My Flea Control Regimen

I'm so tired of fleas! I used to live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and fleas never survived very long, so when I moved to Tennessee, I was frustrated. I forgot how bad they can really be.

A neighbor got a cat, and let the baby go outside. My neighbor apparently didn't ever get bitten, so he didn't realize his cat had fleas. Of course, he let her run around the apartment building, too, so the place got infested. My cats got fleas from me walking through the building, and now we have fleas. Now, that tenant moved out and the building has fleas and flea eggs which will hatch regularly if they are not stopped by treatments.

I wanted to pass on my flea control regimen on to you so maybe you won't get so frustrated. This regimen seems to work for me, and I don't get bitten. We don't pay additional for pest control to our landlord, and the other tenants don't contribute, so you can see how affordable these measures are.

Believe me, at the first scratch by Beasley or Princess, the flea control measures start up! They hate the sprays, but if we fudge any part of the regimen, we don't get them all and get fleas back in a couple of weeks.

I start with spot treatments on the cats. I use Advantage for over 9 lbs. Beasley is 9 lbs, and Princess is 12. So, that formulation works for both of them. It is available in 3-month, 6-month and 12-month packs.

For my home, I use Siphotrol Spray on the furnishings all over the place, including carpets and rugs. It somehow regulates the growth cycle.

Tiger Cat

I live in an older 4-Plex, and there is a garage under the building. For the fleas that try to escape to the garage, I use Siphotrol Fogger.

For outdoor use, I use the Siphotrol Yard Spray, or the Siphotrol Outdoor Fogger (15oz), and I use Only Natural Pet All-in-One Flea Remedy to keep the outside bugs outside. The All-in-one is a barrier treatment that works for all hard-shelled insects, including beetles and cockroaches. It is safe indoors or out, so if one of the other tenants starts to have a bug problem, it doesn't move over to me. Since it is made from natural diatamaceous earth, it does not add any chemicals to the mix. It's completely non-toxic, and safe around food or food preparation. Great for the kitchen! AND, it kills all the hard shelled bugs that try to find their way in.

Beasley had a reaction to some drops I got from the supermarket, so I use Advantage on the recommendation of my vet. He became so sensitive from those drops that Advantage is the only flea control he can tolerate on his skin. Princess can tolerate other prepatations - if I can get them on her!

The VetKem products, Ovitrol Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs & Cats (12oz), Ovitrol Plus Flea/Tick/Bot Spray for Dogs,Cats & Horses 16oz and the Breakaway Flea & Tick Collar for Cats, all work in concert with the Siphotrol Premise Spray and Foggers. If your cat can handle a flea collar in the last week between the drops, you can use the Breakaway Flea & Tick collar. The Flea/Tick/Bot spray is good if your cats go into grassy areas out of doors. My two are strictly indoors, so we don't need it. The Ovitrol Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo is safe for both cats and dogs, and when I have to bathe my babies, I use it.

There you have it, my flea control regimen. I hope it helps you to rid your home and cats of fleas.

Related Pages:

Tapeworms

Flea Wars

Flea Prevention

Flea Control Items

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