Fleas on elderly cat - is there a natural/safe treatment?

bacardi66

My cat is 17 and seems to be in good health, he spends a lot of time outside at this time of year and is still active, climbing fences, hunting etc.

Ive always treated him with Frontline to prevent/kill fleas but in April after I had applied it he got really sick, vomiting, strange breathing, refused to eat or move much. I rushed him to the emergency vet thinking the worst, she wasn't quite sure what had caused his illness but luckily after a day or two he was back to his normal self. The Frontline vial was the last one in a batch of 6 I had previously treated him with and none of them had any adverse effect on him, it was in date and genuine stuff (from the vets)

Since then Im too scared of using Frontline again but noticed this evening in his fur what looks like flea dirt, obviously I don't want him to suffer with fleas but I can't bear the thought him getting that sick again.

Does anyone know of a natural or very gentle flea treatment that won't cause adverse reaction? Thanks so much for any help or advice

paddypaws101

Hmm, you could try a different brand with different active ingredients, but personally I would not risk it.
If it were me I would
a) Spray the whole house with Indorex or RIP, getting out of the way to ventilate it well after use!
b) use Skoosh on any sofas or mattresses, also along skirting boards
c) Give cat a dose of Johnsons 4 fleas tablets
d) Groom cat daily with flea comb
e) Buy Vermex treats and feed daily going forward.

Actually this is pretty much what I do, as I don't like using the spot on treatments unless I REALLY have to. I have 6 outdoor cats and NO, I do not have fleas in my house!

tankgirl1

What was the vets opinion? Did they think the frontline caused the problem? If so, did they say so? Did they report the reaction to the VMD?

Frontline, or fipronil as is the active ingredient, has been extensively tested

Link to data sheet - http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Merial_Animal_Health_Ltd/documents/S3811.html

I would talk to your vet - ask them is they think the symptoms were coincedence or reaction. If reaction has it been reported?

There are different 'types' of cat flea treatment available from vets (ie actually work) - like program injectable, advocate (different class of drug) - you need to talk to the vet who saw your cat IMHO

Hope all goes well - good luck

tankgirl1

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Hmm, you could try a different brand with different active ingredients, but personally I would not risk it.
If it were me I would
a) Spray the whole house with Indorex or RIP, getting out of the way to ventilate it well after use!
b) use Skoosh on any sofas or mattresses, also along skirting boards

Both good ideas! :T

paddypaws101 wrote: »

c) Give cat a dose of Johnsons 4 fleas tablets

Waste of money - will not work - sorry!

paddypaws101 wrote: »

d) Groom cat daily with flea comb

can only do good! - presuming your cat enjoys grooming lol

paddypaws101 wrote: »

e) Buy Vermex treats and feed daily going forward.

Not sure what they are?


Sorry for red type - helped me with the multi quoting!

Fire_Fox

Sorry to hear you had such a worrying experience. My last cat had a bad reaction to vaccinations tho, being indoor, we were able to be able to avoid further exposure.

Please appreciate that natural chemicals are not safer than artificial ones, there are numerous examples of toxicity or allergic reactions to natural substances - anaphylactic shock due to peanut allergy and heroin overdose (opium poppy) for example. There are other veterinary flea products that are not related chemically to Frontline so unlikely to cause the same reaction. Given the circumstances it makes more sense to administer a product that has been rigorously studied whilst under the care of the vet as a day case than take risks at home. If you have any concerns over the ability of your vet to recognise rare adverse reactions to products they prescribe or recommend, perhaps find another practice?

I absolutely would not expose my cat to multiple different chemicals as Paddypaws (sorry PP) suggests given the history. Bear in mind fleas distribute worm eggs, so you will need to treat for this too. IMO your post breaches forum rules "please be aware that asking for or posting specific vet/medical/treatment advice will be against the rules and therefore removed".

ETA: If you want to feel like you are doing something, perhaps research feline nutrition? Certainly in humans an anti-inflammatory diet can work wonders in reducing inappropriate immune responses such as hayfever. By nutrition I do mean the science of, not thinly disguised adverts for commercial dry diets nor homemade recipes supported by Yank-style testimonials.

bacardi66

Thanks for your replies. I hope Im not breaching any rules about asking for advice - I was just wondering what other people use on their cats.

Tankgirl - I went to an emergency vets not my regular local vet so don't think it would be possible to see the same vet again as they are staffed by locums. The vet I saw said it was impossible to know whether the reaction was caused by the Frontline or something he ate outside (eg grass that had been treated with weedkiller) without conducting tests on him - obviously at his age I wouldn't put him through anything like that.

Firefox - thanks for your advice, my cat is due for his boosters soon so I will go to my normal vets for those and see what they recommend in terms of flea treatment.

This whole thing is making me start to itch! :eek:

TomsMom

You could try Billy No Mates. Or there's a liquid version (scroll down to 6th item).

I've started using the liquid this year after my cat had a mild reaction to a spot on flea treatment. I also use it on my dog. I've been using it for a couple of months now. Cat doesn't seem to have any fleas and she's out all day, we've had no scratching and nothing in her bed. Dog has had one flea which came out with her daily brushing and she goes on the beach and in the sand dunes most days.

paddypaws101

Tank Girl.....
http://www.petremedies.co.uk/Wormers-for-Pets/Verm-X/Vermex-Herbal-Treats-For-Cats/p-135-234-703/
Can't say I feed them every day, but I do use them as treats. A sprinkle of Brewers yeast on cat food is appetising to most cats and also have a reputation as a flea repellant ( my pharmacist tells me that army personnel often rely on Vit B supplements to ward off mosquito bites, and it works for me when I travel )
FireFox.....My personal preference is to use Skoosh, but if I suspect fleas are encroaching then I will very occasionally use a chemical spray but make sure to do it on a day when I can lock the cats out most of the day and air the house properly.
Whichever way you look at it, whichever vet you speak to....spot on treatments utilise powerful chemicals and I think they are used WAY too often in most cases.

SadBunny

bacardi66 wrote: »

Does anyone know of a natural or very gentle flea treatment that won't cause adverse reaction? Thanks so much for any help or advice

You could try a Skudo.
Mixed reviews - 7 say it's excellent, 2 say it's good and 3 say it's useless.

How to guide from the Petshopboyz.

This is the very comb I used on my delicate cat - would not let any chemicals etc near him.
It is brilliant - still have it and use it to remove excess fluff from our rabbit.

I used to catch any lurking flea with the comb and stick it on a piece of sellotape. (Favourite hiding place was under the collar - even a flea collar on another cat!)

When we started I caught about 23; but after a week we were down to 2 or 3 a day - if any.
It was very effective - vet failed to find any droppings - so it worked for us.
He really enjoyed these intense grooming sessions - took great interest in seeing what we'd caught.
Mind you this was on a short haired cat - I couldn't even think about with the one we have now.

I had an electronic flea comb; but I never got round to using it - gave it away.

I also used several Flea Killer Traps .
It took 2 or 3 days before I saw the first flea - I thought they were quite effective at enticing fleas out of furnishings etc.
You saw better results if you kept the cats out of a particular room - they might as well jump on a cat if one's available.

Update: Diatomacious Earth

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The only concern about this stuff is that if you throw it into the air, you can make a big cloud of the stuff. Breathing that in can irritate your lungs. Just as breathing in anything other than pure air can irritate your lungs. The same concern applies to pastry flour, talcum powder, corn starch or dust on the wind from outside. The dust that gets into the air from emptying your vacuum cleaner bag is probably far worse for you than diatomaceous earth dust.

Fire_Fox

bacardi66 wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. I hope Im not breaching any rules about asking for advice - I was just wondering what other people use on their cats.

Tankgirl - I went to an emergency vets not my regular local vet so don't think it would be possible to see the same vet again as they are staffed by locums. The vet I saw said it was impossible to know whether the reaction was caused by the Frontline or something he ate outside (eg grass that had been treated with weedkiller) without conducting tests on him - obviously at his age I wouldn't put him through anything like that.

Firefox - thanks for your advice, my cat is due for his boosters soon so I will go to my normal vets for those and see what they recommend in terms of flea treatment.

This whole thing is making me start to itch! :eek:

My gut instinct is it's more likely that your cat reacted to a chemical you know they were exposed to, than to one you do not know they were exposed to. Parasite infestation and chemical sensitivity/ poisoning are medical conditions, you really could do more harm than good by going for an untested remedy recommended by unqualified people.

paddypaws101 wrote: »

FireFox.....My personal preference is to use Skoosh, but if I suspect fleas are encroaching then I will very occasionally use a chemical spray but make sure to do it on a day when I can lock the cats out most of the day and air the house properly.
Whichever way you look at it, whichever vet you speak to....spot on treatments utilise powerful chemicals and I think they are used WAY too often in most cases.

According to VetUK Skoosh is to be used alongside Frontline, tho granted they sell Frontline! There are veterinary treatments that are not spot-on tho they are largely insecticidal. Skoosh contains silicones which can be cause allergies and inflammatory responses, they are not totally inert or safe substances. Agree 100% that there is too much prophylactic veterinary and human medicine and not enough prophylactic healthy living. However in this case the OP is reporting signs of an active infestation.

happyolddog

Older cats and dogs can have nasty side effects from the strong chemicals in the 'best selling' flea treatments, I would suggest that to avoid these try diluting tea-tree oil in water, about 1 teaspoon to a pint of water, put this in a sprayer and spray this all over the cat, I have used this treatment on my cats and dog for years and never have any problem with fleas.