Comments on: How Does An Indoor Kitten Get Fleas?

By: lizard girl

lizard girl — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:09:48 +0000

If someone you know has fleas in their house the eggs can get on your clothing and be transported home.
Also they can live in a carpet for a while, I think.
I had this same problem, only with 2 litters of indoor kittens.

By: Professor Campos

Professor Campos — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:29:44 +0000

You may have a mouse problem.
Are there carpets in the home? Perhaps a flea hitched a ride on a sock or in between your shoelaces from the outdoors or someone else’s house.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:10:55 +0000

No offense but do you have mice/rats in your house?Do you live in an apartment complex where your neighbors may have flea issues or rodent issues Other pets that go outside? Bottom line just get some advantage for the kitty and get some good flea spray for your house-try this kind:http://www.vetdepot.com/index.asp?PageAc...
Vaccum eveything in your house like crazy and then get rid of the bag. Please don’t use any over the counter products on your cat such as Hartz-they are ineffective and worst of all DANGEROUS and can seriously harm or even kill your cat.
Consult your vet for further advice.
ps old cat lady is right about everyone leaving the house when you are bombing/spraying-it really is yucky stuff

By: jvsconsu

jvsconsu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:38:19 +0000

The kitten didn’t necessarily bring the fleas. They’re small enough to “ride in” on your clothing, or in a piece of furniture. It only takes a few to start a big infestation (they’re bugs, after all). Also, depending on the climate/time of year, flea eggs can lay dormant (in carpets, for example) for months. They hatch when the temperature is favorable, usually in Summer. So, they could have been there even before the kitten arrived. And whether or not your local Animal Shelter gave the kitten a flea bath before you adopted her…they don’t last forever. A week or so, tops.
You should remove the kitten (and any other pets) from the house/area for about two days, and set off some “flea bombs” (how many you’ll need depends on the amount of space involved). After a few hours, it’s safe enough for humans to re-occupy the house, but leave any pets (and young kids) at a friend’s house for a day or two.

By: Thin Kaboudit

Thin Kaboudit — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:07:11 +0000

Kitty may have had some surviving flea eggs after treatment at the Shelter, and now she’s in a warm house they LIKE it and came out to play. Get her a flea collar (one suitable for a kitten), and then catch & squish the fleas, or leave for a few hours and flea-bomb the house if they are really bad.
Sorry about all this!
But thanks for taking a kitten…

By: terriean

terriean — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:06:23 +0000

Fleas can be in your yard, left there by other animals. One jumps on your pant leg, gets in the door and sets up housekeeping on your cat. You’ll probably have to deflea the cat and your house.

By: tracker 9000

tracker 9000 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:00:11 +0000

he either had some on him when you brought him home from the vet (like eggs), or you already had some on your carpet and it got worse.
either way you lose

By: Chucky

Chucky — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:30:20 +0000

Not all flea medication works. The fleas can be carried in by you. On the cuffs of your pants or shoes. They lay eggs in your carpets and then hatch, but they need blood to live on. Is your family or kitten itching. Call a exterminator.

By: Andy G

Andy G — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:11:05 +0000

Fleas can get into the house riding on your clothes or shoes, and then hang out in the carpet or furniture and if they find a good host (your kitten, in this case), they can multiply.
Get some flea medication (www.1800petmeds.com has the best prices for Advantage when I shopped around last year), and once they have nowhere to go, it’ll end.
There’s just not much you can do about it. Luckily the meds are a once-a-month thing and easy to administer.

By: AdamKadm

AdamKadm — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:52:14 +0000

::sigh::
I got mine the same way you did. However, I have a “screen door” which they got thru, from the outdoor cats. I don’t know how, but somehow one slipped thru and wow, what a mess it grew into. Had to have the cats sheltered for a month while the cleaner’s came in and did the carpets 2x for flea’s in a month with special flea egg killer and flea killer and all that junk. The cats could not be around, so I had their vet harbor them in her Kennel and de-flea them during this time. It was bad.
By the time I felt “clean again” in the house, the vet called saying they were “de-fleaed” and so I brought them back home. Been good since. However, I do NOT leave just the screen door open, but close the front door too, now.