Christmas Visitors – You Don’t Want a Flea Infestation!

As with other pests at this time of year, fleas are using any means possible to gain access to your warm, dry home, and before you know it, you can have a flea infestation.
My colleague very recently told me her story of woe after getting a new kitten. It’s the time when we are putting up Christmas trees and decorations, and my pal was very wary of doing so with a kitten and young child in her house. However, she proceeded anyway… she’s not sure who had the most fun, the child, the kitten or the bemused husband.
Anyway, this is a pest control article, so I’ll get to the point. The family assumed the kitten’s erratic behaviour that night was due to the overstimulation from decorating the tree earlier – she was running around like mad, climbing the curtains, knocking over plants etc. Kitten behaviour – but to the extreme!
The following day my friend woke up to some itchy bites on her skin! Working with me, she knows the possibilities and can identify the most likely cause.
It turns out the kitten had picked up fleas during a routine visit to the vet and had brought them home, coincidentally with a free spot-on flea treatment.
The treatment was applied asap as per the instructions given. Then, the family went out for the day (closing the door to the room with the newly erected Christmas tree in it!).
When the family returned home, the kitten calmed down a bit and tried to get the flea treatment off (no chance, kitty, it was applied correctly). However, later that evening, my friend was in the bathroom and saw several fleas abandon their kitty host and jump into the bath! Not seen that one before, but it is common for them to try and get off the animal as they are dying.
I advised her to hoover the house and change any bedding the kitten may have slept on, which helps stop the flea infestation from spreading further. Hopefully, they were not in the place long enough to lay any eggs for a future infestation to occur.
This was a tiny incident involving a young kitten who had only been outdoors to the vet. However, if you have any suspicions of fleas on your pet – cat, dog or indeed ferret – then you may need our professional help to get rid of them.
They are an itchy, scratchy pain to be entirely rid of.