Expert: Jessica - 12/20/2009

Question
QUESTION: My cat has fleas and she is an indoor cat (I have 2 dogs too that are being treated)  He gave me Frontline spray for all of them.
I notice since my cat has white hair that she has flea dirt.
Do I need to give them all a flea bath before using the spray... or not.. I mean, is the flea dirt just dirt..or make more fleas... etc
thanks

ANSWER: Hi Savannah.  The flea dirt is just flea feces.  So they do not contain eggs that will hatch into new fleas or anything.  However, the presence of flea dirt indicates fleas have very recently fed on the cat, so she should be treated with an appropriate flea treatment as well.  It is generally not necessary to bathe pets before applying any Frontline products.  The product should kill all fleas within 48 hours.  

Be sure to also treat your home for fleas by vacuuming all soft surfaces and washing bedding in hot water.  You may want to treat carpets with a flea killer after and then before vacuuming (vacuuming first will increase the efficacy of the treatment).  You should choose a product that contains an insect growth regulator (IGR) to prevent any flea eggs or larvae from developing into adults.  It’s important to treat underneath furniture, since this is a favor hiding spot of fleas.

Good luck!

Jessica




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Do you still recommend that I wash all bedding and clean the floors with IGR
I used Biospot flea bombs just the other day  I used 3 of them in our 2 BR ranch home.  It said on the instructions I didn't have to remove bedding so who knows

Answer
Yes, it's still a good idea to wash bedding in hot water where possible.  Frontline only kills adult fleas.  Since flea eggs fall off of your pet while they have an active flea problem, their bedding probably contains thousands of flea eggs, as will your carpets, etc.  It would be a good idea to treat these areas with an IGR, but be sure anything you use on their bedding is approved for such a use.  Certain pesticides (especially those containing permethrin) should not be used on bedding that the cat will have contact with, because it's toxic to them.