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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

My friends just told me if I have more than one cat I don't need to flea treat them both monthly?

51 replies

EachandEveryone · 03/08/2017 09:31

Is that right she also said I don't have to take my vets word as law. She has four Siamese and takes it in turns to put the drops on the neck she said especially as my big girl hardly goes out and my youngbone is only four months. Which renders the £15 a month I pay for each of them a waste as it covers the three in one Breadline drops and annual booster for the big one. She's had cats all her life. She never does them in Winter. Is she right? I won't tell me what she said about the £25 each pet plan insurance I'm paying.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 03/08/2017 16:58

Advocate once a month
Drontal every three months.
And no it wouldn't upset the cat if you only use it when old stuff worn off

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 03/08/2017 18:45

Hes an umpa lumpa then bless him. God, i loved Omar i still have to do the last season.

Thanks for all the advice i will ring petplan and double check the starting amount.

OP posts:
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 03/08/2017 19:02

We've just switched from Advocate to Bravecto for fleas as it only needs to be done every 3 months. We use Profender for worms as because of his jaw problems we can't pill him.

Migraleve · 03/08/2017 19:16

Your friend is nuts. Of course you need to treat all at the same time, otherwise i would be pointless.

As for not treating in winter, I wouldn't take any chances. Having lived through a flea infestation I can tell you that the buggers can lie dormant in carpets etc for long enough. All it takes is some heat and an untreated cat for them to start spreading.

Migraleve · 03/08/2017 19:17

it would be pointless

Although often I am also pointless Smile

stumblymonkeyagain · 03/08/2017 20:44

Mine are only wormed once per year by the vet when they have their boosters. The vet recommended this approach for them as although they're outdoor cats they never, ever catch anything.

No worms so far and the oldest two are five now.

CatchingBabies · 04/08/2017 05:35

Actually your friend is right in terms of flea treatment, even though it sounds nuts. Spot on flea treatments kill fleas when they land on the treated cat up to a month after treatment. In a multi cat home fleas will hop from cat to cat and so land on the treated one and die every time. I seem to remember your supposed to treat 50% so 2 out of 4 cats to ensure they are kept continuously at bay and alternating the cats that are treated as spot ins actually last longer the the 1 month they are advertised as. Saying that I have 2 cats and treat them both because having had fleas years ago I know how hard they are to eliminate once you've got them and won't take any chances, I also treat all through winter for the same reason.

RubbishMantra · 04/08/2017 11:39

I use Profender spot on for worms and Advantage spot on for fleas. I must admit, I don't religiously do it as often as the packaging recommends. I've not had a flea outbreak so far. I order the Advantage online, much cheaper, same with Drontal, sadly mine dislike pills. I don't use Broadline because it contains the same insecticide as Frontline, which doesn't (in my opinion) work. Broadline doesn't protect against all species of worms either, so you end up having to use a separate wormer anyway.

The Petplan does sound about right - I pay about £46 p/m for my 2 indoor/outdoor cats cover for life, up to £7000 payout for vet fees. Premiums are hiked up a few quid every year though, regardless of whether or not you make a claim. Are you getting your multiple pet discount? It's not much, but it all counts.

JessicaEccles · 04/08/2017 11:53

I am also with Petplan- and I have to say I have been pretty impressed with them. The first claim took a while to pay out, but I expected that as Boo is a complex case Grin

RubbishMantra · 04/08/2017 12:05

I suppose your friend who fleas cats alternative months got the idea because cats usually 'share' their fleas, so likely to feed on the treated cat at some point and die. Bit hit and miss though. I think part treating in this way could encourage fleas to become immune to the active ingredient more quickly.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 04/08/2017 19:05

How bad are the chemicals and how does spot on actually work? Does it seep into the skin and does licking it take it off?

OP posts:
RubbishMantra · 04/08/2017 20:55

It's absorbed through the skin. I suppose some cats will have an adverse reaction, like they could with any drug really. It's important to put it in the right place, on the skin where the base of the skull meets the neck. I always apply treatments on a day I'm at home all day with them so I can watch out for them licking each other as a precaution, even though it apparently can't be licked off once it's dry, (within a couple of hours).

hoover1234 · 06/08/2017 10:46

My cat is indoors so I don't bother to hardly ever de flea him as it's not needed.
I do agree with her to an extent that I think the animals get used to regular flea treatment and as such stop working as effectively. In the cold months of winter if there are no signs of fleas then don't bother

NC4now · 06/08/2017 10:51

I'm going to sound really dim now. Our cat has been an indoor cat till recently when we catproofed the garden.
We hardly flea treat him. Do we need to now that he plays out, even though no other cats can get in?
He's not had his leukaemia jab either - the vet said they get that from fighting.

stubbornstains · 06/08/2017 10:59

I have been wondering about this, as I have one pipette of Stronghold left- and two cats.

I tried to order some more online last night, and would disrecommend petprescription.co.uk. They make you pay before you have to upload your prescription, and only then tell you that prescriptions are only valid for 6 months- I think the cats' prescriptions are about 7 months old . So, I'm expecting an email telling me that I can't have my Stronghold, and am then going to have to go through all the palaver of getting a refund - and still no Stronghold.

But yes, if spot on flea treatments work through stopping any flea that bites the treated cat reproducing, and fleas jump from cat to cat (and carpet etc to cat), surely this should work? Maybe I'll have me a little experiment........

.Certainly, I've found I've never needed to spray for household infestations while I've had a treated cat in the house- presumably because the fleas hatch, bite the treated cat, then sayonara. The only time I had a household infestation I couldn't get rid of was after my old cat had died.

WeirdAndPissedOff · 08/08/2017 13:32

Hoover - fleas can be caught from outside, regardless of whether they come into contact with other cats, plus I think flea treatments say the stop ticks too. Worms are the one to watch for, though - I'd give them a wormer at least.

As for the vaccines, I do think most illnesses are spread via bites and scratches so you may be safe, but I'm not sure.

Fluffycloudland77 · 08/08/2017 14:06

I don't understand the logic. Surely the untreated cat gets the shit bitten out of it while distributing fleas & their eggs everywhere.

It sounds like poor animal care to me.

None of us would want to be covered in flea bites with no pain relief or antihistamine.

If flea treatment was free would this even be an issue?.

stubbornstains · 08/08/2017 19:40

fluffy

Whether treated or not, if there are fleas in a house, a cat will get bitten. Because, in order for the treatment to work, a flea has to bite the treated cat. IIRC, the fleas don't die immediately, either- it's cleverer than that. The fleas live, but can't reproduce, hence breaking their life cycles.

There seems to be a bit of confusion about worming, too. I think all effective spot on flea treatments also work against ticks and roundworms- not tapeworm, though, but I understand they're not common.

If flea treatment was free would this even be an issue?

Yes, or if you could even buy effective spot on flea treatments over the counter, rather than having to take the cats to the bastarding vets for an appointment to get a prescription for them! Angry .

Lonecatwithkitten · 09/08/2017 09:33

As a vet the biggest flea problems we see are November and December when everyone turns on their heating and we all spend more time at home. The additional vibrations of us being at home more causing flea larvae to hatch and the warm home decreases the time of the flea lifecycle. All of this leads massive flea infestations.
I can not bear the thought of fleas in my home so do my cats with Bravecto every 3 months.

Lenl · 09/08/2017 10:14

Changing flea treatment wouldn't upset them? The cats don't know Grin

I'm torn about insurance. I have lifetime insurance for my 3 days and my dog. I've used it for my dog and my cats, one of which was hit by car and needed a plate in her leg at a cost of over 2.5k. That being said it's gone up every year and for 4 of them is so expensive now. My 2 older cats are really expensive with big excesses and I'm tempted to cancel theirs now they are old, it'd be something big to be over the excess in which case it may not be in their best interest given their age. I'm not sure though. I'd feel irresponsible not to have insurance.

meltingmarshmallows · 09/08/2017 10:16

I have a cat proofed garden and still had a flea issue last year. We have them done (all of them) religiously there's no way around it. We've now got collars from the vet which last for 9 months and have been brilliant, so I can recommend asking about those. They're about £30 each so a lot cheaper than monthly frontline or whatever.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 14/08/2017 12:31

I'm going to the vet tonight so I will ask about it all. I just don't see the point in changing if I have a three in one

OP posts:
RunYouJuiceBitch · 28/08/2017 13:48

In a multi cat home fleas will hop from cat to cat and so land on the treated one and die every time.

That's a common misconception, but they don't. Fleas emerge from their cocoons in the environment and jump onto the nearest cat. They remain on that cat until they die or are removed. It's incredibly rare for them to jump between animals.

Personally I think treating one cat is a waste of time and money, since fleas in the environment will continue to feed and lay eggs on the untreated cats, keeping the infestation going nicely. You may as well not bother treating at all.

lljkk · 28/08/2017 20:24

Cat3 joined us in December & the place was flea infested by January (shudder). I treat in winter, might leave it 5-6 weeks, but wouldn't skip it entirely.

tbh, I think it's cruel to leave your cats to be infested. If you don't like the an occasional bite, how do you think the cat likes being bitten to pieces?

lljkk · 28/08/2017 20:25

ps: I got some Frontline Combo from a European site last year. Good price & Without prescription. Bliss! I ruddy hate leaving EU. Angry