Fleas...help!

[dmmj]

I know of a flea problem fix, I haven never done it but my family swears by it, you get a tray fill it with water and some dish soap, place a light over the tray and the fleas are supposed to jump in the water and then frown because of the soapy water, plain water is not supposed to work. I have never used this method but like I said my family swears by it.

 

[bllauben]

Just FYI, Vets, Vet techs and humane society workers don't tend to be good trainers. My wife was two out of the three and she is admittedly terrible at behavior modification. She's an animal lover, not an animal trainer. I get a lot of my clients because people in the above three categories recommend euthanasia for "incorrigible" or aggressive animals. I have not had a client put one down yet in 20 years. Vets don't generally understand behavior modification any better than you or I understand surgery.

Negative reinforcement IS positive. You are talking about operant conditioning. There are two means of "reinforcement" and two means of "punishment" within that system of behavior modification. When using the terms "positive" and "negative" think in terms of math. Adding something or taking something away.

1. Positive reinforcement. Adding something that they do like. Example: Giving a food treat for NOT hissing at the boyfriend. This will encourage kitty to not hiss at the bf.
2. Negative reinforcement. Taking away something they don't like. Example: Bf leaves the room when kitty hisses at him. This will encourage kitty to hiss at the boyfriend more, as it got her a positive (in her mind) consequence.
3. Positive punishment. Adding something they don't like. Example: When kitty hisses at bf, he moves closer to her. If done correctly this should teach kitty that aggression toward bf will get her more of what she does NOT want.
4. Negative punishment. Taking away something they do like. Example: Bf puts down the food bowl and kitty hisses, so he picks the food bowl back up. If repeated correctly, kitty will learn NOT to hiss at bf if kitty wants the food bowl to stay down.

There are a lot of misunderstandings about "positive reinforcement" techniques and their 3 companion, complimentary techniques. Punishment does not necessarily mean some sort of physical force applied to an animal, and it isn't necessarily "bad". It can be as simple as standing still, doing nothing and just not leaving when an animal is demonstrating undesirable behavior (this would be positive punishment). As soon as the undesirable behavior stops the person calmly backs away and exits the area (this would be negative reinforcement). It all works really well IF applied correctly.

There is a great book called "Don't Shoot The Dog", by Karen Pryor that explains the above in much greater detail. It might really help you guys and your situation.

Again, glad your cat is doing better health wise and wishing you the best behavior wise.

That clears it up. Thanks! I'm definately going to have to work with her on her behaviors. I know she's a sweet kitty. I think I know why she apparently hates men, but I agree, her behavior has to change.

Thanks!

 

[exoticsdr]

Fleas are always an environmental problem and only use your warm blooded pets as a buffet before making millions of little fleas. The only effective way to end an infestation is to fight them on an environmental level as well as on the animal. For cats, take your pick: Frontline, Advantage/Multi, Revolution, NOTHING OVER THE COUNTER (i.e. biospot, sargents, hartz).
There are four stages to the flea life cycle: the adult, egg, larvae and pupae (cocoon). You can kill the first three very easily, but while they are encased in their pouch, gasoline wont kill them. So, I recommend (with great success) to treat the environment three times, 10-14 days apart, and you will get rid of the fleas. Vaccuuming is good, I like to place a piece of a flea collar in the bagged varieties (the only good way to use a flea collar, BTW) and recommend emptying bagless machines after every use. There may be some resistance forming to certain products, but what I see is ineffective strategies employed to fight infestations: treating too soon or too long after previous treatments, not using the proper treatments on the pet, not using products because of a lack of knowledge of how they work.

 

[Nay]

Tom,
FYI, you are a kindred spirit.
I have been in the animal field for over 25 years. When Cesar came into the picture, many people poo pooed him as bad. He never claimed to be a dog 'trainer'. But people just saw his 'roughness'.I saw a man who had more intuitiveness dogs than any other person on the planet. You train horses the same way. Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. Folks want a quick fix with pills, as in many aspects of there life.
We have taken in many 'rescue ' dogs,(Only one at a time), One was a pit that was supposed to be euthanized for being a potential 'time bomb' waiting to happen.(Just because, never had he done anything. The last 'trainer' said he would never be a good pet.she was a 'postive' reinforcement only. Try stopping a charging pit with a cookie. We brought him into our house with 4 pekes, 2 large dogs, 3 cats and a few birds etc. From the moment I walked him into our house, (me first!) I knew he would be OK. It took quite a while for him to get a new home just because of the word pit, but after finding the right match, (young man who is very active) I am happy to say a few years later he is perfect.
I am sorry this is off topic and although I have much experience with fleas, I don't have alot with training cats..
I agree Advantage multi is the way to go, Fleas are becoming resistant to Frontline.
BTW I have a pack of Multi if you need it. PM me.
Nay

 

[zoogrl]

Frontline doesn't work. I've had two clients come in with fleas after being on Frontline for two weeks. Go to the vet, get a Capstar. Capstar will only work for about a day, but it will kill the fleas on your cat. Fleas bite every 30 minutes, so you will see them start to fall off. Follow that up with Advantage (imidacloprid), or Advantage Multi (imidicloprid/moxidectin. I prefer the Advantage Multi since it has heartworm prevention in it. There is no cure for feline heartworm disease, only prevention. Advantage Multi will not hurt your cat, but it will make them foam at the mouth if ingested. Only about 5% of the flea population is actually on your cat, the rest is in the environment. Good luck!

-Matt

I was going to post about the 5% of the flea pop. being on the cat, thanks Matt!
Back on subject, we use advantage on cats and see that it works quickly & without harmful side effects. It is a good, safe product IMO. Also something to think about, fleas carry tapeworms and the cats are likely to have tapeworms from ingesting the fleas (when they groom themselves) I would recommend deworming all the cats with a dewormer specifically for tapeworms.

 

[Yvonne G]

I know of a flea problem fix, I haven never done it but my family swears by it, you get a tray fill it with water and some dish soap, place a light over the tray and the fleas are supposed to jump in the water and then frown because of the soapy water, plain water is not supposed to work. I have never used this method but like I said my family swears by it.

A sticky trap placed by a night light in a low receptacle works in this same fashion.

 

[bllauben]

Turns out that Nina's behavior has everything to do with her previous owner. I was talking to my assistant manager. Her previous owner is a self proclaimed wife beater. Nina's reaction to my boyfriend is not an aggressive response like I thought. Rather, it's a defensive response. Still, we are working on getting her to trust the boyfriend. She's getting along better with the other cats now--which is a good thing.