpets. This will prevent your pet and home from becoming infested with fleas again. Simply remove the flea collar from the canister or bag when emptying contents into garbage can. The effectiveness of the collar should last for up to sixty days. It’s preferable to have a vacuum with a tight plastic canister, as it will trap any fleas more effectively than bag vacuums.

5- Treat your carpets, beds, couches, and other surfaces where your cats like to relax with flea spray. I use a natural product called Natural Care Flea and Tick Spray (peppermint oil based and has a somewhat pleasant scent). It’s also very effective against flies and mosquitoes. You can find Natural Care products at Walmart as well. If you don’t mind using a chemical solution, try Zodiac Carpet & Upholstery Pump Spray. I’ve used it in the past and it is very effective in my experience.

Use these simple tips to treat and prevent flea infestation in your home so that both you and your pet baby can be comfortable.

 

 

How to Kill Fleas in 24 Hours or Less

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A simple process for how to kill fleas in 24 hours or less.

People get squeamish when they learn that their animals are carrying around fleas. It’s tough to deal with the idea that fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs are probably everywhere in your house — the carpets, the couches where your cats jump on and even your bed.

Before you panic and lock yourself in the closet, just calm down, take a breath and get a few supplies. Here is the best way to deal with a possible flea infestation (based on my own past experience with the issue):

© Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime Stock Photos
Fluffy wants to live flea-free!
© Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime Stock Photos

1) The first thing you want to do is treat the cats. What’s the point of cleaning up your house if your pets are just going to go right back to the area and sit down to spread more bugs? Don’t bother with cheap flea powders and collars; go right to what you know will work: a spot-on product like Revolution or a similar brand with good reviews. These products enter the pet’s blood stream to kill all unwanted parasites that bite your pet. Fleas don’t stand a chance. If you prefer a natural solution, try washing the pet with blue Palmolive dish washing liquid — fleas hate it. But I have to say, in my experience natural remedies aren’t as sure a thing as using Revolution or another spot-on solution.

2) Throw all sheets, covers, and clothes that could be infested in the washing machine and wash on a hot cycle a couple of times. You may even just want to trash them if you think they are really infested.

3) Vacuum everything including your carpets and couches thoroughly and THROW THE VACUUM BAG OUTSIDE WHEN FINISHED.

4) Use a Flea Killing Spray made for carpets and upholstery everywhere, beds, carpets, etc. This will help get rid of the adult fleas.

5) Lock your cats or dogs up in a room that doesn’t have any carpet or couches, and make sure you open a window. Even better if you only have a few pets, take them for a long ride around town with you or to a friend’s house who has an isolated room with no carpets. You don’t want your pets having the possibility of inhaling the fumes from the poisonous flea bomb you will set off.

6) Finally, set off several good flea bombs in your home and leave the house for 5-6 hours or more. Once that flea bomb does its job you are going to be in the clear, so make sure you get enough of them to cover your entire house.

The key for how to kill fleas in 24 hours or less: don’t buy cheap flea products — make sure you invest in good stuff so that you won’t have to do this all over again. You will probably end up spending about $25 or $30 for the cat treatment depending on how many cats you have and $30-$40 for the bombs and spray. That $70 is well worth the peace of mind you’ll get knowing that your home is flea-free again.

Posted by Jade

How to Domesticate a Feral Cat

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Some personal advice about how to domesticate a feral cat from someone who has done it twice.

There is a lot of literature online about how to domesticate a feral cat or homeless cat and feral cat rescue, but I can add to this advice with my own personal experience taking in two feral cats.

** I personally don’t recommend trying to domesticate an older feral cat who is aggressive or won’t allow a human to touch or come near him — especially if you already have cats in your home. Use your best judgment. **

Get them Shots and Have Them Neutered

The feral cat you want to take in has probably been roaming around outside for months, mixing with other cats, raccoons, and sleeping in bushes full of ticks, fleas, and other nuisances. So before you allow a feral cat to live in the main areas of your home, you need to take them to the vet for a check up.

This is possibly the most difficult part of domesticating a feral cat because it is 1) hard to catch them in a carrier if they run from you whenever you come near and 2) sometimes difficult to get them to calm down enough to be seen by a vet. Vets usually have ways to deal with difficult cats though, so your main feat is just getting the feral cat into the cage. The TNR (Trap Neuter Return) program at your local vet or pound can lead you in the direction of some humane cat traps that close as soon as the cat enters. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and come upon a feral or outdoor cat that actually likes humans and comes right up to you.

Wash and Isolate Your Feral Cat With a Litter Box

Once the cat’s shots are done and he’s been cleared of fleas, ticks, mites and other possible problems, you can take him into your home. If the cat will allow you to handle him without going crazy (some young cats will; older ones probably not), give him a bath. If the feral cat is very scared, just lock him in the bathroom with you and talk to him for a while. Do your best to get some water and soap on his back (use a bucket with a washcloth and just rub him down). If water is out of the question, try a waterless cat shampoo (usually foam or powder) and a good cat brush. To assist the cat with future cleaning, you can also try installing a cat door that has a self-cleaning brush around the inside edges.

This will be the only time you have to clean your new feline friend since cats clean themselves. After the “bath,” envelop your new cat in a nice fluffy towel and rub him dry. This small action is a great bonding moment between you and your new feral cat. If possible, pick him up in your arms as you dry him. Whenever I have had to do this with my new cats, afterwards they felt a lot more comfortable around me.

Isolate the Cat for a While

Next you have to isolate the feral cat from the other cats in your home with a litter box in the room. The other cats will need to gradually get used to having the cat’s scent in the home. You may be surprised at how immediately he understands to go in the litter box. Isolate your new cat in a room to himself for at least a week.

Leave The Feral Cat Alone

Once you finally let the feral cat loose in your home, you have to leave it alone. He will probably run immediately to find a hiding place. He may run from you whenever you come around. That’s normal — feral cats are naturally mistrustful of humans. It will take some time for them to warm up to you. My first feral cat still runs from me many years later, but he sleeps on top of my chest at night like a baby.

Leave your new feral cat alone. Just feed him, keep his litter box clean, and eventually you’ll start to see some progress. Usually once the feral cat starts to realize that you will be feeding him every day from now on, and he knows for certain that you are not trying to hurt him, he will develop more trust for you.

Also, be patient with your feral cat if he does annoying things, like knock over the garbage and try to eat chicken bones. They are still getting used to living in a home where they don’t have to scavenge for food. Both of my feral cats did this for a couple weeks after I took them in, but eventually stopped once they saw that they could count on breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day.

A feral cat rescue mission is a noble thing. I have found that owning a feral cat is most rewarding because feral cats genuinely appreciate having a home. Feral cats have memories of what it was like living on the street, and they know that this lifestyle is much better. Love them, feed them, keep them healthy, and you will soon see the rewards of your good deed.

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa

Posted by Jade

My First Trap, Neuter, Return TNR Experience (Advice, Tips and Pics Included)

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Recently I successfully completed my first TNR which is short for Trap Neuter Return. You trap a feral cat, get him neutered (or spayed for a female) and then return him to the Great Outdoors. It is beneficial to the cat, the kittens it wouldn’t be able to support on its own and the neighborhood as a whole. Knowing how simple the process is now, I wish I would have done this years ago.

I remember calling the local animal shelter to ask about how I can get a trap to set outside. They said all the traps were being used but they could put me on a list. I’m still waiting for them to call me back about that list.

I had a “duh” moment when I realized recently that animal traps can be purchased online for like $40 and you can use them over and over. Why didn’t they just tell me that??

trapneuterreturn3

* Side note: these can also be used to trap raccoons, possums, squirrels and other pests. Pest control companies will charge $150+ to set the trap and then another fee to remove the raccoon or possum. Just buy the trap, catch the pest and pay someone for the pest removal.

Setting the Trap
I got the cat trap in the mail and soon learned how easy it was to set. The mechanism of the trap causes it to close as soon as the cat steps on a certain spot near the back. To set it you push up the door and hook a small lever into a latch. It is easy once you play around with it and give it a try, but be careful when putting the bait food at the back because it’s rigged to snap closed quickly.

See the little latch? That's what you use to set the trap mechanism.
See the little latch? That’s what you use to set the trap mechanism.

traplatch1

trapneuterreturn2

trapneuterreturn1

The Bait
You have to choose your bait wisely when trying to trap cats because they are very smart and crafty. If the cat is very hungry he will probably walk into the trap no matter what kind of food is in there. A plain old can of wet cat food will do.

But if you have a cat that won’t willingly go, you have to offer some irresistible bait like tuna or sardines. It has to be very smelly to attract their attention. Leave a trail of the food leading into the trap if necessary.

When the Cat is Caught
The cat is going to freak out for a while after getting stuck in the trap. It’s best not to even watch because you might be tempted to let him go. Once you let him go there’s a slim chance he’ll ever fall for it again!

After about an hour, he will calm down and sit. Cover the trap with a burlap sack or blanket to keep him calm until you take him to the vet. I had to leave this one in there, covered, overnight.

The Vet Visit
Find a TNR vet in your area. They usually offer affordable spaying and neutering for feral cats. The one I found charges about $60 per cat (including shots). You’ll probably need to drop the cat off at a certain time and pick him up later. TNR programs know how to deal with feral/wild cats that aren’t used to being handled.

When I dropped off the feral cat I trapped the lady explained that older cats don’t always wake up from the surgery and that I had to sign a release. I was a bit sentimental, having known this particular feral for years, but I knew that it was necessary.

Thankfully this cat made it through just fine. They gave me a sheet full of instructions and his rabies shot credentials to take home. I waited another 24 hours, giving him a comfortable spot next to the house (the weather was warm) to sleep overnight, and then released him in the afternoon. He shot out of the cage, looked back at me for a moment, and then disappeared somewhere.

I smiled. Mission accomplished!

Posted by: Jasmine

5 Totally Sweet Things Cats Do When They Love You

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imageSo how do you know when your cat loves you? Here are five really sweet things that cats do when they adore you.

1) They try to bite (clean) you. When cats are very young they learn from their mothers how to clean themselves. The cleaning process involves biting the area gently and then licking. So when you see a cat doing that ( usually to your fingers) do not think he’s trying to hurt — he’s really trying to help you out with a bath! If it becomes annoying just gently stroke him on the head, thank him and move him out of your space.

2) They follow you around everywhere you go. I have had my share of “cat shadows” — they follow me everywhere that I go in the house from the bathroom to the kitchen to my work area, where they sit at my feet . When I’m outside doing yard work the cat tries to squeeze himself into the screen as if that will allow him to get to me. Cats do this when they have grown very attached to you and want to know where you are at all times.

3) They snuggle with you when you’re feeling down. Cats seem to have some type of sixth sense in knowing when you are feeling depressed or sad. They will come close to you and snuggle up to you when they sense that you’re sad.

4) They purr loudly when in your presence. A cat is very happy with you when he purrs very loudly. The purr is almost like a rumbling it’s so deep and intense.

5) They blink. When a cat blinks it is a sign that he is content and happy. If your cat stares at you and continually blinks slowly that is his way of saying I love you and I’m happy to have you in my life.

 

Written by: Lynn

Lynn Gilliard is a writer and author of life and dating advice books. Her latest work is Survive, Live or Thrive?

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