Sugar, no Fleas

[cathyr19355]

If my life were a Fluxx game, that would be my current game victory goal. "You win if the only Keeper on the table is Sugar, the Cat."

I posted, back in November, about how the anti-flea goop my cat's vet prescribed is supposed not only to kill all the fleas on her, but to turn her into a Mobile Flea Extermination Unit. I reapplied the goop early this month, per the vet's instructions.

Well, turns out only half the ad copy is true. Sugar seems to continue to be flea free, But now I'm seeing fleas in the house. Not on me, thank God, or I'd be storming my vet's office, right now, at this hour. Instead, I see them casually flying, in ones and twos, in the kitchen, or inside the dishwasher, or my room.

And late last night, as I went to scrape Sugar's covered litter box (admittedly the first time I'd done so in about 36 hours) I saw several dozen, flying around inside the box.

Though I am glad that my cat is no longer infested, I WANT THOSE DAMN INSECTS OUT OF MY HOUSE. I have a call in to the vet, and am hoping for good advice. Grrrrr.

Comments

[ambug666.livejournal.com]

Fleas can't fly. If they are truly flying, then they are probably mayflies, not fleas.

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

They sure look like the bug I saw on my cat at the vet's office.

But you may well be right; God knows I'm no entomologist. If that's true, though, where on earth did they come from, and how the heck do I get rid of them?

[ambug666.livejournal.com]

If they are flying they are not fleas. Fleas jump. They don't have wings. Unfortunately, I'm not an exterminator. We had to hire one when we got overrun by ants. I'd suggest you avoid Orkin. Oh, they got rid of the ants, but they have us locked into a contract where they continue to try to exterminate even in the winter months.

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

You are right, as my cat's vet took pains to point out when she called me back this morning.

I do know an Exterminator Guy (http://cathyr19355.livejournal.com/62245.html), at this point, but there isn't enough of a problem for me to think in those terms yet.

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

At this point, you need some level of insect extermination. The question is what level of poison you're willing to use, and how much money you're willing to spend.

The first, least expensive step is to thoroughly clean, like a Jewish grandmother the week before Passover. Get stuff out of cabinets, wash everything in the closet, etc., with hot water and disinfectant soap. You want to eliminate wherever it is that they've laid their eggs. Since adults only live a day or two, this often solves the problem.

If it doesn't, go buy spray insect killer. Spray anywhere that's vaguely damp, especially under cabinets and in the basement. Again, you're going for where the eggs got laid.

If this doesn't work, it's time to call in professionals, but I've never needed to get to that step.

Good luck!

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

It's not bad enough to hire professionals yet. Even around Sugar's litter box, there weren't *that* many, and taking all the used litter out to the curb last night greatly decreased the surplus population. Unfortunately, I can't do that again until I buy more litter....

[ndrtoon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if they're flying they're definitely not fleas. I suppose they could be fruit flies, since it's insanely easy to pick up an infestation. They live on rotting fruit, obviously, but also on cat poop, which could explain the litter box ickness.

You can usually get rid of a fruit fly infestation in a couple of days without spending much money or calling an exterminator. Some things to try:

If you have a disposal, pour a couple of gallons of boiling water down it, then plug the drain overnight. They'll live in the crud on the walls of the disposal, but this is quite effective at knocking them out.

Put any fresh fruit or vegetables in the fridge.

Put all-new litter in the cat box and scoop a couple of times a day.

Also, don't leave any unrinsed beer or wine bottles out, but I seem to recall you guys don't drink?

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

I don't have a disposal, but I can do the hot water thing and make sure vegetable sediment is gotten out of the sink a bit sooner.

I will do as you suggest on the cat litter front once I get in a fresh supply tomorrow. Just cleaning it out yesterday helped 300% percent.

As for the rest of your ideas, all the veggies are in the fridge and we have no fresh fruit on hand and have not had any for months now. And yes, you're right, esrblog and I don't drink. But your ideas are good, and I appreciate them.

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.