Flea Control

Fleas are by far the most common cause of skin disease in cats although they may not always be obvious to see. With a cat that is allergic to flea bites, it is usual to find FEW or even NO fleas on the pet at any one time.

The allergic cat is so sensitive to the flea saliva that it may only take ONE flea bite per week to trigger the over-grooming, scabs and fur loss typical of Flea Bite Allergy. Therefore when presented with any cat with skin disease do not be surprised that our first priority will always be to treat for fleas EVEN IN THEIR ABSENCE!!!

The best way to prove a flea allergy is to eliminate all fleas from the pet's environment using a combination of topical and environmental flea products and to demonstrate an improvement in the skin condition.

Fleas spend 95% of their time in the animal's environment so for proper flea control it is essential to treat PET and ENVIRONMENT. Effective topical flea products for the cat include;

Frontline Spray (from 2 days of age, lasts up to 12 weeks and kills ticks for up to 1 month too)

Frontline-combo (from 8 weeks of age, lasts up to 5 weeks and kills ticks for 2 – 4 weeks)

Promeris Cat (from 8 weeks of age, lasts 6 weeks)

Frontline and Promeris Cat are very safe (non-organophosphate), persistent and effective flea killers that work within 24 hours and can be repeated as often as once a month in the case of a serious infestation or flea allergy. Effective environmental flea products for the house/car include;

Indorex spray which lasts up to 1 year if applied thoroughly. It is important to vacuum the entire house/car prior to spraying, to throw the bag away and to follow the directions on the can. This product is also very safe, containing no organo-phosphates.

Frontline-combo is a spot-on treatment which eliminates fleas on your cat and protects against re-infestation for up to 8 weeks. This product also inhibits the development of flea eggs, flea larvae and pupae for up to 8 weeks. Frontline-combo also kills ticks for up to 4 weeks and eliminates biting lice.

Program which comes as a liquid that is mixed with food once a month, or which can be given as an injection that lasts 6 months. Although this does not kill fleas instantly it prevents them from breeding which clears the pet's environment in the long term (with continuous use). All dogs and cats in the house must be treated concurrently and it is possible to use Promeris Cat or Frontline at the same time.

Please seek advice for further information about any of these products.

Combined Flea Control and Worming

Advocate Spot-on may be used in kittens over 9 weeks of age and 1kg in weight, it treats and prevents fleas for up to 4 weeks as well as treating roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. A single dose treats ear mite infestation (Otodectes cynotis), two single doses 4 weeks apart will treat sarcoptic mange (caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var.canis), two to four single doses 4 weeks apart will treat demodicosis (caused by demodex canis)

Advocate also prevents heartworm disease if used for 1 month before and during exposure to mosquitoes – this is therefore an important consideration if you are going to travel abroad with your cat

Advocate is not currently licensed for use with Milbemax. Use of both treatments should be staggered by at least two weeks and only on the advice of your vet.