dammit my cat has fleas!

Sci-Fi Wasabi

i live in a smallish apartment on the third floor with one cat and no other animals. just today i noticed a little flea crawl into her fur.

browsing the pet stores i quickly realized there are a million different treatments and im guessing they arent all created equally. how can i kill these little fuckers so i can feel at ease again?

Elin

Advantage flea treatment. It's pricey but will nuke every flea from orbit.

Incenjucar

Make sure you get the exact right version. No "Oh well they're out of cat formula I'll get the dog one!" unless you want to get a new cat.

Esh

Advantage or Frontline. NOTHING else. Go to your vet. The cheap stuff won't work and make for sure that you get the appropriate size (no dog on cats, it can kill them). Don't use any natural remedies (tea tree oil) because again, it can kill your cat.

Once the fleas are off your cat, the infestation will cease to exist.

Flea collars don't work either in case you're wondering.

starmanbrand

I can vouch for Advantage. All three of our cats had fleas when they were living somewhere waiting to move in with us, one of them -really- bad. Advantage on 'em?

Next day it was like flea holocaust. not a one to be found and not a one seen since then.

Orogogus

Yeah, Advantage and Frontline are both good against fleas. If memory serves, Frontline is also good against ticks, while Advantage is fleas and lice only (Frontline also covers lice). But at the PetCo near me, Advantage is cheaper, so you can get it if you're sure it's fleas.

MuddBudd

Incenjucar wrote: »

Make sure you get the exact right version. No "Oh well they're out of cat formula I'll get the dog one!" unless you want to get a new cat.

What's the difference?

Themindtaker

MuddBudd wrote: »

Incenjucar wrote: »

Make sure you get the exact right version. No "Oh well they're out of cat formula I'll get the dog one!" unless you want to get a new cat.

What's the difference?

Cat kidneys (or liver or some organ) can't process some of the medicine in the dog version. It will poison them and my wife (a pet nurse) has told me stories of cats that have died as a result.

reddeath

I swear by advantage for flea control, when I first got my kitten tom she was crawling with fleas, we ended up using advantage, and a flea brush which worked exceptionally well.

I've tried flea collars before, and I've had limited success with them keeping my outside cat from getting new fleas, but as far as getting rid of a colony already on a pet they are kinda useless.

mcdermott

Esh wrote: »

Advantage or Frontline. NOTHING else. Go to your vet. The cheap stuff won't work and make for sure that you get the appropriate size (no dog on cats, it can kill them). Don't use any natural remedies (tea tree oil) because again, it can kill your cat.

Once the fleas are off your cat, the infestation will cease to exist.

Flea collars don't work either in case you're wondering.

This. And you don't need to go to your vet if you're willing to trust us, you can get either one without a prescription (and both can be found cheaper elsewhere, such as online). But if you ask your vet, they'll tell you the same. Personally we use Frontline, and have had good results.


EDIT: And the issue with all the other cheap shit, including collars, shampoos, etc., is that at best they work kinda sorta okay and at worst they fuck your cat up beyond repair.

Sheep

Bathe them before you put the Advantage on.

Bathe them and then wait for them to stop sulking and cleaning themselves post bath. Then put the Advantage on.

That stuff is some kind of witchcraft ward against fleas.

Sheep

Flea collars work, but only if fleas actually touch the collar. They're useful when giving a cat a bath as the fleas will attempt to run up to the cats head to avoid the water.

But that's about it.

mcdermott

Sheep wrote: »

Flea collars work, but only if fleas actually touch the collar. They're useful when giving a cat a bath as the fleas will attempt to run up to the cats head to avoid the water.

But that's about it.

They're good to put in vacuum bags to kill fleas living in the carpets and such (otherwise they just crawl out of the vacuum later).

Esh

Sheep wrote: »

Bathe them before you put the Advantage on.

Bathe them and then wait for them to stop sulking and cleaning themselves post bath. Then put the Advantage on.

That stuff is some kind of witchcraft ward against fleas.

I don't even think you have to bathe them beforehand (I never have in the two times my cat has gotten fleas), but if you do, make sure they're totally dry before you apply the medicine.

TarCoffee

Sheep wrote: »

Flea collars work, but only if fleas actually touch the collar. They're useful when giving a cat a bath as the fleas will attempt to run up to the cats head to avoid the water.

But that's about it.

I think that a fair amount of cats are allergic to flea collars.

Also, hold on to your cat for dear life when applying the flea medication. You do not to miss and have a mildly to moderately poisoned cat a few hours later.