Fleas/Scabs/Weight Loss

[erinjograves]

Fleas/Scabs/Weight Loss - UPDATE Post 38

Hi guys,

I really need some good advice at the moment.

I have two cats. One is a domestic short hair and the other is a domestic long hair (I guess) Calico. The Calico is the one I am having the most issue with. She was feral when I got her as an 8 week old back in 2005. Had the vet check her out, nothing major. Just the normal conjunctivitis and ear mites. Had her treated, fed the day lights out of her and she turned into a really nice cat. Very loving. Very beautiful. Nice weight. Good coat. Never had any issues....

Until we moved into the house we are in now. 2 years ago, we had to move. We found a small place to rent and settled in. At the time, we had the two cats and a dog. About a month after moving into the new place, it became apparent that there was a major flea issue. We removed the animals, had the house and yard sprayed multiple times, had the animals treated for fleas...nothing has worked. We no longer have the dog, so that cuts down on the fleas coming into the house via doggie taxi. We are beginning to think the fleas are under the house....

The calico is having a really hard time with this. We have flea dipped, bathed, sprayed, flea treated with multiple different (at separate times, never the same time) treatments. She has lost a lot of her coat, she is scabbed over from scratching so much and has lost alot of weight. But, she is also very active, seems happy, eats like a horse and still loves to sit in anyone's lap who will pet her and love on her.

I guess my biggest question at the moment is ... do I follow my gut, bite the bullet and take her to the vet, or do I try a different flea treatment like Frontline or Advantage - I have been trying the ones from like walmart.

I know I need to take her to the vet, I was just hoping that maybe one of the better flea treatments would work. Also, how in the world can I get rid of the fleas in the house??!! We have had the house treated multiple times to no avail! Any and all help would be appreciated!!!

Thanks!

 

[CraneTaker77]

my cat smokey gets like this in the summer time. your cat could have a flea allergy, all it takes is just one bite and they start itching. he was so bad, he had scabs all over him too. he would sleep with me and wake me up all the time from digging and scratching. so we started putting the frontline on him every month, and this seems to help. but your cat might have another kind of skin allergy, maybe from something in her food, or something in the house. hope this helps, but you might have to end up taking her to the vet worse case.

 

[ICit]

Hi guys,

I really need some good advice at the moment.

I have two cats. One is a domestic short hair and the other is a domestic long hair (I guess) Calico. The Calico is the one I am having the most issue with. She was feral when I got her as an 8 week old back in 2005. Had the vet check her out, nothing major. Just the normal conjunctivitis and ear mites. Had her treated, fed the day lights out of her and she turned into a really nice cat. Very loving. Very beautiful. Nice weight. Good coat. Never had any issues....

Until we moved into the house we are in now. 2 years ago, we had to move. We found a small place to rent and settled in. At the time, we had the two cats and a dog. About a month after moving into the new place, it became apparent that there was a major flea issue. We removed the animals, had the house and yard sprayed multiple times, had the animals treated for fleas...nothing has worked. We no longer have the dog, so that cuts down on the fleas coming into the house via doggie taxi. We are beginning to think the fleas are under the house....

The calico is having a really hard time with this. We have flea dipped, bathed, sprayed, flea treated with multiple different (at separate times, never the same time) treatments. She has lost a lot of her coat, she is scabbed over from scratching so much and has lost alot of weight. But, she is also very active, seems happy, eats like a horse and still loves to sit in anyone's lap who will pet her and love on her.

I guess my biggest question at the moment is ... do I follow my gut, bite the bullet and take her to the vet, or do I try a different flea treatment like Frontline or Advantage - I have been trying the ones from like walmart.

I know I need to take her to the vet, I was just hoping that maybe one of the better flea treatments would work. Also, how in the world can I get rid of the fleas in the house??!! We have had the house treated multiple times to no avail! Any and all help would be appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Touch base with the vet.. they could give her something to help with the itching... and may also have a skin infection from scratching...
they will help get ya back on track... last thing you really want to do i put a apply a topical to her and it get in an open wound

 

[frequentflier]

Several people have come into my store lately and said they had success with Borax powder (found in the laundry aisle) in their yards to treat fleas. I don't know about the safety around animals, though.

 

[erinjograves]

Touch base with the vet.. they could give her something to help with the itching... and may also have a skin infection from scratching...
they will help get ya back on track... last thing you really want to do i put a apply a topical to her and it get in an open wound

I was thinking the exact same thing. I didnt want to put anything on her that could possibly get into an open sore and cause MAJOR issues.

Darn it! I was really hoping to not have to call the vet.

Thanks guys!

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

my cat smokey gets like this in the summer time. your cat could have a flea allergy, all it takes is just one bite and they start itching. he was so bad, he had scabs all over him too. he would sleep with me and wake me up all the time from digging and scratching. so we started putting the frontline on him every month, and this seems to help. but your cat might have another kind of skin allergy, maybe from something in her food, or something in the house. hope this helps, but you might have to end up taking her to the vet worse case.

I had an almost identical issue with the cat I had; and lost the battle. Porr thing would stratch her ears/neck etc. bloody.
I used flea collars and one time used a Front Line-type liquid.

It's a double/triple-edged sword, depending on how you look at it.

You have to go after the fleas with everything pretty much at the same time.....the yard; the house and the cat; almost in that order.

You kinda have to work from the outside in. Begin with the yard. Then set off bombs IN (attic too) and UNDER the house.
Then, vacuum every inch of the house and throw away any vac bags as soon as you are through and get them; full or not; away from your house.
At the same time, you need to find a flea treatment that will work on your cat; be it a spray, powder, liquid, collar.....whatever.

 

[Roman]

My Cat had Fleas in the beginning of the Summer Months. I was using Front-Line , and even applying it every 3 weeks, instead of every 4 as indicated on the package. So we changed it to Revolution, which did the trick. If the cat can be bathed, use Dawn Dish Liquid to get rid of the Fleas, but this only works for a couple of days. If her skin is hurting, Dawn may not be in order. Ask your Vet. If your house is on a Crawl Space...bomb under there. Borax is sold in the Laundry Detergent Isle too. I got mine at Food Lion. It's a soap powder that you can dust your rugs with. Leave it on there a few days, and when you vacuume, have a chopped up Flea collar in the vacuume bag, and throw the bag out when done. With the sounds of Kitty's skin, she might need some medicine from the Vet called Prednisone, to get her to stop itching. Two more thoughts: 1) She might be allergic to the Wal-Mart Flea stuff, whcih is no where as good as the Vet stuff 2) As mentioned before, she might be allergic to her food. Good luck with everything, and keep us posted.

 

[erinjograves]

We vac everyday. Have had the house, inside and outside, treated multiple times. Flea collars make the fleas laugh I think - at least these fleas laugh. Different spot treatments didnt seem to help either. Its like they are bionic fleas!

 

[Roman]

Several people have come into my store lately and said they had success with Borax powder (found in the laundry aisle) in their yards to treat fleas. I don't know about the safety around animals, though.

You & I must have posted at the same time. The Borax really does work FF, and I got the advice from a lady that you know. I'll always keep some on hand. I told my Vet about it, and she said that it's good advice too, and has no adverse side effects either.

 

[libertytyranny]

try a capstar for now..it is an oral med. kills the adult fleas only, though. but it is immediate and shouldn't harm her skin. Sounds like, though, that it may be more than fleas..maybe a food allergy like mentioned..usually I think fleas can be dealt with without a vet but if kitty is losing weight and fur, a trip is probably in order. Plus, there are several flea meds that cats are really sensitive too..which is why dog flea meds should NEVER be used on a cat or where they can contact it.

fleas suck. the house I moved into seemed to have an endless supply..but orkin coming to spray, boric acid in the bedroom carpets and drops on the animals seemed to have eradicated them for me. Soon it is winter and if the itching/weight loss continues you can probably count out the fleas and focus on if it is another issue

 

[Roman]

We vac everyday. Have had the house, inside and outside, treated multiple times. Flea collars make the fleas laugh I think - at least these fleas laugh. Different spot treatments didnt seem to help either. Its like they are bionic fleas!

IMO Flea Collars are only good for Vacuume bags. I get a large Dog size, cut the clasp off of it, chop it in to 2, to 3" chunks, put one chunk in the Vaccume bag, and store the others in a marked Zip Lock baggie for future use. Every time you change a Bag, put a new chunk in the new bag.

 

[erinjograves]

Awesome! Thanks guys! I just got off the phone with the vets office. I am taking her in on the 24th. The boric acid sounds like it may actually help! I may have to pick some up tomorrow.

Question on the vac - flea collars. I use am Oreck when I vac. So I have a bag. My husband seems to think that the bagless is better (which really irratates me). Should I tell him he needs to use the Oreck until the fleas are gone?? I dont see how vac-ing with a bagless is helping the flea situation at all.

 

[Roman]

Awesome! Thanks guys! I just got off the phone with the vets office. I am taking her in on the 24th. The boric acid sounds like it may actually help! I may have to pick some up tomorrow.

Question on the vac - flea collars. I use am Oreck when I vac. So I have a bag. My husband seems to think that the bagless is better (which really irratates me). Should I tell him he needs to use the Oreck until the fleas are gone?? I dont see how vac-ing with a bagless is helping the flea situation at all.

I really can't say which one to use, because I'm not familiar with the bagless one. So naturally..I say, if a chunk of the Flea Collar can be put in the bagless, use that, but I'm more comfortable with the OLD Fashioned Vacs. I get my Flea Collars from the Dollar Store...MUCH Cheaper. Good luck to Kitty & you.

 

[Roman]

I just re-read the title of your Post, and noticed weight loss as one of the signs your Kitty has. I'm not really well-versed in Vetrinary Medicine, but if a Cat has Fleas real bad, there is some kind of Anemia they can get with that. I'm happy that she has an appointment with the Vet next week.

 

[erinjograves]

Thanks Roman! I will def keep everyone posted. And just because..here is a pic of the little monster!!!

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[CountryLady]

Hi guys,

I really need some good advice at the moment.

I have two cats. One is a domestic short hair and the other is a domestic long hair (I guess) Calico. The Calico is the one I am having the most issue with. She was feral when I got her as an 8 week old back in 2005. Had the vet check her out, nothing major. Just the normal conjunctivitis and ear mites. Had her treated, fed the day lights out of her and she turned into a really nice cat. Very loving. Very beautiful. Nice weight. Good coat. Never had any issues....

Until we moved into the house we are in now. 2 years ago, we had to move. We found a small place to rent and settled in. At the time, we had the two cats and a dog. About a month after moving into the new place, it became apparent that there was a major flea issue. We removed the animals, had the house and yard sprayed multiple times, had the animals treated for fleas...nothing has worked. We no longer have the dog, so that cuts down on the fleas coming into the house via doggie taxi. We are beginning to think the fleas are under the house....

The calico is having a really hard time with this. We have flea dipped, bathed, sprayed, flea treated with multiple different (at separate times, never the same time) treatments. She has lost a lot of her coat, she is scabbed over from scratching so much and has lost alot of weight. But, she is also very active, seems happy, eats like a horse and still loves to sit in anyone's lap who will pet her and love on her.

I guess my biggest question at the moment is ... do I follow my gut, bite the bullet and take her to the vet, or do I try a different flea treatment like Frontline or Advantage - I have been trying the ones from like walmart.

I know I need to take her to the vet, I was just hoping that maybe one of the better flea treatments would work. Also, how in the world can I get rid of the fleas in the house??!! We have had the house treated multiple times to no avail! Any and all help would be appreciated!!!

Thanks!

a couple of things.
I get my house cats a shot called program injectable. It kills fleas for 6 months. So you can get the shot twice annually.

Diatomaceous Earth has been know to kill fleas, and is harmless to your family and pets.

Diatomaceous Earth: The a miracle cure for flea control? | Flea Control Videos | Flea Control: How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally

 

[Pasofever]

Erin..hit me up on FB or call me..

 

[Katelin]

Lot of good advise here...

Over the counter stuff from places like WalMat ( Hartz-Mountain) do more harm than good and have been suspect in the death of kittens.
Better to just give a cat a bath than risk using this crap!

You cat could be "toxic" from all the different "cures" used on her. The body absorbs these toxins and some are stored in the liver and fat cells longer than usual...and can lead to toxic poisoning and weight loss.

Great that you are seeing the Vet!

I used to use Seven dust on the yard when my cats were inside/outside. Now they are all inside. ( no problems with fleas in years!)

I also use Revolution on them once a month due to the risk of a stray flea or mosquito getting at them. ( They have a Catio to sun in when I am home).

Good luck and let us know how she is doing!

 

[onelove6366]

I'd like to know how this works out. I have a calico indoor cat who also spends a lot of time on my enclosed porch when I'm home. She seems to be allergic to fleas even though she doesn't have many of them. I have used a multitude of products on her and the other in/out cat but really none of them last the 30 days they are supposed to and I really don't like to use harsh chemicals on them weather they come from the store, vet supply company on line or the vet themselves!

She has not lost any weight but itches ALL the time! She gets scabby around her neck and tail area of her back. My husband bathes her about once a week with shampoo I bought from Dr. Fosters & Smith for this very condition and it seems to help for about a day. I don't think bathing her 4 or 5 times a week would be good for her skin either.

In the last week I've been using the tube of the liquid Cortisone stuff that I use for my mosquito bites on her. It seems to be doing much better.

The itching every minute of the day and the obsessive grooming is driving us crazy!

 

[animalluvr4life]

why not take her to the vet and get her checked out and see if they can give her a cortisone shot that might do the trick if u can get the fleas under control