The kitties we have now have been in our lives almost two years. Last year there was a very small occurance of a flea or two, but never became a real problem.... This year is a different story! Our kitties and our house has become infested. Oh, I looked into all the remedies that I could find...did my homework and for all that I believe is right, none of what I found seemed like a healthy choice. Too many reasons to go into here, but I did not feel secure with any of the spot-on treatments, pesticide powders, flea collars, etc. I did resort to a Hartz flea collar early on, but found these to be absolutely worthless. I use an herbal flea shampoo on one of the cats who seemed to need the most urgent help. After all the emotional turmoil that I put him through with a bath, he was better for about one day.
I spent the last two weeks vacuuming daily and I have sprinkled the carpets and linoleum floors with diatomaceous earth. This did help cut down the problem immensely, but it did not go away. I had also been combing all of the cats throughout the day, every day with a flea comb and quickly swishing the fleas into a jar of water with some drops of shampoo to make the fleas sink and drown. I also dusted the kitties with the diatomaceous earth. I finally thought we were making progress when I woke up yesterday to comb the fleas from the kitties and only found a few on a couple of them.
Coincidentally, we needed to take the stray tom from outside to the vet for a small problem. Turns out he was fine and needed no treatment. We did get him his rabies vaccine since we had him there and happened to mention the flea problem to the vet. He told us that the problem is huge this year. Due to the humid conditions, many pet owners are suffering with the same problem more this year than usual. He told us about Comfortis and the success he has found using it versus any spot-on treatment. Comfortis is a beef flavored chewable tab that is labeled for use for dogs. But, he said that he has used it for cats and has had no reported problems. We did not buy any at that time, but I went home and did a little research on the product. I am too particular using anything that might have long term health consequences for our pets!
What I found was great news! Comfortis is actually spinosad. I knew that I had heard of this before...as it turns out, spinosad is a naturally occuring bacterium found in the soil. (Or was at one time-- read the link). It is approved for and used in organic farming and gardening for pest control.
The possible side effects were minimal: upset stomach or vomiting if fed on an empty stomach. Simple enough to prevent. I have one (Minnie Mao) that has a very sensitive stomach and can even be upset by probiotics. There are other possible side effects, but found that these might only appear if used in conjunction with other certain drugs (Ivermectin) in the animal. See Veterinary Partner website.
I decided to call the vet and get the kitties on Comfortis. I did not do this without a great deal of concern for what I might be doing to them (the unknown), but we were at our wits end, and frankly, I was physically tired.
Weight was not an issue. The vet only prescribes the lowest dosage for cats...all six were to receive the same dose. When I returned home, I crushed the pills using my mortar and pestle and mixed into a share of canned food for each in separate dishes and guarded each one as they ate. Within a short time, the crazy, frantic scratching began! I knew to expect this as I had done all the reading I could find on the product. This is due to the dying fleas biting the cats more as they are irritated by the bacterium they had ingested in their blood meal. The lit said that we should expect to see dead and dying fleas begin to drop off of them within about 30 minutes. We found that it really became evident closer to two hours after the cats were dosed.
I worked on them with the flea comb and was amazed at what came off of them. Where I had only found very few this morning (thinking that we were getting ahead), poor Jade especially had herds (?) of fleas that I was now able to comb out of her fur around her neck and ears. Goes to show that while I thought I was getting the majority out with the flea comb, many more were passing right through. It also goes to show that we never could have conquered this with diatomacous earth or Borax and combing alone.
The kitties are all greatly relieved today. They are back to their old lovable selves and are feeling much better. We will treat them again every 30 days until November and the end of flea season for the year. Next year, we will know what to do and will begin treatment before a problem ever sets in. Our house is still sprinkled with the diatomaceous earth for now. Amazing how the population seems to have died out even in the carpets since treating the cats. I still need to keep on top of this with the DE and vacuuming as any existing eggs and pupa fritter out.
By the way, the vet called the manufacturer while I was at home researching Comfortis online. Apparently, they have now approved Comfortis for use in cats.
