Caturday ~ Fleas

 

 

Welcome to Caturday, where we talk all about cat issues!

Today we need to talk about a big one. It’s that time of year again! FLEAS! YUK!

I often get asked about how I deal with keeping our house flea free having 14 cats. Cats that have access to an outdoor cat enclosure where they could get fleas.

Well, the answer is simple, I use Frontline Plus. And I am ashamed to say I do.

Truly. Honestly. Ashamed.

As a natural cat mom I try my best not to put anything harmful into our cats bodies or environments. But fleas are one issue I have never won using natural treatments. I have tried them all. If you have read it or seen it on the internet or heard about it from a friend… we have done it. But we have always ended up with fleas.

I think a lot of natural treatments not working has to do with the fact that we have so many cats that do have access to the outside, albeit an enclosed space that they can’t escape from, but fleas can still get in. So our chances of getting fleas are much, much higher than the average household. And our cats all go out to the enclosure, and we are surrounded by other people who own pets who all roam bring fleas into our area.

The fact in our house is this… natural treatments have never worked for us and I will never again chance another infestation while attempting to go natural.

Ashamed? Yes. But also flea free.

I pick my battles and with fleas I use WMD’s knowing full well that they are terrible chemicals. But I guess I just have to take my chances. Okay. I am done explaining myself and trying to defend my decision. Even I struggle with this one as I know even in my own head it makes no sense and it endangers my cats. Sigh. But again… we haven’t had fleas in years.

The one thing I want to be VERY clear about here though is that I only treat my cats 2 times a year. Spring and fall. I do not treat monthly. I have found it’s unnecessary. 2 times a year works as well as monthly in our situation. So keep that in mind when treating your animals.

I would not treat at all if I had just 2 cats that never went outside. You would be treating for something that had no risk. No need to put chemicals into your cats body if they aren't even going to get a flea.

 

Next question I get is this:

How can you afford to treat 14 cats with Frontline Plus?

The answer to that question can be found here.

http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/advantage.html

I have been using this method for minimum 10 years. It’s true. Check the package ingredients yourself.

 

 

Question: I flea treated my cat with a spot on but it still has fleas. What can I do? 

You can buy Capstar. The Capstar will kill all the fleas on your cat almost instantly and the frontline will prevent re-infestation. Use the Capstar right away. It will kill all fleas on your cat with in an hour. It is imperative that you do not skip this. I have used this product many many times in rescue.

Frontline (or advantage, revolution, promeris, etc.) is only effective if the flea bites the cat. Fleas have a 3 week lifespan and only feed for a few days of those three weeks, so you must use Capstar to kill all live fleas on your cat instantly. After you Capstar add on the Frontline Plus and it will keep fleas future fleas off your cat. Any eggs that hatch will be killed when they feed by the Frontline.

Information:

Capstar http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11744

Treats flea infestations on pets. Starts killing adult fleas on the pet within 30 minutes. One dose lasts 24 hours. Use when pets are likely to be exposed to fleas. Also may be used prior to surgery, boarding, or grooming. Active ingredient is Nitenpyram, which interferes with the normal nerve transmission of insects, effectively killing them. Not a preventive. For pets over four (4) weeks of age. Package of 6.

Frontline http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+1991+7160&pcatid=7160

contains fipronil, which spreads via the body oils killing fleas within 24 hours and ticks within 48 hours. Ticks are generally killed before they bite, decreasing the risk of tick-borne disease transmission. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

Frontline Plus also contains (S)-methoprene, an Insect Growth Regulator, which prevents an insect from maturing or reproducing. Approved for use on kittens 8 weeks and older.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So that’s my flea advice for Caturday.

Until next time…

Carmen and the Primcats