Step one: Yes, clean the kitchen. In particular, get under/behind the fridge and toaster, and TV and cable box if those are in the kitchen, and by the stove. Anywhere specially warm. Also, the garbage can. Wash everything down to get rid of the bugs' trails. While you're cleaning, make note of any cracks or crevices where critters can hide and travel.
Step two: ALL FOOD goes into secure containers. This means jars. Nothing stays in boxes. Dry cat food can be mixed with a small amount of food grade diatomaceous earth. This is safe for cats to eat, and will even kill parasitic worms! (Wear gloves and a mask whenever handling DE, and do not allow Thea to be in the room while you're doing this.) Her wet food should be put out at mealtimes and put away when she's done. All dishes get washed and wiped dry as soon as you eat, and the counters wiped and dried. Any leaky pipes need to be fixed, immediately. The only water source should be the toilet (closed lid!) and Thea's bowl.
Step three: Clean the rest of your house. It needs to be tidy, with no food anywhere. No piles of papers or laundry either! Again, keep an eye out for hiding spots.
Step four: Go outside, clear all brush and leaves away from the house. There should be several inches between your walls and the next thing. If you have bags of leaves to go out, or gardening equipment leaned against the wall - move it.
Step five: The best pesticide is bait. Go to google, find several different baits considered effective against your particular pest, and purchase them. Pests will stop eating a bait after a while, so you'll want to get several. When you deploy the bait, put it someplace the bugs are interested but your cat cannot easily reach - again, places like behind the fridge, inside drawers, under the stove. If you've seen a hotspot, be sure to bait there.
Step five, continued: Also pick up a serious amount of Gentrol. Gentrol isn't a pesticide, it's a growth inhibitor. It doesn't kill the bugs, but it keeps them from reproducing. This is crucial for the success of any pest control operation. Spray that stuff liberally anywhere you've seen bugs or think they might be attracted to. Thea should not be in the room while you spray, but it's safe once it's dried. That stuff is good for about a month between applications.
Step six: You can put out a layer of DE anywhere you don't want to bother rebaiting frequently - the tops of shelves, under furniture - or on hot spot surfaces like the kitchen counter and table or by baseboards (in which case you'd apply it at night, then wipe it off in the morning). Get a DE applicator - if you sprinkle too thickly they avoid it. The success of your DE can be increased by mixing it on a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio with an attractant such as flour or powdered sugar.
Step seven: Go and caulk up all identified cracks in the walls.
IMPORTANT RULE: NEVER use a spray like Raid where you've baited. Those sprays drive bugs away from the bait and spread your infestation. (Gentrol doesn't do this. They'll stand there as you spray them, and won't scatter even a little.)
no subject
Okay. DON'T PANIC.
Step one: Yes, clean the kitchen. In particular, get under/behind the fridge and toaster, and TV and cable box if those are in the kitchen, and by the stove. Anywhere specially warm. Also, the garbage can. Wash everything down to get rid of the bugs' trails. While you're cleaning, make note of any cracks or crevices where critters can hide and travel.
Step two: ALL FOOD goes into secure containers. This means jars. Nothing stays in boxes. Dry cat food can be mixed with a small amount of food grade diatomaceous earth. This is safe for cats to eat, and will even kill parasitic worms! (Wear gloves and a mask whenever handling DE, and do not allow Thea to be in the room while you're doing this.) Her wet food should be put out at mealtimes and put away when she's done. All dishes get washed and wiped dry as soon as you eat, and the counters wiped and dried. Any leaky pipes need to be fixed, immediately. The only water source should be the toilet (closed lid!) and Thea's bowl.
Step three: Clean the rest of your house. It needs to be tidy, with no food anywhere. No piles of papers or laundry either! Again, keep an eye out for hiding spots.
Step four: Go outside, clear all brush and leaves away from the house. There should be several inches between your walls and the next thing. If you have bags of leaves to go out, or gardening equipment leaned against the wall - move it.
Step five: The best pesticide is bait. Go to google, find several different baits considered effective against your particular pest, and purchase them. Pests will stop eating a bait after a while, so you'll want to get several. When you deploy the bait, put it someplace the bugs are interested but your cat cannot easily reach - again, places like behind the fridge, inside drawers, under the stove. If you've seen a hotspot, be sure to bait there.
Step five, continued: Also pick up a serious amount of Gentrol. Gentrol isn't a pesticide, it's a growth inhibitor. It doesn't kill the bugs, but it keeps them from reproducing. This is crucial for the success of any pest control operation. Spray that stuff liberally anywhere you've seen bugs or think they might be attracted to. Thea should not be in the room while you spray, but it's safe once it's dried. That stuff is good for about a month between applications.
Step six: You can put out a layer of DE anywhere you don't want to bother rebaiting frequently - the tops of shelves, under furniture - or on hot spot surfaces like the kitchen counter and table or by baseboards (in which case you'd apply it at night, then wipe it off in the morning). Get a DE applicator - if you sprinkle too thickly they avoid it. The success of your DE can be increased by mixing it on a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio with an attractant such as flour or powdered sugar.
Step seven: Go and caulk up all identified cracks in the walls.
IMPORTANT RULE: NEVER use a spray like Raid where you've baited. Those sprays drive bugs away from the bait and spread your infestation. (Gentrol doesn't do this. They'll stand there as you spray them, and won't scatter even a little.)