Catego Flea And Tick Control
Categos triple threat of Dinotefuran, Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen ensures that every base is covered.
Adult fleas, eggs, larvae, ticks, lice, you name it. Categos unique combination of active ingredients is up to the task.
It claims to be effective in as little as 6 hours, with its effect lasting up to 30 days. A similar story to the other options on our list.
As easy to apply as the rest, non-greasy and quick-drying it holds its own against even the most effective topical flea treatments around. Its come in last place because we saw nothing to convince us that the triple action is any more effective than a single active ingredient.
In our experience, fleas disappeared equally quickly with the single active ingredient topical treatments as they did with multiple ingredient ones.
Perhaps this is one best saved for severe infestations where the whole flea life-cycle needs attention. For general cases though, wed definitely stick to Bayers Advantage II.
How Long Does It Last
Each product should say how long it lasts on the packaging. Some only last for 24 hours while others contain an insect growth regulator or other ingredients that last several months. If you are only trying to kill adult fleas, a product that lasts 24 hours or less will do the trick, but youll need something longer lasting to kill the eggs and larvae. To prevent fleas, most cat owners prefer products that last at least a month so they arent having to reapply the treatment too often.
When Should You Use Flea And Tick Prevention For Cats
Flea and ticks survive and thrive in mild to moderate weather, so it is crucial to protect our pets during the warmer months. This may mean year-round required prevention in the south and western states.
However, even northern states frequently experience a few warm, spring-like days during the winter months. These brief warm periods are enough for fleas and ticks to start an infestation in your house and on your pet.
Once inside your climate-controlled house, fleas can continue to reproduce, living in the floorboards, carpets, and anywhere your pet lives. If your pet isnt using a flea and tick preventive, ticks may even crawl off your pet and onto the humans in the house.
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Ingredients In Flea Control For Cats
Fleas are pests that can cause lots of health problems for little kittens, including anemia. Unfortunately, there are many topical flea treatments that can’t be used on very young kittens or those under a certain weight, which varies by product. How you treat your kitty will depend on these factors.
Buyers Guide: Finding The Best Flea Treatment For Kittens
Flea treatments have come a long way in terms of effectiveness, but how do you know what will suit your kitten best? We go over commonly asked questions to help you find the perfect solution for your new kitten.
Fleas can cause all sorts of problems for cats, including allergy dermatitis and bacterial infections, but theyre particularly nasty for kittens. Due to their small size, kittens are sensitive to anemia. So, if they lose too much blood from flea bites, their tiny bodies arent able to cope as well as those of adult cats. Kittens also dont have a fully developed immune system, so they can be more susceptible to bacterial infections.
Before you choose any flea treatment, we recommend discussing your preferred option with your veterinarian to make sure its a good match for your kitten.
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How To Keep Your Home Flea And Tick Free
Fleas and ticks can live in your pets feces for an extended period of time, so you should keep them away from them as much as possible. After using flea and tick medicine on your pet, make sure to wait at least two hours before entering the home and to clean or vacuum any treated areas for at least 14 days.
Best Flea And Tick Prevention For Kittens
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Theres not much in this world that is cuter than a kitten. Unfortunately, parasites find them irresistible too. Kittens are at high risk for developing flea and tick infestations. Read on to learn how to protect your fuzzy little furball from fleas, ticks, and the health problems they cause.
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After Your Treatment: What You Should And Shouldnt Do
Because the insecticide spray used may be harmful to people and pets, you should not return to your home after treatment. After spraying the treated areas, it is recommended that you vacuum or clean them for at least 14 days to allow the spray time to work. The application site will dry as soon as it is finished, so you can handle, stroke, and cuddle your pet. Children should not be allowed to play or sleep with animals that have been treated for an illness, and animals that have been treated for an illness should not be handled. It is generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours before bathing your pet before applying any spot-on, topical, or oral medication, as well as when using an oral medication for your pet. The product has been activated, and flea and tick prevention has begun to work. Most dogs have no problems with flea treatments and can resume normal daily activities as soon as they are administered. After topical flea treatments have been given, they are not allowed to play in water or bathe for at least a week.
How To Use A Flea Comb On Cats Faqs
Are flea combs effective on cats?
Flea combs can be an effective tool to remove adult fleas and their eggs from your cat. They are a cost-effective option but can be a time-consuming grooming tool.
Where do you put fleas after combing?
It is best to have a dish of warm soapy water nearby and dip the flea comb after a few strokes in order to drown the adult fleas trapped in the comb. If you are combing your cat in the bathtub, you may want to dip the flea comb in the water and wash the dying fleas down the drain.
Can you see fleas on a flea comb?
You can usually see adult fleas when they become trapped in the teeth of a flea comb. They are small wingless pests that can jump very fast.
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Look For Flea Treatments That Are Approved For Kittens
The best options for getting rid of fleas on kittens depends on their age and weight. An 8-week-old kitten only weighs about 1.5-2 pounds.
Most products are safe for use in kittens older than 8-10 weeks or over 1.5-2 pounds, but every product is different. Typically, flea products havent been tested on kittens younger or smaller than that, so they may contain doses that are too high for very young, tiny kittens.
Always read the warnings and instructions very carefully to be sure that a flea product will be safe and effective for your kitten. Your veterinarian can also help you find products to get rid of fleas on your kitten, regardless of their size and age.
The 7 Best Flea Treatments For Cats In 2022
Our favorite is Revolution Plus Topical Solution for Cats
Sarah Scott is a fact checker with more than 16 years of experience in researching, writing, and editing digital and print media. She has verified and edited articles on a variety of subjects for The Spruce Pets, including pet behavior, health, and care as well as the latest trends in products for animals in the home.
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Fleas can transmit serious diseases to your cats, making preventative treatments a useful tool for cat owners with animals at risk for picking up fleas. Flea treatments for cats, including preventatives, are available in a variety of forms, including as a topical solution and as an oral treatment.
Not all flea treatments work well with cats, especially because they are very sensitive to certain chemicals . Using vetted, cat-specific treatments is key to maintaining you cat’s health while getting rid of their flea problem. We evaluated products for reliability, safety, and ease of use.
Here are the best flea treatments for cats.
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How To Choose The Safest Flea Treatment For Your Cat
If youre concerned that your cat has fleas, you are probably in the market for a flea preventative medicine. However, safety is a big concern when it comes to treating pets for fleasespecially with cats.
And many flea treatments that are made for dogs can actually be extremely toxic to cats, so it is important to find one that is labeled for cats.
Heres how you can find a safe flea treatment for the cats in your home.
Are Flea Shampoos Necessary
“Nowadays, flea shampoos are rarely if ever needed because the topical and oral flea products are much more effective and safer,” Sawyer said. “For flea-infested animals, we typically give a fast-acting oral product such as nitenpyram and follow with a bath in Dawn dish detergent or another mild cat shampoo. You can use a flea comb to assist in removing dead fleas and flea dirt .”
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Do You Have To Reapply Flea Treatment After A Bath
Regarding most flea treatments for cats, you shouldnt need to give them more after a bath as long as you waited long enough after the original treatment.
If you use oral medication, there is no waiting time after the treatment before your cat can have a bath.
If you use a topical treatment, you should wait at least 48 hours before giving your cat a bath to ensure the medication is fully absorbed and active. You dont want to give more medication, though, to make sure you dont accidentally give them too much, thanks to the partial absorption of the first dose.
So, dont double medicate just wait a little longer for bath time if you need to.
What Products Are Available To Treat My Cat
Shampoos, sprays, powders, and topical or oral preparations are all available. Although most topical insecticides kill adult fleas, many have limited effectiveness because they only work for a few hours after application. This is particularly true of flea shampoos and powders they kill fleas present on your cat at the time of application but have little lasting effect the following day, your cat may have fleas again.
In general, cats strongly dislike being sprayed so many cat owners prefer to use topical flea products. Flea collars may seem convenient, but most do not work well and are not generally recommended. Flea collars, especially ones with a strong pesticide smell, may be harmful to some cats or may cause a skin reaction or rash.
“Flea collars, especially ones with a strong pesticide smell, may be harmful to some cats or may cause a skin reaction or rash.”
There are very effective products made to be administered once per month or every three months. Some of these products are conveniently combined with medications to prevent heartworm and intestinal worms. Some products contain adulticide ingredients that remain effective between scheduled doses, while others contain insect growth regulators that prevent the larval stages from maturing. For best results in a flea infestation, use flea control products that contain an IGR.
Newer products that have the combined advantages of adulticides and IGRs are available through your veterinarian.
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Flea Collars For Cats
Flea collars have been staple flea treatments for decades, but older collars were not very effective. However, the newer flea collars, like Seresto, have proven to be reliable flea prevention optionssome even protect against ticks.
The Seresto collar is a safe cat flea collar that can last for up to 8 months . It uses two active ingredientsimidacloprid and flumethrinand is approved for cats of all weights as long as they are over 10 weeks of age.
The collars work by continually releasing the flea-killing ingredients, which can help eliminate infestations. This cat flea collar also has a quick-release feature, so pet parents do not have to worry about the collar catching on something and hurting their cat.
However, if you have young kids in the house, a flea collar may not be the best option. These collars contain strong chemicals, so children should not be allowed to play with or touch them.
Best Oral Flea Control Product
Comfortis Chewable Tablets start killing fleas within 30 minutes and offer a full month of protection with one easy-to-give flavored pill.
Pros: Fast-acting treatment starts killing adult fleas within 30 minutes, easy to give alone or in food
Cons: Does not kill flea eggs or larvae or prevent parasites other than fleas, not labeled for use in kittens younger than 14 weeks
Parasites prevented: Adult fleas
Duration of effectiveness: 30 days
Safe for: Cats and kittens 14 weeks and older, weighing at least 4.1 pounds
Not labeled for use: Breeding, pregnant, and nursing cats
Prescription: Yes
Our top choice for an oral flea control product for cats, Comfortis Chewable Tablets, is fast-acting and good for cats that can’t tolerate topical flea preventives. Its active ingredient, spinosad, starts to work within 30 minutes and kills 98% of adult fleas on cats within four hours.
Although topical flea control products are typically easier to use , there are some cases when an oral preventive is a better choice. For instance, some cats with sensitive skin can’t tolerate a spot-on treatment. “Comfortis is one of the ones I like,” he said. “It’s harder to get the cat to take an oral product, but if you can manage it, it’s a pretty effective oral flea medication. It’s strictly and solely for fleas.”
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Do Not Use Essential Oils For Fleas On Kittens And Cats
Cats poor ability to process certain compounds also means that many kinds of essential oils can be toxic to cats, even at low doses and concentrations.
Many natural flea treatments use essential oils because they can be effective against fleas. However, essential oils can be very dangerous for cats, so its best to avoid these products, especially for kittens.
Prevention Of Fleas On Cats
There are several products that prevent fleas from living on your cat. Typically, these products are used once a month, or as directed. Regular use of flea preventive medication is important to help prevent or minimize a flea infestation. Keep in mind fleas carry diseases that affect both humans and pets.
Its a good idea to routinely use a flea comb when grooming your cat to consistently check their fur for fleas or ticks. Typically, a pet parent will first notice a flea or flea dirt on their cats fur first before realizing there is a flea infestation to treat and manage.
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Why Trust The Spruce
Adrienne Kruzer is a Registered and Licensed Veterinary Technician in three states and has been writing on pet and vet topics for over a decade. She loves researching, learning, and problem solving in order to better help pet owners. Her years of working in various animal hospitals, alongside her formal college education and elective continuing education classes, have provided her with a wealth of experience and knowledge to benefit cat owners.
What To Do After Treating Cat For Fleas
After treating your cat for fleas, it is important to vacuum regularly and wash your cats bedding often. You should also continue to treat your cat monthly with a flea preventative.
Fleas lay eggs, which hatch into larvae in our pets environments, and they live, feed, and mate with us. Adult fleas that have recently emerged from flea pupae in your home are the most common source of cat fleas. The presence of carpets and central heating in a home provides an ideal environment for flea reproduction. When fleas live in eggs, the eggs become infected, and when a cat grooms a flea, the fleas become infected. Flea collars, despite their convenience, are ineffective for controlling fleas. The flea life cycle can be stopped by using a variety of products to eliminate both the adult and larval stages of fleas. Flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are expected to be present in the home, so spraying for this purpose is recommended.
After youve treated the entire household, focus on the hot spots: furniture, beds, and carpets. It is recommended that you vacuum your carpets, floors, and other soft furniture on a regular basis to remove fleas from your home. Pre-adult fleas are thought to live in protective pupa for up to 140 days. Adults remain in the pupae when a person or pet is absent for an extended period of time. There will be an increase in vibrations and an increase in carbon dioxide as fleas appear.
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What To Do If You Find Fleas On Your Cat
If you find fleas on your cat, consult your veterinarian for next steps.
Flea combs may be an important part of your vets treatment plan, along with medications. Remember that you need to use flea combs regularly to be effective in the treatment and removal of fleas completely.
Your veterinarian will also recommend other methods to treat all stages of a fleas life cycle, all pets in the home, the homes environment, and yard. In addition to treating your cat for fleas with the right medication and grooming, make sure all bedding is thoroughly washed, along with any clothing or materials that may have come into contact with the infected cat. If there are other pets in the home, be sure they are up to date on their flea preventatives and check them immediately for fleas.