Fleas

[Gaina]

Hello all, long time no type! Hope everyone is well.

I worm and de-flea Billy faithfully, but we seem to be having a particularly bad flea year here in South West England.

I use frontline for Bill and we've sprayed every room with '4Fleas' as it got the best write-up. We've also bought some heat traps which seem to be very effective....

But poor Billy is still getting 'hitch-hikers!'. We only treated him with Frontline 2 weeks ago so he has another 2 weeks before we can do it again (I've read some of the other posts about Frontline not working and I'm changing - not sure weather to go with Advantage or Program).

Is there anything I can do for him in the meantime to keep the fleas under control? I got him a new 'nit comb' with tiny teeth and he's getting brushed at least twice a day with that. He has a very adventurous pallet so I'm wondering if there's something I can put in his food or offer a little titbit as a natural way of deterring the bitey blighters until he's due another dose of flea treatment?

We have a bottle of Bob Martin but I've just spent half an hour reading a lot of reviews from various sources that quite frankly make me want to put as much distance between that stuff and my precious cat as possible!

Any help greatly appreciated.

Gaina

[angieh]

Hi Gaina - it has been a long time!

Sorry to hear about the fleas - horrid things. You are wise to change from Frontline - I live in Hants/W.Sussex border and Frontline stopped working in this area about 3 years ago. After a bit of a time lag, our vet stopped using it and now prescribes Advocate, which so far is working fine. It seems that fleas develop a resistance over time. Acclaim is a very good household spray, which I have used and think works very well - you do have to do every room thoroughly and any cat bedding too of course. Yes, stay away from Bob Martin stuff.

If Billy is being particularly troubled by adult fleas you could try Capstar tablets - but these do actually only kill the adult form of the flea but it gives you time to do the household spraying and keep them under control.

Good luck - do hope you and Billy are soon flea-free.

[Gaina]

Thanks angeih, that's a big help! Do you know if Capstar safe to use before the two weeks left on the frontline is up? How is your cat about taking tablets? Billy is not great about taking tablets, except for the joint care supplement I give him - he wolfs that down because it's got malt in it .

[angieh]

How old is Billy Gaina? I had to give my dear old Merlin a Capstar tablet when we had the trouble with fleas around 3 years ago. He was about 22 years old at the time and had had his Frontline and I'd been back to the vet a couple of times saying he's got fleas, but being a dark tabby, they couldn't find any evidence. Let my poor old boy down badly as he got anaemic due to the amount of fleas he actually had, so I would say that Capstar is safe to give to Billy. It is what rescues use for new admissions. Just a word of warning, as the fleas die, they squirm about and your cat will jump about as a result. It can look distressing if you are not prepared. Best to do it in a room that has a plain floor, stone or lino - you will be amazed at the dead fleas that fall off your poor boy.

[angieh]

It helps if there are two of you to give a cat any tablet I think! But failing that, a pill giving syringey thing or a piece of cheese?

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by angieh

It helps if there are two of you to give a cat any tablet I think! But failing that, a pill giving syringey thing or a piece of cheese?

Cheese it is. My cat displays a shameful lack of decorum when presented with all things cheesy.

I've been reading the instruction leaflet on the Norvartis website and it says the tablets can be used in conjunction with other flea and worming treatments.

Actually he's just been groomed and we've found a hair matt in a tricky place (he's got a healthy dollop of Maine Coon in him) so we may be off to the vet for a haircut tomorrow anyway. I'll see if they stock the treatments you've mentioned .

Oh, you asked how old he is - 13 .

[Mags]

I found Frontline to be non-effective with Cassie so the vet prescribed her Advocate Spot-On, which treats fleas and worms.

I am in the SW also but haven't seen a flea on Cassie for a couple of years.

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Mags

I found Frontline to be non-effective with Cassie so the vet prescribed her Advocate Spot-On, which treats fleas and worms.

I am in the SW also but haven't seen a flea on Cassie for a couple of years.

Thanks Mags! It's upsetting because he's the most pampered, adored cat in the world and you feel like a bad mother. I guess with the weather as warm and humid as it has been lately that you're just going to get explosions of fleas like this. Poor mum is the most upset!!

[angieh]

Yes, it is hard to accept that the cleanest houses may still get fleas if you keep any kind of animals. It's just a fact of life - I am sure that anyone who has cats or dogs won't point a finger at your poor Mum!!!

[Gaina]

So, we went to the vet this afternoon and the nurse gave him a haircut. I can't believe how good he was! He wriggled a bit when Dad was holding him (Billy, not the nurse - she was a lovely girl called Holly). So we just let him stand on the table and we had our usual 'head-to-head' cuddle that he loves with me stroking his ears and he was a little angel.

When the nurse was done she said they'd normally sedate a cat to take that much off but I'm glad we had it done there and then because although he wasn't overjoyed about it, I felt - and she agreed - it was better for him not to have to recover from sedation.

We also got the Advantage.

I'd show you a picture of the new haircut but Billy says if I even think of taking a photograph he'll make sure my body is never found.