Today I had the fun day of getting a flea spray and applying it to all four of my cats. Even the declawed males we have put up a good fight!
The problem is we got the two boys from my niece who claimed it would cost money if they were sent overseas ($2000 a pet) so they wanted to find a good home for them. It turned out they got another dog after my Mom took the kitties which is another story in itself. (Don't lie about stuff like that, just tell us you don't like cats. It's all good.)
The cats are indoors only because they got them declawed (a cruel practice as the vet cuts off parts of their toes for this to work). The only problem is they also had a dog who brought in fleas and of course they will jump to another critter even if they are dog only fleas. (It is true that dogs and cats have their own fleas, but a hungry flea doesn't discriminate.)
A few months ago we noticed one of the boy cats rubbing his butt across the carpet and at first I thought anal glands, but then when I watched them I noticed they both did their fair share of scratching. We had four of those packs left where you put the stuff on the cat's nape of the neck. We hoped it would do the trick, but last night a flea jumped on me and I realized we had to get the really expensive spray and moisten the cats with it.
I must say, those critters don't like getting any kind of stuff like that on them and I don't blame them one bit. It has an incredibly strong alcohol odor to us humans, imagine what it smells like to a cat which has 100 times better smelling power. Right now all four cats have forgiven me, but I really hate those fleas and all the nasty problems they bring.
For all of you out there this winter was incredibly mild and they are predicting flea infestations. I recommend getting the spray as it does the job. It costs a hell of a lot of money, but those fleas are gone after you use it. ($60 or so for a small bottle and you need to use it once a month.)
The Frontline brand spray has always worked well for me. Many pet store chains are beginning to carry it, but it is available at many vet's offices at a higher cost.