A Multi-Pronged Approach for Fending Off Fleamageddon

Reader Contribution by Blythe Pelham

Granted, living with 15 feline furbabies (12 indoor, 3 outdoor) isn’t a normal state of affairs for most households. However, most of us with furball family members have had to deal with fleas at one time or another. Depending on where you live, this can present a year-round problem.

We suspect that basement mice brought the first fleas in with them though we may also have carried a few in from the garden on our pant legs and socks. With a milder winter last year, I was afraid the flea situation might become worse than usual. I was not expecting to have to go to war.

We started out the season with an habitual dosing of our cats with Frontline Combo (not an inexpensive solution with so many cats) even though we both feel badly about assaulting our pets with these chemicals. In the past, we believed it helped to keep us flea-free. While the cats obviously don’t like feeling ill on the day they are dosed, they do enjoy life without being constantly bitten. Unfortunately, the effectiveness only seems to last for 7 to 10 days. Since redosing isn’t recommended for 6 weeks, that leaves more than 4 weeks of footloose and fancy freedom for the fleas—not good.

My husband began researching alternatives when an impending fleamageddon became clear. We started by adding non-toxic flea traps. We used both Aspectek and Victor brands. We haven’t noticed a difference in performance, though the Victor is a little easier to assemble. Plan on periodically replacing lights. We bought green lights to try since some people mentioned they are more attractive to fleas. They seem to work about the same.

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