Completely over reacting. IF there were a flea infestation you would see more than an occasional "flea", in fact i doubt very much that what you thought were fleas were not fleas at all. You would never have an occasional sighting.

@millworkman I thought they were fleas because of the bent back legs, small rice grain shape bodies, and they jump. I hope that it could be something else.

That’s not an infestation of fleas. There are excellent flea prevention products on the market. Also, fleas hate live eucalyptus. I have outdoor cats and they have never had fleas thanks to the eucalyptus trees.

I also think you are over reacting. I’m not really sure how you could find a flea in your garage unless you were on your hands and knees - they’re only about 1/8” long long! i might ask your tenant to use a newer medication than a flea collar. We haven’t used those in 40 years.

@clt3 I was sweeping and noticed in the pile a flea.( it jumped away, couldn’t find it after that) Since I’m paranoid Im just constantly staring at the floor and checking everything. The cat does have a collar but I also put some bravecto on the cat ( he has been on bravecto for 8 months).

Am I the only one who thinks it is extremely strange, rude, inappropriate and possibly illegal for a Landlord to medicate a Tenant’s animal, particularly when the Tenant has the right to have the animal onsite?

Karebear, since you dont know about cats, tenants, fleas nor medications, perhaps you are not ready for any one of those things.

"Am I the only one who thinks it is extremely strange, rude, inappropriate and possibly illegal for a Landlord to medicate a Tenant’s animal"

100% Mrs. S. Double dosing flea medication may cause more harm than good, You let the tenant have a cat, trust the tenant to care for it. I

I hope the cat doesn't have a flea collar and is also getting flea treatment. If it's scratching where the collar is, it's probably from irritation - take it off and let the flea medicine do its job. The medication works by killing any fleas that bite the cat, so they are not reproducing in your house. If one gets in (or has lived in the garage all this time), it will find it's way to the cat and die when it bites the cat, or it will die of starvation in the garage.

@Mrs.S I have not done anything to his pet that he hasn’t okayed. My roommate is actually an online friend who I’ve offered a discounted rent since he was in a bit of a bind.

@olychick the cat is mostly scratching its ears and body and licking its legs. I had just heard a lot of stories about fleas potentially hibernating and continuously laying eggs. To my knowledge they can’t live off of humans only bite so would getting rid of the cat eventually solve the problem?

@Stax I don’t know. I’ve done what the pet owner/roommate was ok with.

It doesn't appear that there is a problem, except your anxiety about it. If you were getting flea bites that would indicate there is a problem. You are exposed to fleas outside everywhere you go, from those on people's pets to the fleas that live on wildlife. You are going to be fine! Millions and millions of people live in homes with cats and dogs and fleas are not a problem if you keep the animals treated.

@Stax it would be no different if he did it himself. At that point I can’t step in because it’s none of my business its his pet what he puts on it,feeds it, treats it. He was alright with it. He brought an animal potentially with fleas. I’m pretty sure the collar has expired? The purchase of a new collar hasn’t happened unless he replaced it. He couldnt afford bravecto so I offered to buy it for him.

@Stax I don’t know what constitutes double dosing. I was under the inclination collars are weak. I also don’t know much about fleas. There is a lot of contradicting stuff online and I don’t really trust bug exterminators since they’d try to sell you anything. I have gotten a bite or two and so has my roommate. We do come through the garage so I’m thinking maybe the problem is in the garage because I clean inside somewhat throughly weekly.( not as much as online says to clean if you have a flea problem which is vacuuming multiple times a day)

@Stax I’m sorry you think I’m lying by calling it a tale. We’re both 22 and 23 and don’t know much about living out on our own and taking care a cat… I guess be happy that if you don’t think I have some flea problem that at least the cat is on proper treatment of some sort rather then nothing.

I suppose I’ve gotten the answer I needed. Thank you for everyone’s help. I’ll just continue to clean as I have been and not do anything extra. My tenant/roomie leaves next year and I guess if the occasional flea appears I won’t be too worried. I’ll try to treat it as if a random fly came inside. It’ll be interesting to see if I stop seeing them sometime after he leaves? I’m not sure if my cleaning is sorta keeping them at bay for now. Also to put a few people at ease I’ll let my roomie know about the double dosing thing and see if he wants to take the collar off. ☺️

It sounds like you are doing all you can do and I think anyone with indoor/outdoor animals will find an occasional flea. If the cat is indoor only now, it sounds like any stragglers will soon be dispatched. People with indoor only pets do not have to treat for fleas.

Please be very careful with anything you put on a cat, that is sold over the counter. It could make the cat very sick, or it could even die. Do not over dose it with flea meds that it may not even need.l A vet would prescribe something that works, and then use nothing else but what the vet prescribes. Quite honestly, if he is scratching his ears, it is most likely nothing to do with fleas. Cats get ear mites, and the treatment is easy. Again, with a vet prescribed medication. And no ear mites are not going to bite you, nor, will you ever see any. And even if you saw a flea, doesnt mean it was from the cat. You can encounter a flea walking down the street, across your yard, or someone elses yard. Someone you work with may have fleas, and they stick to clothing and can transfer to another, or just from standing next to someone in a line for food, or at the bank, or most anywhere. And to answer your question, yes, you are freaking out.