THINGS I WOULD DO TO HAVE FLEAS IN CONTROL:
If you keep your Siberian cats indoors, parisites should seldom be a problem for you. Unfortunitly, fleas and tics can be carried into your home on a visitor's clothing. Or could jump off a passer bye's dog, into your yard and hop right into your door or window. All it takes is for that flea or tic to be a female full of eggs and before you know it you have a problem.
Flea control is best achieved through a four step process.
1. Good sanitation
2. pet treatment
3. premise treatment
4. follow-up treatments - if needed
IDEAS ON HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY DO THE 4 STEP PROCESS:
*Keep your pets inside your home.
*Routinely monitor parasite population levels.
*Flea comb your pet regularly. Dip the comb in soapy water or enzyme cleaner to clean it.
*Bathe or dip your pet.
*Use spot insectisides on pet, under VET supervision.
*Vacuum on a weekly basis throughout the year and daily during flea season. Dispose of the filled bags by burning, composting or sealing in a black plastic bag and/or placing in the freezer for a few days or in a sunny location outside in a black plastic bag to "cook".
*A professional steam-cleaning.
*Weekly change and wash all bedding and rugs with which pets come in contact - in HOT - SOAPY water.
*Use an insect growth regulator (IGR) formulation both indoors and out.
*Spot treat infested areas indoors/outdoors with insecticidal soap and/or or a least-toxic product following the label instructions.
*Try spraying the carpet and lawn with natural soaps or Safe Solutions, Inc.* Enzyme Cleaner with Peppermint at a diluted rate of 1 oz. per quart., before using stronger formulas.
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Tics are disease carriers. It is important to remove a tic from it's host. But use extreame caution in doing so. A tic buries it's head in it's host flesh. Removing the entire tic can be a challange! Leaving part of the tic behind is in the host is a bad idea at best. Save any tick that is removed from a human. Save the tick in a vial or Ziploc with a damp cotton ball or paper towel. Proper identification of the tick, testing it for disease and timely treatment is of utmost importance when dealing with organisms associated with tics.
~Laboratory research has proven that traditional or folk methods, such as using a hot match, petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, or alcohol do not cause an attached tick to back out of the skin. These methods may actually increase your risk for infection that may lead to hospitalization or death of people or their pets. There is always a risk of accidental contamination for both the person with the tic and the one trying to remove the tic. Do not use bare fingers to remove ticks. Open wounds, small cuts, and hand-to-eye or hand-to-mouth contact may provide entry for disease organisms. You might want to the the Ticked Off Tick Remover as it is specially designed for a task such as this. Once the tic is removed, treat the wound as needed. Clean your tick remover with alcohol or similar disinfectant.
Vacuuming with a good, beater-type vacuum can remove 15-30% of larvae and 30-60% of flea eggs from carpeting. Vacuuming helps remove some of the flea larva's food supply and straightens carpeting fibers, allowing for better penetration of the carpet by insecticide sprays.
Adult fleas exposed to IGRs become sterile and unable to produce offspring. Larvae exposed to IGR sprays die before they can complete development. Because most IGRs only affect the egg and larval stage
Flea Stoppers Carpet Powder is a desiccant, and kills fleas by drying out the eggs and larve. It kills the larvae from the inside while direct contact with the insecticide kills them from the outside. Desiccant mode of action is generally considered safer to use than an insecticide dust that contains a heavy organophosphate pesticide. Vacuum and then apply to (dry surfaces only). Work powder deeply intocloth or carpet, use with a broom or a rug rake. Any powder visible after application must removed. Wait 6 - 7 days before vacuuming again. As long as label directions are followed, there should be no harmful effects to the people in the house or the pets. It is specially formulated to be dust-free and there is no clean up needed after treatment and will not lose its effectiveness, even if vacuuming or shampooing occurs.
Putting products on your lawn helps prevent Fleas and Tics from finding their way inside your home. Use of BIFEN LP and TALSTAR PL is a good choice because it's active ingrediant is IGR, so it's safe towards non-target animals such as birds, reptiles and mammals. It comes in both liquid and crystal forms.
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Plant-derived, or botanical, insecticides kill adult and larval fleas and are relatively low in toxicity, but be aware that some cats may display sensitivity to these types of insecticides, especially the citrus oil products.