Could my neighbors be giving my cat fleas?
By sedel1027
@sedel1027 (17846)
Cupertino, California
October 22, 2007 9:00am CST
Last month we found a few fleas on our cats after we returned from my MIL house. So we cleaned the house from top to bottom and treated the cats. The two week gestation period came and went with no new fleas. When we found the fleas the cats were not scratching anymore than usual, which is why we figured we brought them home with us.
Fast Forward to this weekend. I found a flea on the male cat (no flea dust on either cat, no flea eggs on their collars). I put the monthly treatment on them a day early and after 72 hours gave them each a bath only to find no fleas or flea dirt.
Now I am wondering where this one rouge flea came from. It is 2 weeks past the hatch time for any eggs. I would think if eggs had hatched we would have found more than just that one flea, especially in the bath water.
What are the odds that one of my neighbors with pets is leaking fleas into my apartment somehow?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@estherlou (5015)
• United States
13 Nov 07
I'm thinking they can probably pick them up from outside also. I've heard of treating your yard for ticks and fleas, so they can probably multiply outside sometimes.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
13 Nov 07
We live in an apartment complex so we can't treat the outside area for fleas. We may have brought them inside with us. Honestly, I think one of our neighbors has fleas and they are getting to us through the electirc fixtures.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
28 Oct 07
The question is, do your cats have access to any other cats at all, particularly your neighbours cats?
As far as I know cat fleas need direct contact with the host. Or, if your neighbours cats had been on your carpet, that would be a possibility too.
I don't think you could have carried the fleas home on your clothing, as cat fleas wouldn't survive for very long not on a cat.
Does your MIL have cats? Did you stay overnight at your MIL's? If yes, who or where were your cats looked after by?
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
28 Oct 07
Our cats are indoor only. They have not been outside since maybe June. I can see us bringing fleas in, but I know one can not multiply by itself. We didn't stay by my MIL house, but we do know that she does have fleas in her yard. We were over there 2-3 hours then came home. When we do happen to go out of town we don't board our cats, they stay home. We do board our birds.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
22 Oct 07
How long do the fleas actually take to hatch? I was thinking that we got rid of all the eggs and didn't see fleas for about a month, then they were completely gone.
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
22 Oct 07
The fleas could easily be outside in the grass, but if you haven't seen any lately, I would think you are clear of them now. Once the weather turns colder the fleas won't be quite so active either.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
22 Oct 07
We have extensive gardens (no grass) in our complex that were recently put in (smart eh? just in time for winter to kill it). I do know that the other complex we lived in with gardens did have that problem.
I was more thinking about the fleas coming through a wall or something since our cats are indoor only.
