Help - Roaches

[Kirstin]

Hi guys.

I´ve got a little problem here.
We´ve just moved in a new apartment and the first thing I´ve discovered are roaches up to 0.6 inches. :eek:

We´ve got two cats and now I´m worried what could happen if I order pest control to take care of this.
Do you have any advise for me ? How careful do I have to be ? Should the cats live a few days in a cats hotel ?
I´ve never had a problem like this and I´m pretty unexperienced with roaches. :o

I´m thankful for any advise.

[mynameislola]

Is this a rental? Check with the lease and the landlord to see if that is covered. Some I've seen do not allow renters to hire people without permission.

Roaches like water, so check to see if you have a leak anywhere. Wrap all your food up. Put food in bags and boxes into the fridge or in glass jars.

If you use poison, the cats might eat the sick bugs. There are traps that do not use poison.

That is small for California roaches.

[abcrystcats]

I'm sorry about your roaches .... those things are so disgusting!

I would definitely make your landlord take care of that problem. They should send a pest control company in to spray or fumigate the apartment. I would keep your cats well out of the area for double the time they say it is safe.

I have used the supermarket available house bombs with some success. I always used 3 or 4 for about 900 square feet of living space, followed all the precautions for covering things to the letter, and then left the house with all my pets for whole day, minimum. Still cleaning up all the dead bugs was totally gross. And, right, what if your cats try to "help" and they eat some?

Do you have to live in California? I moved from there to a high altitude and not only are there no roaches in Colorado, there are also no FLEAS. My cats are in Heaven.

[Kirstin]

Hi abcrystcats.
You´re right, it is disgusting. :mad:
The landlord told me they will take care of it but I said I am going to check on my cats first. So, they will spend the night in a cats hotel. I don´t see any other choice at this point.

Right now we have to live in CA. My husband works here and we came from germany one and a half year ago.
Isn´t it strange ? I had to come to the U. S. to meet my first German roach. :o

[nyder]

I live in a low income housing, which unfortunetly, has roaches also.
My cat loves them. She loves to hunt them, loves to eat them. As it stands, i don't hardly see any roaches in my unit anymore.

But a roach that has been poisioned, I never thought of that. Mainly since roaches seem to flee areas that get sprayed (which is why it's better to spray the whole building at once, instead of floor by floor, or room by room.

I'm glad I came across this, because I need to look into it more. But, roaches by them selves shouldn't hurt your cat, will actually give it some exercise and let the cat practice it's hunting skills. =)

[Kirstin]

Our problem has probably been solved by moving. We´re searching for nice a house away from downtown. :o

I´m happy my cats don´t eat the roaches. They could carry tuberculosis, anthrax, salmonella or other highly infective diseases.

[nyder]

Our problem has probably been solved by moving. We´re searching for nice a house away from downtown. :o

I´m happy my cats don´t eat the roaches. They could carry tuberculosis, anthrax, salmonella or other highly infective diseases.

Yes, moving usually works. If I didn't have such a nice view...

Anyways, now that I got rid of my roommate, I'm once again in the cleanest part of the building.

Oh, as for roaches possibly carring those dieseases, I don't think so. I just did a search for info on roaches, and it seems that a lot of cultures have uses for eating roaches, or dried roaches, or roaches mixed into god knows what.
But none of these pages even suggests that people can get sick or diseased from roaches. The roaches can live in those conditions though, but that they carry it? Not finding any facts to back that up.
I'm not trying to say your wrong, I'm just curious as to whats true, as I don't want my cat getting sick.
Do you have any links about that, or is it just something you've been told? Because I know fleas & rats can carry those diseases, but never heard about roaches.

Anyways, i'm not done checking though, it's possible I just haven't come it yet.


I actually found this site that backs your claim up a little.

http://www.pestworld.org/Database/Article.asp?ArticleID=16&UserType=Consumers

I am creeped out by all the roaches articles I've just gone through. But it does seem as though cockroaches can carry some diseases also. guess your chance of getting aids from a mosquito is probably better though.

One really disturbing thing I read was on that page I linked, in the part about America roaches & ships.
I don't think I'm going to sleep until I completely clean my apartment tonight.