FLEAS. Weird cat!

[Memoires]

We have 3 cats. There are fleas. They are all treated with Frontline combi. The house has been sprayed and sprayed with Acclaim, and hoovered to within an inch of its life.

This works. On two cats.

Frontline does not work on one of our cats. She is flea ridden. It is horrible. We catch them and drown the little buggers, but why? Why does it work on two cats, and not on the other?

How can she do that? How can she render the flea treatments ineffective??

[Fluffycloudland77]

I don't know. Have you tried advocate? It must be awful for her to have fleas.

[cozietoesie]

Does she go outside at all?

[mypropertea]

Maybe it is the colour of her fur they show up more? Or she tastes nicer, in the same way some people are bitten more by mosquitos.

I have recently moved to confortis tablets from the vet, it seems to work very well.

[cozietoesie]

I'm just wondering whether she might be availing herself of some place which is also used by the local 'flea reservoir' - and picking up Frontline-resistant blighters. (There are areas of the country where the fleas have developed immunity to it.) Change her treatment.

[Memoires]

Anything is possible, and yes the cats are free to come and go and do so. She can't be picking up Frontline-resistant fleas, as the other two don't get them. We have combed all 3 and the others don't, they really really don't.

It's the same every year. I'm just wondering how it's possible. It's definitely that she herself is resistant to Frontline - she is a Frontline Killer!

The vet has given us Stronghold for the enxt application in a week's time. I reckon it's not going to work on her either.

[cozietoesie]

I take it she's neutered and isn't.....fraternising when she's out?

[cozietoesie]

PS - Lone was mentioning a new one that's either just been released or is just about to be. I forget its name though, I fear, so maybe someone else can give you the details?

[gamerchick]

Just use advocate, I haven't heard of any problems with it yet.

[Improvisingnow]

I have one the same. He always has fleas within a week of being treated. We have a lot of foxes locally so I think he must hang out where they do. I use Stronghold every 3 weeks and that just about keeps them under control. Interestingly, things have been better since in desperation I treated the garden with flea nematodes from Green Gardener www.greengardener.co.uk/product.asp?id_pc=22&cat=62
. Definitely going to get more of those.

[Memoires]

Flea nematodes!!! Wow, off to look at the link!

Cosie, she fraternised when she was 6m and thenabouts, but though she was def in season at least twice and the toms around here are virile and lusty, she failed to conceive, which was a damn good thing (we got her from CPL with a voucher for injections and spaying at a particular vet, who kept refusing to honour the voucher, CPL lady was useless and kept sending us off to vets 20+ miles away who would then refuse.... She was spayed in the end, by our local vet. I kept telling dh that we should just get her done there, but he clutched his bloody voucher....). Anyway, thet's why I think she's barren.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

The new product for fleas and ticks is Bravecto and one application protects for three months. I put the first dose in my cats last night, easy to apply much lower volumes of fluid than other products.

[Geepee71]

Lobe, where do you get bravecto from please? My 3 seem to be resistant to fleas too!

[Geepee71]

Sorry Lone, not Lobe!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Advocate seems to do the job brilliantly.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I use Advocate on Harry and, so far, he hasn't had fleas.

(Not that he fraternises or ventures far from the garden!)

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Geepee from your vet or get a prescription from your vet for an on line pharmacy.

[Geepee71]

Thanks, will get a prescription.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I have just checked the internet pharmacies none of them have it yet, but Vets do. When the internet pharmacies have it check prices as we sell Bravecto dog at less than some of the Internet pharmacies and there is a buy 3 get the 4th free for dogs through vets so there is a really good chance the Internet will not be cheaper.

[Memoires]

Ooh, let us know how you get on with Bravecto. I'll ask our vet for a prescription when we need the next lot after we've used whatever alternative it is they've just sold us.

[Northernlight22]

Frontline stopped working on ours - our vet swapped us to stronghold this time

[Itchyyyy]

From what I understand all spot on treatments take around 24 hours to kill fleas and NOTHING can prevent cats from catching them.
So if your cat is going out every day and hangs out in areas ridden with fleas it is possible that he is coming home every day with new ones.
I think a lot of people believe that by treating your cat monthly they won't catch fleas...I know I thought that!

I'm currently in a similar situation. House and cat are infested but we've been treating and hoovering for the last fees weeks and I have been confused as to why the cat still has fleas. After checking my garden I've found a nest in a shady area where my cat likes to sit.
No wonder he still has them!
We've cleaned the area up and flooded the area (supposed to drown nests) and we will see how we get on.

[BlackHillsofDakota]

itchyyy what does a flea best look like? I wonder if this is why my cats seem to be permanently infested! I wouldn't know what to look for though!

[Itchyyyy]

I raked the leaves and soil where he likes to sit and could see them all jumping about. I ordered some lawn flea nematodes from this website -m.ggmob.co.uk/
These are supposed to eat flea eggs and larvae in the garden and supposed to be brill-completely safe for wildlife and pets too.
I sprayed the garden with the mixture on Monday so fingers crossed I will see a difference soon!!

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Itchy yes frontline takes 24 hours to kill fleas Bravecto takes 4 hours and advocate 2 hours so modern spot ones are much faster. Bravecto has a flea free guarantee if all the pets in the house are treated and you find a flea you get your money back.

[Memoires]

We've had success with Stronghold! All our cats are flea free now! For a few days after we did the bonkers immune-to-flea-treatments cat with Stronghold, we were pciking dead and dying fleas off her. Now she seems comletely free of them and is getting undisturbed rest at last!

My dd takes the existence of fleas as proof that God doesn't exist!

Flea nest! I don't even want to think about it! I shall be asking about Bravecto next time. 3 month treatment sounds so much better.