Target Flea Treatment For Cats

Does My Cat Have Fleas

When grooming, cats often ingest any fleas that they discover, which can make it difficult to find adult fleas in the hair coat. An itchy cat, or insect bites on human ankles, may be the only sign of an infestation.

The best way to demonstrate the presence of fleas is often to comb the cat meticulously with a fine-toothed flea comb. If you do this over a clean white surface such as a large piece of white paper, any fleas or flea dirt will be deposited onto the surface. If there is any debris , place this on some damp cotton wool if these are flea dirt, they will slowly dissolve leaving red-brown blood marks. This demonstrates the presence of fleas even if adults cannot be found.

Flea Treatments For Your House

With your cat taken care of, Reay says it is really essential to treat the house as well. She recommends using a vacuum first to get the eggs to hatch and then use a spray.

The PDSA has its own household flea spray , which kills both existing fleas and their eggs, ensuring the flea life cycle is properly broken. The spray claims to prevent the development and growth of flea eggs and larvae in the home for up to six months and can also be used to target other pests such as cockroaches and silverfish.

You can also pick up this Virbac indorex defence household flea spray , which kills adult fleas and house dust mites for up to two months after application. When using, hold the can at arms length and direct the spray towards the area you want to treat.

Whichever product you choose, Reay adds that its vital to follow the directions on the can carefully and to always air the room before you allow your pet back in. This is because household flea treatments can be particularly toxic to cats, so make sure they dont sneak back into the treated area before its dried.

Beef Flavored And Chewable Tablets

Its not always easy to give your cat medication, and for some owners, the idea of giving their cat a tablet fills them with dread. Other owners might feel their stress levels rising as they look at the calendar and see the date of their cats next spot-on approaching. Because Comfortis flea tablets are beef flavored and chewable, they are more likely to be accepted by your cat as a treat. This takes away the hassle and stress of keeping your cat free from fleas by providing a quick and convenient treatment.

Don’t Miss: What Was The Name Of Gargamel’s Cat

Discontinued Products We Intended To Review

Although we tried to find 10 excellent oral flea treatments to review, we discovered that several brands are now discontinued and unavailable online. There are numerous oral treatments available if you have dogs, but many brands, like Bravecto, only offer topical treatments for cats. Some of the oral treatments that are now discontinued include:

• SENTRY Capguard Oral Flea Control Medication
• Dog & Cat MD QuickTabs Nitenpyram Flea Pills for Cats
• Program Flea Control Green
• Capstar 004CG-61011 Fast-Acting Oral Flea Treatment

In August 2021, the FDA published a list of tablet and topical flea treatments that could cause adverse reactions to cats and dogs with neurological issues. As we mentioned before, our number 3 pick, Credelio, uses a chemical that could potentially cause tremors and seizures in rare cases. Isoxazoline class drugs are used in multiple tablet and topical products, and the FDA claims that theyre generally safe to use on cats and dogs. If your kitty is healthy and free of neurological ailments, its less likely to react to an isoxazoline product.

What Does Advantage Do For Cats

Advantage products contain imidacloprid, which works relatively fast to kill adult fleas.

Advantage II, which has essentially replaced Advantage, additionally contains pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator that also targets flea eggs and flea larvae. By targeting multiple life stages, Advantage II is thus effective against the entire flea life cycle, which is more effective at stopping flea infestations more quickly.

Advantage II additioinally targets flea eggs and flea larvae, so by targeting multiple life stages it is effective against the entire flea life cycle.

Advantage Multi is a different combination product that contains imidacloprid plus moxidectin. The addition of moxidectin provides a spectrum of action against ear mites, mosquito-borne heartworms, and the intestinal parasites roundworms and hookworms. Advantage Multi does not contain pyriproxyfen, so it is not effective against flea eggs and larvae, only the adult fleas.

Read Also: What Was Gargamel’s Cat’s Name

Revolution Plus Topical Solution For Cats Best Flea And Tick Treatment For Cats

If you want to be sure that youve killed every last little biter on your cat, youll need to call in the big guns, and they dont come more powerful than Revolution Plus. It will start knocking off fleas in as little as 4 hours.

A quick caveat: Revolution Plus is our top pick because its incredibly versatile. Its primary ingredient, Selamectin, kills fleas, ticks, ear mites, and various worms . Its basically a one-stop shop for parasite management, which is why we believe that its the best overall flea treatment for cats.

Theres one big thing that it doesnt do, however: kill flea eggs and larvae. As a result, you may see a huge difference in the flea population the first few days after application, only to see a few more pop up a little while later.

Thats normal, and nothing to worry about those fleas will die off before they can lay eggs, and the life cycle will be snuffed out. Still, it can be disconcerting to see a flare-up after youve applied a treatment.

Revolution Plus also requires a prescription, which is a bit of a hassle . Its easy to apply and only needs to be put on once a month, giving you hassle-free protection.

• Doesnt kill eggs or larvae

Frontline Gold Flea & Tick Spot Treatment For Cats Best Topical Flea Treatment For Cats

Frontline Golds ranking is somewhat paradoxical, as its just a tiny bit worse than the previous two treatments, yet its the first thing that you should try if either of those doesnt work.

It has an ingredient called Pyriproxyfen in addition to two other active ingredients, Fipronil and S-methoprene. The latter two make up the formula for regular Frontline, which has long been one of the top flea treatments on the market.

The problem is that some fleas have begun developing a resistance to Fipronil and S-methoprene, so Pyriproxyfen was added. Its good at killing fleas that other treatments miss, but on its own, its not quite as fast-acting as Imidacloprid or Selamectin.

Instances of fleas developing resistance to insecticide are rare, but its good to have this in your back pocket, just in case.

Frontline Gold kills fleas in all their life cycles, and it will also take care of ticks. The bad news is that the formula has a distinct odor and is oily, so youll see a slick spot on your cat for a few days. Theres not much in each applicator, though, so unlike some other treatments, you wont have to rub a small lake of insecticide into your cats body.

Fleas can be devastating and even life-threatening for kittens, but unfortunately, many treatments arent approved for use on young cats. Capstar is one of the few that is, and it can be given to kitties as young as 4 weeks old.

• Has to be given orally
• Doesnt prevent future infestations

Don’t Miss: How To Make A Lion In Little Alchemy

How Does Advantage Ii Work For Your Cat

Prevents and treats: Kills fleas at multiple life stages

Works for: Cats and kittens 8 weeks of age or older

Application type: Drops

No prescription required

Our Advantage® family of products can help arm you in the fight against fleas to treat your pet, home and yard.

Adult fleas can come into your home on peoples clothing or on other pets, and you may not even know it. So you might not realize that fleas may already be a problem on your cat.

Can Oral Treatments Eliminate The Flea Population In The House

Tablets provide instant relief for your cat, but they cannot kill off the fleas hiding in your home. When your kitty moves around the house, fleas nearby your cat will die, but unless you treat your feline like a duster or floor mop and move your cat along every surface in your home, the flea colony will remain and continue to propagate. Flea eggs and larvae can hide in fabric, carpet, crown molding, bedding, and practically any surface inside or outside your home.

Although several commercial pesticides are available, we suggest calling a professional pest control company if the infestation is severe. Commercial products are cheaper than professional treatments, but theyre also less effective and more hazardous to cats and children. Most pest control operations offer pet-safe treatments that do not leave sticky, toxic residue on your furniture and carpets.

In some homes, the infestation may be limited to the interior, but youll also need to treat the outside if your pets play outside. If you use pest control technicians to eliminate the fleas inside and around your property and give monthly tablets to your cat, you can eliminate the pests and keep your pets and family safe.

Don’t Miss: Horse Pine Litter For Cats

A Quick Comparison Of Our Favorites Of 2022

The Seresto Flea and Tick Collar offers pest protection steadily, killing ticks even before they begin biting. This flea collar continuously releases small amounts of an insecticide that spreads out over the surface of the dogs skin over time. It is as effective as monthly topical treatments. Its also waterproof, and so its perfect for dogs that like swimming or live in rainy or humid areas.

Seresto is safe and odorless, and you can use it on your dog with its collar on. It kills fleas in as little as eight hours by absorbing the formula into the dogs bloodstream right after application. With an advanced, long-lasting polymer matrix encasing, Seresto kills fleas and ticks while preventing flea eggs from hatching. So, you can finally relax without worrying about pests this summer or all season long with Serestos eight-month efficacy against fleas and four-month efficacy against ticks.

A con to this product is that it is a bit more expensive than the other collars available on the market.

However, this collar can cause some itching or irritation for some dogs, so you might need to remove it if you notice your puppy scratching its neck a lot.

If your dog has allergies or general sensitivities, this collar might trigger allergic reactions depending on the dog.

Hartz : Dog Flea & Tick Treatment : Targe

Also Check: How Often To Feed 3 Month Old Kittens

About Dr Pete Wedderburn Dvm

Dr Pete Wedderburn qualified as a vet from Edinburgh in 1985 and has run his own 4-veterinarian companion animal practice in County Wicklow, Ireland, since 1991. Pete is well known as a media veterinarian with regular national tv, radio and newspaper slots, including a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph since 2007. Pete is known as “Pete the Vet” on his busy Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, regularly posting information on topical subjects and real-life cases from his clinic. He also write a regular blog at www.petethevet.com. His latest book: Pet Subjects, was published by Aurum Press in 2017.

How Effective Is Revolution For Cats

Revolution has slower kill times for fleas and ticks compared to other topical products like Frontline Plus and Advantage II. However, the ingredients in Revolution Plus make it one of the best all-around products for cats with the best broad spectrum of coverage targeting fleas, ticks, heartworm, and intestinal parasites.

The question of flea resistance to products like Revolution and the idea that they dont work comes up often. The 2017 article Perception vs. Reality: Insecticide Resistance in Fleas from DVM360 that refers to an article published in American Veterinarian that same year addresses this topic.

An entomology professor from the University of California heavily investigated this question and concluded that while resistance has been seen to some flea treatment or prevention products, true chemical resistance in fleas with fipronil, imidacloprid, and some other newer products on the market has not yet been demonstrated.

In many cases, when a pup or kitty parent is still seeing live fleas on their pet after a product has been applied, this issue can most often be traced back to incorrect use or application of the product, as well as poor expectations. Following are some common errors or misperceptions.

You May Like: Gargamel’s Cat Name

Capstar Flea Tablets A Quick Look

• Only kills adult fleas
• Only lasts for 24 hours on your pet
• Cannot be used in cats or dogs less than 4 weeks of age, or less than 2.2 pounds in body weight
• An expensive product that only provides a short-term solution
• May cause some temporary itching or irritation after administration
• Does not provide long term protection against fleas and ticks

The Best Flea Cat Medicine For Cats Reviews

Shopping around for the most suitable flea remedy for cats can be challenging. Cats ALWAYS need a cat-specific flea product, as some dog products are toxic to cats. Luckily for you, we have compounded all great products and manufacturers on the market right now. Check out our favorite choices below.

Recommended Reading: Lovecraft’s Cat Names

Diagnosis Of Flea And Tick Medication Poisoning In Cats

Signs of toxicity include anorexia, salivation/drooling, agitation and restlessness, hyperthermia, vomiting, incoordination, staggering when trying to jump, walk or even just to stand normally.

If your cat has had inappropriate exposure to flea control or anti-tick products or if they are showing signs of being unwell that may be linked to exposure to these products, you should immediately make contact with an emergency veterinarian, as this is a potentially life-threatening situation. In these cases, the diagnosis is obvious, because you know that the exposure has taken place.

In other cases, a cat may present to a veterinarian with signs that are suspicious, and the vet may need to go through a process of making an accurate diagnosis. Contact with the animal poison control centre or the ASPCA poison advice library may be needed to confirm certain details.

About Revolution For Cats

The main ingredient found in Revolution products is selamectin. Selamectin is a topical avermectin antiparasiticide. Selamectin works by enhancing release of a neurotransmitter called GABA. In certain parasitic worms like roundworms and in arthropods like fleas, GABA inhibits nerve conduction. By enhancing GABA release, selamectin essentially causes paralysis and death of the parasites it targets.

Revolution spot-on products are applied to the surface of a small target area or spot of the skin, usually in front of the shoulders at the back of the neck.

It is important to note that while these pesky pests are affected by Revolution by coming in contact with the skin and dont have to actually bite a kitty to die, Revolution products for cats do not provide true repellency that would prevent fleas or ticks from coming in contact with a pet.

Also Check: What Was Gargamel’s Cat’s Name

Which Is Better For Cats: Advantage Or Frontline

Both Advantage products and Frontline products have different combinations of ingredients, so they can have different applications. Instead of thinking about which product is better, consider which product is more appropriate to your kittys needs.

Advantage II kills adult fleas and also targets flea eggs and larvae. Advantage Multi targets only adult fleas, but the moxidectin component can also kill ear mites and provide prevention for mosquito-borne heartworms and the internal parasites roundworms and hookworms.

The Frontline products Frontline Plus and Frontline GOLD contain fipronil, which kills fleas but also kills ticks, lice, chiggers, and even the sarcoptic mange mite. Both Frontline products also contain -methoprene, which targets flea eggs and larvae. Like Advantage II, Frontline GOLD also contains pyriproxyfen, making its effect on killing fleas more efficient.

In terms of the time it takes to kill fleas, Frontline GOLD starts killing fleas within 30 minutes, Advantage II within 2 hours, and Frontline Plus within 4 hours. Frontline Plus kills all fleas within 12-18 hours. Advantage II can kill all fleas within 12 hours and Frontline GOLD is likely comparable.

So all the products do very similar things as far as addressing fleas minus Advantage Multi which can only kill adult fleas.