For a quick temp. fix, give her a flea shampoo bath - call and ask owners first? perhaps they even give a topical already so you might ask about that. It's expensive, but if they okay it you can apply some? Good luck.

Yes, try a bath, however, blue Dawn will be good enough if you don't have flea shampoo.

There is a pill called Capstar that will kill fleas within hours. Sometimes you can find it at a pet store; if you can't find it in a store, you can get it from a vet, but some vets will require an appointment. In addition, I would apply Revolution or Frontline, but for it to be completely successful, it needs to be applied three months in a row to catch all the stages in the life cycle. Presumably it won't be your problem after the holidays, but poor kitty would probably appreciate it!

Note - you may want to ask the owner before administering Capstar or flea meds, especially because, as suggested above, the owner may have already applied the topical. I have used both TONS of times without incident, but just in case.....

And vacuum, launder any blankets, etc. that the cat has been on, etc. Capstar is great, but it'll kill ADULT fleas, not nymphs or eggs. And, imo, you MUST ask the owner prior to doing anything. I'd be furious if someone treated or bathed my animal without my knowing. You need to know what she's already done (if anything) and have her give you permissions.

Also, keep combing her with a flea comb. Kill those fleas by immersing in water with soap or dish soap in it. Fleas can live for many, many hours in plain water but will die quickly in soapy water.

Yes talk to the neighbors before doing anything. I use frontline on my kitties for fleas and ticks and it works great...they never have any.

I would just get some boric acid and sprinkle it in your rugs, under the furniture and so on. It’s a salt based product and what Flea Buster’s uses, it sticks to the bugs and the salt dehydrates them. It’s also considered animal safe. You can buy it from the Flea Busters site or the powder is available on Amazon and at Walmart. I used to use it for Roach control in the south, but it kills all bugs.

Flea Busters

for a safe quick method to get rid of most of them on the cat. mix up apple cider vinegar and a squirt of Dawn in warm water put it In a spray bottle, 50 50 water to vinegar and a drop of dawn .Spray cat or dog down till soaked through. have a towel ready to put the dead fleas on as you see them float up to the surface and just comb them off. I had to use this method when we found Mia had been infested by some feral cats that were nesting where the rv was parked in the rv park we were at once. I was amazed at how well it worked, I found out by googling. Capstar pills work great too.

Thanks everyone and an update. Spoke to Mitzy's folks and they were shocked to hear about the fleas. They suspect guests they had with dogs may have brought them. Their vet is two hours away (where they moved from) and the only option is the emergency vet which I don't think is needed. Mitzy has not been treated for fleas, and since a vet visit is required, I'll leave that til they return. I will vacuum and wash bedding and I bought a flea comb. Will see if I can find boric powder. I'm unable to bath a cat, but can enlist some help if needed. Raven, Mitzy has longish hair.....would the vinegar solution work and do I saturate her? That would be my best option for starters.

Thanks again!

Maybe you already said but are your pets already treated with a monthly flea treatment? If not they are sure going to be infested soon as is your home. I agree you need to call the owners and discuss this. Poor kitty must be miserable.

Your a good neighnor.

my cat rescued me as a teeny kitten at the animal shelter. i took her for first vet visit within first week of having her. she had been brought in as a stray and had typical stuff going on associated with being outdoors... worms, cruddy ears, but no noticeable fleas.

then i came home one day and literally got "jumped" by fleas. Zillions of them! vet said most likely she had some when i took her home. they jumped off and settled into carpets.

vet suggested something called Siphotrol (spelling?). had to vacuum the heck out of carpets, moving furniture whenever possible. vac had bags, so immediately after, the bag went into a plastic trash bag, tied up and OUT of the house. the Siphotrol is a spray... can held upside down. no noticeable odor. didn't have to evacuate the premises. cat had to be "quarantined" in bathroom until carpeted surfaces were dry... maybe 30-45 minutes. Never saw another flea after that day... like 8 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Siphotrol-Premise-Control-Spray-16-Ounce/dp/B000KVSTC0

Sorry just got back to see this. Yes saturate the fur to the skin. I wrapped Mia in a towel after I saturated her to let it do the job. Within minutes the fleas were floating to the surface dead. I used a comb to drag and drop them onto paper towels I had that were also sprayed with the solution. It only took a few times and they were were all gone. I sprinkled Diatomaceous earth on the floors and furniture. Vacuum up the next day.

mamapinky, I do not have any pets of my own. I am enjoying having Mitzy though, (other than the fleas).

anoriginal and Chess, thanks for that info.

Raven, thanks for the detailed explanation. That is on my to do list for tomorrow.

I would be afraid that the vinegar would sting the cat on any of her flea bites. Perhaps that is a proven or recommended treatment but I have never heard of it. I can’t imagine bites being sprayed with vinegar. Ouch.

I would also worry about a cat cleaning themselves by licking the dawn off their fur (cats are different than dogs in that way)....that does not sound pet safe at all unless rinsed thoroughly, but what if vinegar and soap got in her eyes? If someone treated my cat with that without checking with a vet, I'd be really, really unhappy. And I think the cat would be, too.

Think first you should check with the owners. Maybe they have dealt with it before.