do you know how to remove fleas?

[Gio77Italy]

6 months ago my cat jumped on me desperate and giving me a nice "cloud" of (almost) invisible fleas. the first weeks they were so many they would enter the throat, around the eyes, in the ears, the hands, everywhere.

our cats got them from a stray cat in our garden that is looking pretty messed up.

I couldn't go to a doctor and I thought that they would go eventually but they are still on me. I tried everything, I reduced them to a smaller number but just can't get rid of them.

I could only manage to see one dead in the hot tub, they are transparent with a brownish head. from what I read on Wiki. they are meant to be human fleas, in fact the cats don't seem to be affected any more. they are so small that when I tried to move it from the fingernail to a piece of paper I lost its sight...

I went to the local doctor eventually and she only said to use vinegar... I don't think she understood which kind of fleas they are. nothing is working and I don't know what to do... do you know of any remedy? they won't drown or die easily with insecticide. they had made nests under the skin behind the ears and on the neck which I removed but they seem to be nesting on the hair or somewhere else. I shaved my head but nothing... they're still there. I might still be getting them from the environment but not so sure about that. I don't have that impression at least... thanks.

[mkh9]

It may be cephalosporin.
mkh9

[Gio77Italy]

thanks.
ps
it seems that they also make a common antibiotic out of the Acremonium sp.

[mkh9]

Well, I wrote you and then the computer bleeped me out. Let's see if this one will go through. Regarding Acremonium (Cephalosporium sp.) it says in my book called "Medically Important Fungi" by Davise Larone that Acremonium is an environmental contaminant but sometimes can cause  mycetomas, corneal infections, and nail infections. But since you had this fungi and as sole organism it could have been the cause of the problem or maybe it is hard to tell. I've had some really bad "doctors" as well. They were worthless. Glad your MS-like symptoms are going away and it sounds like things in general are clearing up.
take care,
mkh9

[Gio77Italy]

thanks, they're almost all gone. the MS-like symptoms are better now although a couple of months ago for about a week I couldn't lift my left arm... which complicated things a bit . fortunately it was only temporary.

the Acremonium, if that was the problem, only pitched in on the beard and in the typical area of Tinea Cruris. in fact it looked just like Tinea Cruris. although when I finally went to do the biopsy it was only on the beard and Acremonium is the only thing they found.

the doctor who said Acremonium was not fungi was actually a dermatology professor at the local university. another dermathologist had called it "mold"  instead of "fungi".

I didn't show him the lab results right away, first I described him my problem and he said it was just psoriasis giving me a itching feeling.

I told him I've had psoriasis for 25 years how can I get it wrong? moreover it was itching everywhere on the beard not only on the few patches of psoriasis.  

then I showed him the lab tests and he was pretty embarrassed and dismissed it with nothing but he wanted to repeat the tests, which I haven't. I just ripped the prescription and fixed it with baking soda. learn by trial and error. with a painful component of error because baking soda can be dangerous on some parts of the skin..

probably he thought that I was making up the idea of a fungal infection because I couldn't understand that I had psoriasis, that I was mentally ill or a idiot.
I didn't like him from the start, I told him that I was using vinegar (which notoriously is acidic and kills mold) and he laughed in my face saying "it's not the salad". that's when I decided not to show him the lab tests until he made a diagnosis.

many of these doctors now a days are literally fake. they are fully absorbed by the gesture, psychology of the patient like they are trying to make a diagnosis based on that. they are charlatans who compensate by trying to mock and ridicule the patients.

[Gio77Italy]

you figure that once I saw her scratching her hands with red marks from flea bites and she said it was just "stress"...

they could persist on me because I had a beard and I was too sick with MS-like symptoms to take care of it.

the Pyrethrum foam is working, better than the Frontline. there are only a few left... it's called "Milice" and is actually sold for Lice.

the fungal infection was all over the beard, it gave me a crazy burning feeling, like Tinea. I was able to remove it with Baking Soda, as the treatment the dermathologist gave me was almost ineffective. if it was not the Acremonium then they missed it at the biopsy. I saw another dermathologist professor after and he said it was just psoriasis, when I showed him the biopsy with Acremonium, he said Acremonium was nothing, it was not a fungi.

[mkh9]

Gee that is ridiculous. I know which fungus Acremonium is. It is considered an environmental fungus. It probably got in a wound caused by scratching. Best bet is to use sprays that prevent them from biting. You can probably buy Cutters insect repellent online. The Frontline really should get rid of them over time. Sorry you are going through this. It is too bad your mom won't let you do more.
mkh9

[Gio77Italy]

and doctors were completely useless. they may know how to name a billion diseases but can't deal with the simplest issues sometimes

[Gio77Italy]

I sprayed even a lot of Frontline on myself a couple of times I was desperate I couldn't get rid of them but it wasn't resolutive. I guess I also kept getting them from the clothes. our area is filthy and densely populated it might even be a exotic specie. they also brought a fungal infection, I think it's called "Acremonium" because that was the only thing that appeared in the biopsy. that I managed to remove soon enough but not the fleas...

[Gio77Italy]

they do jump and look like fleas, except that they have a transparent body. I had never heard of fleas "digging" the skin either but this is what they do... they leave trails in straight lines or curved. or all  in one spot on top of the ears or the neck. when I realised that I "blew up" the nests with ammonia. washing was not enough...

[Gio77Italy]

I also bought a spray-foam with Pyrethrum I'll try it on the few that are left

[Gio77Italy]

thanks, I can't use products for the house but I'm cleaning the floors so it should be enough.

It seems that I can rinse them off: hot shower and rubbing seems better than bath as I think they used to float in the water and not go away with it.

this time they were really too many and I was busy with my old health problem too.

so far it seems that I finally managed to get rid of them, thanks to all:)

[mkh9]

I just read about how Frontline Spot on works. I'm not sure if you are using spot on or another form of Frontline. But the Frontline spot on kills the fleas and also prevents them from reproducing with each other. So, maybe use the spot type or maybe what you have is not fleas because I haven't heard of them laying eggs behind the ears etc. Usually you can't see the flea eggs except as a tiny dot. So, if this doesn't work see your vet.
good luck.
Marie

[mkh9]

The fleas have a 7 day life cycle so they come back if you don't get rid of them. I feel for you as I had an infestation at one point. I am surprised she is not getting bitten too. Does she ever leave the house?  I assume not. You might try advantage instead next time. Keep spraying your legs  with anti flea spray. The only one that worked for me was Cutters insect repellant the green one. But you shouldn't be able to see the eggs, or they would be tiny dots. So, this may be something else. Have you gone to the vet yet? You may want to confirm this isn't something else. It does some like a bad infestation though and since they died down after Frontline it sounds like it is fleas. You have to break the lifecycle. The vets have a spray and bath for the cat. THey don't like it of course and I never though I would be able to bathe my cat but I took charge of her and grabbed her and put her in the bath. I have her nice rub down after and then sprayed her with the stuff the vet gave me. She didn't like that. But really Advantage should work on them now that they have this. I'm sure it is the rug and grass outside that is the problem. If you could just get your mom out for a few hours you could flea bomb the place. But you have to stay out as long as it says and vent the windows. But, I would go to the vet to be sure of what to do. I know it is expensive. Maybe there is something they can suggest. I understand your dilemma,
mkh9

[Gio77Italy]

after the bath, they came back somehow, they are now trying to lay eggs on the neck and behind the ears so they are biting like hell.

I'm reading that a female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day.

unfortunately this isn't my house. my old mother is the owner and she doesn't listen to the doctors, she tries to prevent me from everything I try to do to remove the fleas. because for her there have to be no fleas so there are no fleas... sort of a tragic-comic situation  

[silverfox67]

Get some Diatomaceous Earth from Amazon.  You can drink some in water or juice - you can use it all over the house and it won't hurt you or your pets.  It will kill the fleas, ants and anything else creepy crawly in your home.  Just don't use it in your garden as it will also kill friendly worms.  Those sticky flea traps will help also to catch the ones "that got away".   You can rub the earth into the cat's fur and it won't hurt them even if they lick it off.  Great stuff.

[mkh9]

Glad you have them under control. I hate fleas. Back when I had a cat they didn't have frontline ( I forgot they now have that). So that is great. They can remain in the rug for a time but they will jump on the cat and then die off soon.
good luck!
mkh9

[Gio77Italy]

thanks, on the cats they only survived a few weeks but didn't nest on them. we also gave them Frontline.

on me instead they never seemed to go away, they particularly bite on the area of the beard, behind the ears and almost nowhere else. they do move around all hair of the body.

other times I had regular dog fleas jump on me but they would go away in a day or two. (the bigger ones). these ones are different...

any ways today I tried filling a hot tub with hot water and a whole box of baking soda, it seemed to have worked! there are only a handful left jumping around.

[BarbieAnn85]

give ur cat advantix or frontline. as for you i would bomb my house and i think the nix shampoo for lice will work on the mites

[mkh9]

Well, I had a cat and cat fleas prefer humans over cats or equally to cats. You can also get tapeworms from the cats. I tried using a flea bomb in the house (several cans) sometimes it works and sometimes not at all because they get resistant. I also got Cutters insect repellant that says it works on fleas. Keep it on you before you go into the house and after you shower. The fleas can jump on you then jump off when you bathe. If you bomb the house you have to leave for as long as it says on the can. The you repeat in 7 days. If that doesn't work see a veterinarian. Flea collars don't work. The vet can give you the best spray and bathing solution for the cat and then the best stuff for the rug. don't let your cats outside they will have to stay indoors after you clear them up and from now on and you need to use a litter box instead. This is why I don't have cats anymore but I hate the fleas. Dog fleas don't like humans (they are different species). Anyway, I tried both ways and only the vets way worked for me. You have to follow it exactly.
Hope this helps.

[BluCrystal]

Wow, that's a weird one.  Regular fleas you find on animals do not behave in this way.  People can acquire mites that would do these things.  See another doctor, maybe a dermatologist, and maybe you can get some special soap or lotion to use, plus the dr might want you on a medication that works from inside also. - Blu