Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Hippykitty on August 03, 2012, 17:03:30 PM

Title: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Hippykitty on August 03, 2012, 17:03:30 PM

I've been trying to shred old bank statements, bills etc with a cross-shredder which was a belated birthday pressie from a friend. Trouble is, it overheats every few minutes and won't take many sheets at a time.
My bedroom, which is where most of the fleas are congregated, is cluttered with books, clothes etc. I've now recieved some Indorex from Amazon but am not sure whether I need to just get on with the spraying or clear the room first.

Unfortunately, I was too ill to take the cats to the vet on wednesday, and my cat-friend is off on hols with her daughter for another week next week, so it's important to get the house done.

I'm sure not everyone on purrs has immaculate houses and some must have faced this problem.

Please advise.  :thanks:

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Gillian Harvey on August 03, 2012, 17:44:28 PM

I tend to spray just round the skirting board areas (where skirting meets floor) of a room when I do it - oh and under bed, coz they lurk in dark places!

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Hippykitty on August 03, 2012, 18:06:21 PM

So I don't need to do every surface in the house?

In that case, I'll get spraying tonight.  :thanks:

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: sheilarose on August 04, 2012, 00:34:46 AM

Oh God No, Immaculate houses ??  :rofl: :rofl:

Spray where they sleep and play, plus your sitting area and the "hot spots" ie under radiators, firesides and where cats and people congregate. Forget book cases, etc. Anything cold or dead won't be attractive to fleas.

HK, you are so very welcome here, don't be worried about posting your questions - apart from anything else, there are potentially a million new cat owners with exactly your flea issues who need to know what you are asking.  :hug:

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: CatGirl on August 04, 2012, 11:49:27 AM

I know the flea bombs are good.

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Hippykitty on August 04, 2012, 20:07:55 PM

Thanks for all the great advice. Sheila, thanks for the lovely remark.

A few hours ago I sprayed downstairs. About 20mins later I realised that I'd forgotten to do the front room - which faces the road - so went back down to do it. I thought I'd locked all the cats out: I'd checked behind chairs and in usual sleeping places in the lounge, and locked the cat flap, putting their food outside. However, when I went to spray the front room I found Fred in the lounge - which faces the garden.

I checked that he hadn't somehow opened the cat flap and realised that I hadn't checked behind the lounge curtain. He'd been in the lounge while it was being sprayed!

I know that permethrin is very toxic to cats and one of the main ingredients of Indorex. I'm worried that I've inadvertently poisoned him. All the doors into the lounge were shut while the spray settled. Fred was in there all that time. I'm surprised the sound of the spray didn't disturb him, as aerosols sound like the hiss of a cat.

I'll be googling permethrin poisoning. If there are any VN's reading this, or anyone who has had a similar experience, please help. I'm loathe to rush him off to VetsNow.

Thanks

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: sheilarose on August 04, 2012, 20:25:26 PM

Oh dear, sorry I have no idea what to say here but will keep everything crossed that the spray didn't permeate behind the curtain.  :hug:

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on August 04, 2012, 23:30:53 PM

I would ring the vets to hopefully put your mind at rest, my out of hours (VetsNow) are very good and if there's nothing to worry about or no urgency to be seen then they will say so.

You didn't spray him directly and the spray settles pretty quickly so have everything crossed that no harm has come to him  :hug:

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Hippykitty on August 05, 2012, 21:59:39 PM

Fred's fine (fingers still crossed).

After chasing Fred into the garden and spraying the front room, I left it for a while to settle.

Later, when I went to air the front room, I found several of my cats in the lounge even though the flap was locked both ways. They seem to have found a way of opening it; this might be because the magnetic strip has broken. So it's likely that Fred wasn't in the lounge when I did the spraying, just popped in afterwards.

He's eating, and is so far showing no signs of permethrin poisoning (twitching, vomiting, seizures).

I was loathe to contact VetsNow because I've had bad experiences with them in the past.

Thanks for the support.

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on August 06, 2012, 14:48:28 PM

Phew, that's a relief  :hug: Lets hope all your flea busting efforts are successful  ;D

Title: Re: How do you flea spray a cluttered room?
Post by: funkiechicken on August 12, 2012, 05:06:46 AM

As Cat Girl mentioned, the flea bombs are great (sold at Pets at Home and probably more places) follow intstrustions stick in the middle of the room, walk out (with any sleeping cats too lol), shut door...bomb goes poof covering whole room, leave a while to settle, bobs your auntie the fleas are dead  ;D ;D

Glad that Fred was ok!!!!  :hug: bless him - woken from his sleep, chased round the garden and like you say he probably wasnt even in there at the time  :evillaugh: