Cheap option for flea prevention

wonderwhatif

Hi,

Shortly my cats will be going from house cats to mostly outdoor cats and I was wondering about cheap methods for flea prevention. Has anyone used the value brands such as Bob Martin and found any difference or do they actually work.

Any opinions appreciated.

Thanks,

Lorna

Mupette

please dont use bob martin

Fridaycat

Noooooo.... don't use it.

years ago, not knowing any better, I used this on my Friday cat and it nearly killed her and I am not exaggerating :mad: And I had administered it according to instructions. Since then, I have heard too many similar stories, and even some where the cats did not survive. I really cannot understand why this stuff has not been banned :eek:.

So, alongside the fact that it doesn't work, you also risk the health of your cat. Completely not worth it just to save a few pennies (or even pounds).

suki1964

The only effective treatment against fleas is what is prescribed

I know that front line can now be bought OTC but we read time and time again that this is no longer working in some areas

zaksmum

Bob Martin's rubbish for my dogs. I use Frontline but am just switching now to Advantage.

wonderwhatif

Fridaycat wrote: »

Noooooo.... don't use it.

years ago, not knowing any better, I used this on my Friday cat and it nearly killed her and I am not exaggerating :mad: And I had administered it according to instructions. Since then, I have heard too many similar stories, and even some where the cats did not survive. I really cannot understand why this stuff has not been banned :eek:.

So, alongside the fact that it doesn't work, you also risk the health of your cat. Completely not worth it just to save a few pennies (or even pounds).

:eek: That is pretty terrifying. I was worried about it working which is why I checked on here first, but never expected it to be that bad. Financial circumstances have changed for me, so I was just hoping there'd be some way to save money on expensive treatments, but I'm certainly not going to risk the health of my cats.

Thanks for your help

wonderwhatif

suki1964 wrote: »

The only effective treatment against fleas is what is prescribed

I know that front line can now be bought OTC but we read time and time again that this is no longer working in some areas

I also thought about asking my vet about the flea injection, but not sure if it's available here. I guess I'll ask her what she reccommends when I take them to get microchipped.

HappyMJ

wonderwhatif wrote: »

:eek: That is pretty terrifying. I was worried about it working which is why I checked on here first, but never expected it to be that bad. Financial circumstances have changed for me, so I was just hoping there'd be some way to save money on expensive treatments, but I'm certainly not going to risk the health of my cats.

Thanks for your help

If you want to save money then instead of Frontline use something else with the same main ingredient of fipronil such as Effipro. Then push the time between treatments out. Although it's supposed to be reapplied every 5 weeks it doesn't suddenly stop working after 35 days it just becomes a bit less effective. I treat my cat on the first day of every odd month. Much easier to remember and I don't see any problems. Another way to save is to skip the January treatment. Adult fleas don't survive the winter but if your cat is in the house which is kept warm with central heating you can't do that.

krlyr

Lots of people go down the route of only treating if they actually find fleas on their pets (and not just one - a rabbit flea can hop onto your cat, hitch a ride but hop off later, so one flea does not an infestation make!), which could be an option as opposed to treating monthly. Probably worth deciding what's best and whether there's things like ticks to consider (have only ever seen two ticks where I live in the past 4 years - one on the dog and one on the ferret, so I don't worry about preventatives to stop ticks), or worms (e.g. if the cat's likely to catch and eat wild rabbits). Various products treat various things so could be worth a chat with your vet, mine does free appointments for flea & worming stuff, just a general health check, and it's a good time to discuss what products to use and how often.
Personally I will always go for prescription treatment though, as OTC stuff seems to be false ecomony with more and more products losing their efficiency.

suki1964

TBH I dont flea treat my dog for fleas on a regular basis. I do treat the house once yearly and re spray carpets when cleaned, and havent found a flea in I cant remember how long.

I dont like the idea of treating "just in case" with very toxic ingredients

I would be tempted to do so with the cats, treat the house and comb out the cats as often as possible to check for fleas and treat when needed

wonderwhatif

Thanks for all the tips!