What's the best way to treat a mild flea infestation with complications?

Revolution is the least toxic (I researched it) and most effective. I used to apply it once per season (instead of once per month as they recommend) and nary a flea on either cat. I have zero idea if it is bad if you are pregnant, but since you'll be treating the cats only once before anyone gets pregnant, you'll likely be cool. Google some stuff about how topical flea prevention works to make sure. I'm pretty sure that within hours of application, it absorbs into the cat and isn't a health risk to you or the cat. I absolutely would NOT bother treating the rest of the house with chemicals. Especially considering you want to get pregnant soon. Flea collars don't work. (FWIW, I've had a bad reaction once with one of my cats using Frontline. The Internet says this is a thing with Frontline sometimes. YMMV.)

I recommend Comfortis, though it's prescription-only so you'll have to go to your vet. It's a pill, so there are no toxins on the cat's fur. On the other hand, I eliminated a really bad flea infestation by thorough daily combing - no chemicals used at all. I put the cats (we had several) in the empty bath tub, to make it easier to spot escaping fleas, then combed and combed, day after day. Only 10% of the fleas will be on the cat at any time, the rest are resting, so it took a couple of weeks. When the comb caught a flea I dropped it into a cup of water with a drop of dish soap (so the flea would sink). It's slow but so very satisfying, and the cats enjoyed the combing too.

I have twice successfully treated my dogs for fleas at a pretty early stage (just a few visible fleas on one dog, visible flea dirt/eggs on both dogs) without having to use any chemicals that would be of concern to a pregnant person. This is what I did: 1. Give both dogs a Capstar. Capstar kills only the live fleas and does nothing to stop eggs from hatching, but it's considered the safest flea treatment available. Capstar is for both cats and dogs. 2. Immediately give both dogs a bath. Start by lathering up the neck to keep the fleas from fleeing to the dog's head. Before the bath, identify where the fleas have been laying eggs (on mine it was behind the ears and on their rumps) and really scrub and rinse those areas. Afterward, go over them with a flea comb and make sure you remove ALL eggs. 3. While the dogs are drying, vacuum the hell out of the house, especially along the baseboards. Do this every day for at least a week. 4. Wash every fabric thing that the dogs have been on (their bedding, your bedding, throw rugs, etc.) 5. On carpeted areas, sprinkle with FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth, leave for 24 hrs, then vacuum 6. One of the two times was worse than the other, and that time I also mixed the DE with water in a spray bottle and sprayed the dogs with it, then washed them again a couple of days later. I've had a real flea infestation before, many years ago, so although all these steps are a lot of work, I'm not taking any chances. I also don't trust those spot-on flea treatments, so the work to eliminate them as naturally as possible is worth it to me.

Diatomaceous earth (food grade) is a great, natural flea control. It basically cuts their "skin" to pieces, then they dehydrate and die. You can sprinkle it into carpet, the back and under sides of sofa cushions, etc. Anywhere fleas might hang out or lay eggs. No need to vaccuum within 24 hours unless you put too much down and it looks messy. :-) Coupled with the topical treatment from your vet, the fleas will be gone in 30 days. Bonus: no more roaches/crickets/creepy crawlies. As far as preventing future "guests", if you aren't comfortable with a monthly topical, just work a little DE into your pets' coats occaisionally. It'll dessicate any hangers-on. Ditto for an occaissional sprinkle on carpets, rugs, etc. If you can, stay away from flea collars (Hartz brand in particular) as they can cause severe reactions in some animals. Comfortis is more natural than the topicals (Imidacloprid, etc., that are absorbed into your pets' follicles/skin), but can also cause bad reactions, so make sure to read up on that and discuss with your vet prior to use.

How about flea baths for both cats, then put on the flea collars, vacuum the house, and then set out those flea-attraction lights where the fleas jump towards the light and get stuck on sticky paper. You'll be able to judge your success by how many fleas you're seeing caught in the trap, and you can use a flea comb on the cats after their bath to see if anything turns up.

I prefer Frontline topical to get rid of fleas right away. Its a three month treatment, but most times I just use one when I know theres no chance of my outdoor kitties coming in. I've also used Capstar, which is an oral medication which I believe interrupts the flea reproductive cycle. As for the pregnant lady thing, I've always had cats, used both medications and didn't give a flip when I was pregnant. If you do use Frontline, I think its advisable to not pet the cats for a few days.

OK, while I was asking the question, my spouse went out and bought Advantage and applied it to the cats, so that's that for now, I guess. Maybe next month we can do something different (Revolution?). In the meantime, we're going to vacuum and wash the couch cushions, blankets and so forth. And MAYBE make a "flea-attraction light" (I found a description of how to make one on the internet -- basically it's a nightlight inside a styrofoam bowl full of honey -- yuck!). Thanks for the answers so far. And if anyone has any other tips (about how to not bring fleas home in particular), I would love to hear them.

P.s. Flea repellant herbs like pennyroyal, tansy, & tea tree oil are *not* safe for cats, unfortunately.

I would do Revoution, Capstar! And vacuum every day for a week. I also put a cut up flea collar in the vacuum bag/canister to kill anything that got in there. My cat had fleas once. After literally 48 hours, I had no problems again. I continue to use revolution on her in the spri g/summer months just in case. Of note- generally,over the counter formulations from pet stores don't work, so it's exposes you and your cat to chemicals needlessly. I agree that next month you should use the Revolution, but if Advantage (assuming this is the over the counter type) doesn't work, I would try Capstar now because you can use it at the same time as Advantage. And, of course, you can use diametacious earth and vacuum everyday too. Another note- my cat had a bad reaction to advantage. It caused her to lose her fur and get a sore where it was applied. Doesn't happen to most animals, but just wanted to let you know in case you notice this situation in your cat. It will heal, but takes about a month. Good luck!