The pest control people came today and murdered the flea population in the yard. My cats have been unhappy acting ever since. They always hate it when new people are around. The pest control costs money we'd rather not spend, but it was very needed. In the area I live, fleas can get out of hand. They did last year.
My grandmother's back yard was a jungle of neglected bushes and vines and trees. The yard is a double lot with cats, opossums, mice, rabbits, and skunks wandering through it. The house is very old and has lost of holes. And carpet. All of this makes for great flea breeding.
Fleas get out of hand very quickly. Like, one day, everything is fine. The next day, you notice things jumping on you when you walk across the room. The cats get agitated and start pulling out clumps of fur . . . never an attractive look on a feline. My roommate and I were getting overwhelmed. With some research and planning though, we got the flea problem handled.
If you're ever in this situation, here are some basic steps.
CALL IN THE PEOPLE
Pest Control costs money, but they do a great job and can handle issues with the yard that most people just can't. We never use them for the house, though I've read that works as well.
THE FINE TOOTH COMB
If your animals have fleas, you need to buy a flea comb. Making sure you have enough light, you run this through the animal's fur in one stroke, then remove the comb and kill any fleas you see on it. Nasty work, but very direct in ending the problem.
My roommate's extensive practice with this has led him to some conclusions. One, fleas tend to like certain spots on certain animals and will always be found in said spot in abundance. Always make sure you go over this spot several times when flea-combing your pet.
THE DAILY SUCK
If you have fleas, there really is no way of avoiding vacuuming the floor on a daily basis. Oh wait, not just the floor. You have to vacuum any surface where flea eggs can nest. Couches, chairs, curtains, pillows, and anything else with material or carpet on it needs to be vacuumed. And be thorough about it. Move furniture around, get under beds.
Once you're finished, dump the contents from your vacuum. Put them in a bag, cut off the air from it, and put it in a trash can. Or burn it. Do NOT just dump it into the yard. That just puts the fleas in the yard. Because, just in case you didn't know, fleas CAN survive the vacuum. When you pull out the canister, you'll see them crawling around. It is SO nasty.
My roommate was the main vacuumer last year and I know he was exhausted. He's like my hero though because this is one of the main things that got rid of the fleas.
It also helps if your vacuum is bagless because that way you know you can completely dump everything out of it.
THE SCENT OF BLISS
Lavender is a natural bug repellent. It gets rid of fleas and just about any other nasty that you don't want in the house. We replaced our detergents with lavender scented ones, as well as all soaps, cleaners, and air fresheners. We also bought dried lavender bundles, incense, and oils.
Besides making bugs unhappy, lavender also has a calming effect, which is helpful during stressful summer months.
THE PLATE OF DEATH
Probably the most direct, crude, and rather disturbing way to handle fleas is the Dawn method. You squirt a bit of Dawn dishwashing liquid onto a plate and then fill the plate with water. You can then either shine a light into the plate, or just leave it alone. You still get results.
The fleas will be attracted to the water, but once they're in it, the dishwashing liquid kills them. Do this before you go to bed at night and in the morning, you'll wake up to a disgusting plate filled with dead bugs. Just what anyone would want to see in the morning.
Of course, there are other things you can do directly to your animal. Bathing them, for instance. If you do this to an animal often, like a dog, it probably won't be any worse than it ever is bathing your dog. With cats though . . . well, for instance, last year one of the cats scratched my throat when we were bathing her. I would honestly rather do any other method of flea control before tackling THAT again.
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