Can anyone recommend a flea treatment I can buy online?

[PickoftheMix]

I usually get Avocote from the vets but sent my dm there today (I have broken my shoulder so can't go) to get some for my cats as I have spotted a flea on them. They told her they can't give me any unless they see the cat. They have seen the cats over the years when they were poorly and when they were microchipped, and they've always sold me the flea treatment when I go in without the cat. I don't want to pay for a consultation just for flea treatment and I can't get them there anyway with my shoulder.

So is there a flea treatment I can buy online that will be effective? Thank you

Bump

I am in the same position. Found fleas on the cats but the vet says it is a year since they have been seen and won't prescribe more treatment but won't see them for another week!

There's an ad on Facebook for flea treatment called 'Itch' might be worth a look?

On amazon Johnson flea pills. It's a pink packet. Work amazingly. Fleas die withing 12/24 hours. I use it for my cats and dogs. And top up with front line

Legally, we vets cannot prescribe prescription-only flea treatments like Advocate unless we have examined your pet within at least the last 12 months. If you are keeping their vaccinations up to date as recommended, then we would indeed have seen them during that time-frame.

Otherwise, many vet practices offer a free consultation to check your animal is healthy before prescribing flea/worm treatment (but this free consultation will not cover other health concerns that would usually incur a consultation fee).

Johnson's 4fleas has no residual action - it kills what bites the animal immediately after treatment, but not what bites several days later..... It does not last a month.

Advantage has the same flea treating ingredient as Advocate but just doesn't treat worms (advocate treats fleas and worms). Think you can buy Advantage in pets at home.

My vet will only prescribe treatment if they see the cat once a year and have a current weight.

My cat wont tolerate spot on treatment or the stuff you eat either

Im at a total loss what to do

Advantage is the only OTC one which works.

@bellac11 there's an injection, so maybe talk to your vet about that.

Thanks for the replies. I've ended up ordering Advantage from pets at home because it seems, as someone has said, to contain the same stuff as Advocate minus the worming treatment and minus the pressure to make unnecessary vet trips with cats.

I use Itch on my 2 cats and it works well. It is delivered every month so I don't forget. It's cheaper than the stuff from the vets and works just as well.

I've just bought Advantage for my pets and it hasn't bloody worked!! Treated them 3 weeks ago and still finding fleas (and being bitten myself.) First time ever it has failed.

Have you treated the house as well?

@GeraldTheGoodMouse no - I assumed the fleas would jump on the cats and die? That's always worked before (I am hoovering daily though)

Whatever you do, do not buy Bob Martin flea treatment. It has killed thousands of cats and there is a whole online petition to get it banned.

I know this because my neighbour lost a cat to Bob Martin. Applied it to her cat's neck, it burnt off the fur, then her other cat, perfectly healthy, licked it and was dead from kidney failure the following day.

If you have an active infestation you really do need to treat the house too.

Johnson's flea tablets for dogs and cats. I use them every month. They work well. I wrap the tablet in a piece of that wafer thin ham and both cats and dogs woof it down.

By the looks of it Pets at Home do a house spray too with good reviews. I'm going to get that too to treat the carpets.

I use Fiprotec spot on treatment for my cats. Have it in subscription from Amazon, use it monthly and no fleas! They catch mice and rabbits so it's definitely doing the job.

Be careful of buying stuff online. You are putting a poison inside your cat which is why it's vital for them to have a healthcheck and weigh in which you should be getting when they go for their annual vaccinations. There is also resistance to fleas in certain areas so vets will prescribe one that isn't resistant. Bob Martin are crap and rarely work properly.

It won't work if you have an infestation - it's really only a preventative.

You need to treat your whole house and wash all soft furnishings etc.

I came on to say Advantage, I order it from the online supplier Viovet. I buy that and Droncit worming drops from them. It works well for mine.

If you have seen them on the cat, I would also treat the whole house with this. Wash all soft furnishings and bedding and spray carpets, curtains and sofas with thisstuff, also available from Viovet.

Fleas are now widely Fipronil-resistant. I had a subscription for Frontline and my poor lad still ended up with fleas on him that would not die. I now get a prescription formulation from the vet.

Your cat should be seeing the vet annually for vaccinations. Your OP tells me that you have not kept your cat's boosters up-to-date. DM needs to go in with the cat to get the cat's vaccinations sorted out, not just for a check up. You endanger your cat by letting the vaccinations lapse, which is a far bigger issue than fleas.

I bought the anti flea pet necklace for my cats. Very expensive and ineffective. Waste of money.