# Advocate and stopping the cycles of fleas



## PippaBoolittle (Jan 13, 2011)

My poor little indoor cat has fleas and I've done lots of reading here but I still have a few questions  

The vet gave her advocate spot on yesterday and I have another dose to give her next month. I'm hoovering the house every day, I started hot washing her bedding and toys and ALL our clothes and bedding and I'm considering hot washing the curtains. I'm afraid I'll have to keep doing all of this washing in cycles over the next few weeks because I'm worried the fleas will move from unclean stuff to clean stuff or that the cat will bring them onto them? It's a bit of a pain because I have very limited space for drying so I can only do a bit at a time and she thinks the clothes horses are climbing frames so I'm afraid she's dropping fleas or flea eggs on the clean clothes straight away! 

Also, I had just filled her litter box with oko which usually lasts her about 6 weeks but with the flea problem how often should I change it?

The humans haven't had any issues with fleas but I left bowls of water with washing up liquid and a candle around the house last night to try to find out how bad the problem is and I found what I think is 1 flea in 1 bowl and 2 in another and nothing in the rest so I don't think it's that bad? I ordered acclaim 2000 and hopefully within a week I'll be able to spray the house but I'm still worried that as I'm hoovering or washing one area, the fleas will move back from another when I'm done?

Poor cat, just want to make sure she doesn't end up with this problem again. Thank you for your help


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## Lucyh (Dec 30, 2010)

You could also try Program, it's a paste that goes in their food and stops the fleas breeding. You can give it to them at the same time as the Advocate. I'm struggling with them as well but it does seem to be improving and I only really see dying fleas now.... you can get Program from the vet or they can do an injection


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## walkingcarpets (Aug 11, 2011)

we've used advocate and program combined for the last couple of years and since have never had a problem with fleas as this method tackles the cycle in different ways. 

Also try to get a household spray rather than wash all the curtains and furnishings like RIP or Acclaim, the vet or online sell these. If you spray them into each room as directed, no flea will survive. Yes wash pet bedding however try not to be worried too much that you have to do a total wash with everything. Know it's easy to say when there is a flea infestation, good news is, you're on the right track with kitty being treated already and the house spray will help (don't go for cheaper brands) and in no time, am sure the dreaded fleas will be gone before you know it.


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

One of the top things I like about Advocate is that whilst it treats the fleas ON the cat, it also treats the environment AROUND the cat. So wherever your cat goes in your house, the advocate will be strong enough to kill off the fleas in the area.

Last year, before I moved on to Advocate and was still struggling with Frontline, I was spraying the house every week. This year - AFTER using Advocate - I have not had to spray the house at all.


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## Philski (May 28, 2010)

I give Advocate a thumbs up too. After Napoleon's accident last month, he spent a few days hiding away in a neighbour's shed and came back absolutely jumping with fleas, and soon Sinbad was as well. 

It took a few days for the Advocate to arrive, so I really noticed how much they were scratching and biting themselves, as well as all the flea dirt in spite of constant vacuuming. Within two days of administering the Advocate, they had both completely stopped scratching, and the flea dirt pretty much disappeared in a couple more days, never to return.


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## PippaBoolittle (Jan 13, 2011)

Thank you for all the advice and reassurance.  

Program sounds very good, she's taking a tablet that I think is some kind of steroid for the next 2 week so I'll ask the vet once she's finished them.

Thanks walkingcarpets (oh the irony!!!!) I won't bother washing the curtains so, I'll just hoover them and spray them when the acclaim spray comes. It was pricey, but I'd read a lot of you here use it and I'll feel so much better when the place is sprayed. 

Wish we knew how she got them as our vet doesn't believe the "It came in on our shoes" theory. I think my boyfriend is secretly blaming my mother's cat, I'm secretly blaming his nephew's cat and my mother is not-so-secretly blaming my penchant for second hand clothes  But the main thing is kitty is feeling better already


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## walkingcarpets (Aug 11, 2011)

PippaBoolittle said:


> Thank you for all the advice and reassurance.
> 
> Program sounds very good, she's taking a tablet that I think is some kind of steroid for the next 2 week so I'll ask the vet once she's finished them.
> 
> ...


Glad Kitty is perking up and advocate kicking the damn fleas where it hurts, pesky little horrors. They could have come from anywhere and if the CH has been on, might have triggered some life off.

Now you've started advocate and going to use the spray (yes is pricey, well worth it and hopefully one off treatment), sure will be fine and if you use the program as well, definitely else we wouldn't have opted for this due to have a nasty reaction to flea bites, we had to find something 'flea proof' and have to say, have never found a flea not even a dead one since.

Also from what I understand, fleas tend to stay mostly ground level though they jump, they need a host which is warm blooded animal or human to survive. With the spray, it will cover all of the room as it gets released into the air, no harm in spraying the pet areas including litter box..

Let us know how you get on, hope the spray comes soon.


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