i appreciate the sensible, helpful replies VERY much and am looking into confirming this is flea related x

You can't edit our posts or where we have quoted you.

I'd still suggest being 100% sure of what you are dealing with before condemning your much loved cats to goodness knows what. My dermatologist friend says he would need to see your child for an accuarate diagnosis but isn't convinced that photo is of a flea bite allergy. They are usually red and raised, not often blistered, though they apparently can be.

I think I'm wasting my time typing this as you appear to have made up your mind. This has been said before on this forum but perhaps next time you are looking for "advice" you might be more likely to hear what you want to hear somewhere like mumsnet.com

You have actually been given some good advice, sorry it isn't what you wanted to hear.

Edit, we cross posted, hope you can solve this - good luck. Could you ask your GP for a dermatology referral?

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Harry: Ginger & White b. September 2002
Oscar: Black b. 7th May 2011
Kitty: Grey Tabby b. 7th May 2011

Our lovely cat family

slothsarelovely - the people on this board are very passionate about the welfare of cats. There are so many people (I'm not saying you) that will rehome cats at the drop of a hat and people want to make sure you have considered all the options before doing so. Finding a home for two adult cats will be incredibly difficult. The rescues are full to bursting at the moment. It's obvious you care about your cats, so it may well be easier to deal with the flea problem, as difficult as that might seem to you, than to find them another loving forever home. Even if you do find a rescue place, it's possible that the cats will be there for many years to come. I'm sure that's not something you would want if you can do anything to prevent it.

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my daughter sees a dermatologist for different reasons, she isn't there for a while now which is a shame as i could've asked.

May I ask what for? Anything that could cause rashes?

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Owned by Fern, Heidi, Asteroid, Bubbles & Fizz
Missing Snippet, Frost, Willow & Nix


Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, and some stink.

no snippet, nothing allergy related, its for a birthmark x

I lived in a house once where the cats had a severe flea infestation. They werent my cats but I spent a ton of money on collars, flea power, spray and flea bombs. Nothing worked. It was so bad everytime I sat down I had fleas jumping all over me...

In the end my housemate who owned the cat had to call an exterminator to et rid of the fleas. I happened to be moving out around the same time so I dont know how it turned out but she still kept her cats..granted there were no kids but still..

My original cat has had fleas but prevention helped much better, I am sure she got dosed in powder but on the whole my mum managed to keep the cat free of fleas. This is the same for the other cat who turned up as a stray and is still mostly outdoorsy. Again no reactions from family members (other than bites) so I cant comment on that.

I now have another 2 cats and if I had to I would keep them inside permanantly if it meant preventing fleas and keeping them. I cant imagine its easy to adjust but its certainly doable.

At the end of the day if your childs health is at risk I cant blame you for wanting to rehome your cats but I do think its a good idea to get all the information and checks available so you know for definate its the cats. However I would definately suggest going all out to get rid of your current fleas and eggs and keeping on top of the potential flea situation from there on. Give it maybe 6 months and see what happens.

Some years ago a friend asked me to care for her cat whilst they were away on holiday. She had left the cat in the vets to be spayed and I was to collect her and bring her home. When I went to collect, the vet told me she was smothered in fleas. When we arrived at her house, as the cat had been missing for two days and no warm body to jump on, they immediately jumped all over a baby we were looking after for the day!

So, someone else's baby had to be taken home and bathed, all his clothing shoved quickly into a dustbin bag and straight in the washing machine, then I had to go buy loads of flea stuff and completely do the house. The cat had to be done again, of course.

If there is no animal about, they will get into carpets and anywhere else that they can flourish, so getting rid of the cats will not solve the problem.

When my friend returned and I told her she owed me so much for the flea stuff, she had the nerve to be insulted and tell me her cat does not get fleas!

Does anyone remember the superflea outbreak of some 30 years ago? They came in on animals and people were having to get exterminators in to get rid of the wretched things.

I am itching now!

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