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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.

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Original poster

Seresto flea collar makes my cat’s neck go bald… But that’s better than fleas, right?

43 replies

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 10:40

I have a 13 year old outdoor cat. For the past month he’s been wearing a Seresto flea collar which is meant to last 7-8 months. If I take it off I can see the skin underneath it has gone bald. There’s also one sore patch - not raw, but red - where he’s been scratching it.

I am planning to keep him in this collar because I really don’t want him having fleas! And he always gets them.

He’s an outdoor cat through and through. Where I live is just perfect because it’s mid-terrace with neighbours gardens backing into ours. He can roam through gardens without ever being able to reach a road. He scratches his claws on the tree, walks along the fence, sits out in the sun, and toilets outside too.

But he’ll encounter other cats and maybe also foxes. So he always gets fleas.

The droplets from PetsAtHome like Frontline, Advantage, etc, don’t seem to have any effect. The vets he is registered with don’t offer injections but they do say there’s an anti-flea oral tablet they could give him. That’s one thing I haven’t tried.

He is not in distress wearing the collar but he does look a bit odd with a bald neck! It is not too tight because I can fit four fingers under it.

AIBU to keep him in the collar because I really don’t want him to get fleas?

OP posts:

SinisterKnitter · 12/04/2023 10:42

YABU, yes, because it will almost certainly get worse the longer he wears it.

If your vet can't prescribe prescription only flea meds, which are a pretty basic item, then you need to change vets.

SoupDragon · 12/04/2023 10:45

Is a "back of the neck" treatment like Stronghold Plus an option? That's what my cats are on and it seems to do the job.

Original poster

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 10:46

SinisterKnitter · 12/04/2023 10:42

YABU, yes, because it will almost certainly get worse the longer he wears it.

If your vet can't prescribe prescription only flea meds, which are a pretty basic item, then you need to change vets.

It’s a low income vets. They just offer the droplets which don’t work, or the tablets which I haven’t tried. Both those are prescription only.

I’ve also ordered droplets from a website Pet Drugs Online. I am not sure if they were prescription only or if the website just makes you think they are. I didn’t actually have to upload a prescription. Anyway they didn’t work.

OP posts:

Original poster

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 10:49

SoupDragon · 12/04/2023 10:45

Is a "back of the neck" treatment like Stronghold Plus an option? That's what my cats are on and it seems to do the job.

I haven’t tried that particular brand. I always used to use Frontline or Advantage with mixed results.

Possibly I’m not being diligent enough about regularly grooming him with a fine comb.

I’m about to get a carpet put down in the lounge which has never had a carpet before (just bare floorboards). So I’m particularly keen that he’s not dropping flea eggs into it. Though flea eggs in a carpet will die out won’t they?

OP posts:

Stratocumulus · 12/04/2023 10:49

Please don’t let that dear cat suffer with what you describe. If you wore a bra or something like a shoe or trainee which rubbed you to a red patch you’d soon complain.
Please persevere with trying to find an alternative.

Stratocumulus · 12/04/2023 10:50

trainee??? = trainer!

Maple2023 · 12/04/2023 10:51

Ask them if they do bravecto, that works really well

SoupDragon · 12/04/2023 10:52

I don't think any of the non-prescription ones work well.

SomeRolyPolyLittleBatFacedGirl · 12/04/2023 10:54

The inside of the seresto collar has this kind of serrated plastic edge. We had a similar issue with an indoor cat, but she was really sensitive to fleas and itching and was just ripping her fur out so was already half bald all over from that, so her neck wasn't so obvious and with the collar at least it was only her neck. I'd be more worried about the collar not being quick release.

SoupDragon · 12/04/2023 10:54

I always used to use Frontline or Advantage with mixed results.

I think Frontline is one that fleas have become resistant to (Fipronil is the ingredient I think)

jannier · 12/04/2023 10:59

Cat collars are strangulation risks anyway your 4 fingers are thicker than a branch. If you apply the drops properly you shouldn't get a problem make sure it's back of neck so it can't get licked off and part the fur so it's on the skin then keep him in until it's dry.

Floppyelf · 12/04/2023 10:59

I need to see the pics!

Niffler29 · 12/04/2023 11:03

The medication that you are buying over the counter from Pets at Home such as Frontline etc will not work as they have been on the market for so long now that fleas have become resistant to them - this is why vets no longer prescribe them. The drops that you get directly from the vet are different and will work so you need to get either those or the tablets or a prescription to buy them online. Anything you can buy without a prescription/over the counter won’t work.

Flea collars aren’t recommended as they can cause irritation like in your cat’s case. If you keep using the collar the irritation will get worse and you will end up with sores/wounds/infection.

Most vet practices offer plans now where you pay a small amount per month and that covers flea/worming treatment, vaccines and check ups throughout the year. For my practice, I think it’s around £12 a month.

SeeWhatYouGetWhenYouAskAStupidQuestion · 12/04/2023 11:04

Take the collar off. Use a spot-on flea lotion instead, and treat the whole house with Indorex spray

JorisBonson · 12/04/2023 11:06

Please take the collar off this poor cat.

Original poster

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 11:12

Effipro is the name of the most recent treatment I bought online which didn’t work.

I will try taking him back to the vets for the oral tablet.

The collar is not strongly irritating his neck, it’s not produced a red patch.

But yes it’s resulted in hair loss all round his neck, and there’s one small spot on the underside where it looks like he’s scratched it and then it’s scabbed.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 12/04/2023 11:14

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 11:12

Effipro is the name of the most recent treatment I bought online which didn’t work.

I will try taking him back to the vets for the oral tablet.

The collar is not strongly irritating his neck, it’s not produced a red patch.

But yes it’s resulted in hair loss all round his neck, and there’s one small spot on the underside where it looks like he’s scratched it and then it’s scabbed.

googling Effipro says that it is Fipronil, which fleas are largely resistant to now.

Stratocumulus · 12/04/2023 11:15

Could he be allergic to the chemical in the collar?

Original poster

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 11:21

Stratocumulus · 12/04/2023 11:15

Could he be allergic to the chemical in the collar?

I don’t believe it’s an allergic reaction since the skin has not gone red. I think hair loss around the neck is just a common side effect unfortunately.

Instead I think it’s just a really powerful flea collar that works its way into the cats bloodstream through the skin. It’s meant to last 7-8 months and it cost about £30, a lot more than the Bob Martin ones from the supermarket which don’t work.

OP posts:

SinisterKnitter · 12/04/2023 11:35

Fipronil based products (frontline, effipro, itch and loads more) are pretty useless everywhere.

Advantage is apparently starting to prove resistant to fleas in some areas, but it still works fine for mine so I'll stick with it until it doesn't, as it's cheap.

Personally, OP, I'd remove the collar and switch to Bravecto, which will last 3 months, you could ask your vet for a prescription only and buy online.

RaraRachael · 12/04/2023 11:38

I use Broadline on my mainly outdoor cat every month and he's never had fleas. He runs a mile when I squirt it on his neck!

Original poster

Codger2023 · 12/04/2023 11:41

SinisterKnitter · 12/04/2023 11:35

Fipronil based products (frontline, effipro, itch and loads more) are pretty useless everywhere.

Advantage is apparently starting to prove resistant to fleas in some areas, but it still works fine for mine so I'll stick with it until it doesn't, as it's cheap.

Personally, OP, I'd remove the collar and switch to Bravecto, which will last 3 months, you could ask your vet for a prescription only and buy online.

Thank you for the recommendation of which specific brand of droplet to try, that’s useful!

It’s a low cost vet that he’s registered with anyway. I think they charge £20 for three back of neck droplets which should last three months. I’d just need to check what it is they are prescribing.

Have any of you had luck with the oral anti-flea tablets?

OP posts:

bamboonights · 12/04/2023 11:51

Slightly off topic but please make sure you only use a quick release collar. If it's not quick release and loose, it could get caught on a branch - anything really. One of my cats once scratched and got her hind leg stuck in her collar many years ago.

SinisterKnitter · 12/04/2023 12:33

I wouldn't use flea tablets as IIRC they only kill existing fleas and don't provide any ongoing protection like collars and spot-ons.

Allergictoironing · 12/04/2023 18:41

The prescription spot on from my vets is Prinocate, does fleas and worms. Active ingredients are Imidacloprid and Moxidectin - not sure which of those is fleas and which worms, but if your cat is very outdoorsy then he could be eating anything so wormer is important too. Advocate (also presciption only) has the same active ingredients.

Anything without a prescription that you can buy on line won't be anywhere near as effective as prescription ones (rather like painkillers for people!).

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