Tips for my cat?

Cat72

Hi thanks she has mostly white fur and its the fact that there is NO flea droppings on her coat at all that makes me wonder that it is not fleas. For all the lumps she has I would imagine she would supposidly be highly infected. Plus so would the other cats, and they are tickety boo.The only thing she has is lumps, scabs and sometimes I wonder if these are her biting herself ? She is a bit of an adventurer and does prowl a lot ( sleeps in car engines :eek: ,) and I kind of thought maybe she has an allergy rather then fleas. Unfortunately I live in a rural area and vets are hard to come by for a second opinon.

Curry_Queen

I'm assuming you've treated her for fleas which is why you won't see any evidence of them in her coat. This doesn't actually stop them jumping on to take a bite though, depositing their saliva under her skin, which is what causes the irritation if she's allergic to them. If she's out and about in the garden then she'll pick them up from grass and any other cats in the area.

I'm also allergic myself, as are both my cats, and if I or they receive a bite it itches like hell and produces a very nasty sore, which is exactly what's happening to your cat. Even though neither I nor my cats go outside, my son can bring in the odd flea from friend's cats or while playing out, so you can never fully escape them.

If she's reacting badly to them and chewing herself then she'll need a visit to the vet to get a couple of shots of corticosteroid and antibiotic, otherwise just keep your flea control up to date and keep an eye on her

Phoebs

Js_Other_Half wrote:

What about something like this during the summer to stop him getting out through the window?:-

http://www.betterware.co.uk/
Insect Window Screen 18103
Easy-trim window screen to prevent insects from flying in through an open window. Allows fresh air to circulate. Attach around window frame using the self-adhesive touch-fastening strip. 130 x 150cm. See also Door Insect Screen Offer (Code 19362).

Js_Other_Half wrote:

Lidl have something very similar on sale wsl from today for £1.79
http://www.lidl.co.uk

whilst suitable as an insect stopper, I'm not sure (having not seen in the flesh either of these products) that either of these suggestions would stop a determined kitty getting out - I know for certain that I wouldn't rely on them for our Bengals, but they are probably more active than most cats and LURVE climbing and trying to get out.

There are two windown screens suppliers that we've come across that have 'pet safe' screens, and whilst they are significantly more expensive than the examples above, I'd rather spend the money than lose the cats (but thats just me).

Cataire

Flyscreens UK

Also, on the matter of de-flea-ing, Stronghold in the same spot on pippettes as Frontline is also really good, with the added bonus that it tackles (cant remember which) worms too. Especially good if you have indoor cats that aren't keen on tablets (I say indoor cats as they are less likely to get the worse worm types - if that makes any sense whatsoever lol).

Finally, just last week I picked up some Bob Martin Spot on Dewormer from Pets at Home (or whatever Pet City/Pet World is called these days). available without prescription - again, a bonus as its spot on instead of tablets.

With all spot-on flea/worming treatments make sure you know the weight of your cat before applying!

Curry_Queen

Phoebs wrote:

Also, on the matter of de-flea-ing, Stronghold in the same spot on pippettes as Frontline is also really good, with the added bonus that it tackles (cant remember which) worms too. Especially good if you have indoor cats that aren't keen on tablets (I say indoor cats as they are less likely to get the worse worm types - if that makes any sense whatsoever lol).

Stronghold only treats roundworm so you would still need to back up your worming protocol with something like Drontal periodically to treat tapeworm and other internal parasites. It is however, very effective against sarcoptic mange mites and ear mites which is useful if you have a lot of foxes hanging around, particularly for dogs!

It might also be worthwhile pointing out here that it's a good idea to alternate flea treatments every year or two as fleas can build up a resistance to the active ingredient in products, making them less effective. Some vets have found Frontline not to be as effective as it used to be in some cases, due to overuse, as it's the most popular treatment on the market.

Finally, just last week I picked up some Bob Martin Spot on Dewormer from Pets at Home (or whatever Pet City/Pet World is called these days). available without prescription - again, a bonus as its spot on instead of tablets.

Sorry to tell you this, but I'm afraid you've just wasted your money as these products you can buy off the shelf in supermarkets/pet stores aren't very effective, if at all, and you'd be better off getting the proper stuff from your vet, and it works out cheaper

Magentasue

Have to admit that I have only skimmed this thread but this is what I have learned about flea control

1) Frontline works but is not enough if you have lots of fleas in the house, I found this out coming back from a week away to find the house literally jumping. Frontline wasn't enough but is good if you're using it for prevention or beginnings of an 'attack'.

2) The zapper thing is great. Works well, no chemicals but like combing kids hair for lice it has to be done every couple of days at least to get rid of an infestation.

3) Frontline spray is cheaper than capsules but less convenient. If you have a cat on your lap, you can administer a capsule before they know what you've done.

4) Supermarket/pet shop products are a waste of money.

5) For every flea you find, there are 10-20 more in the carpet etc. You have to hoover as if Kim and Aggie are coming round to check. They tend to hatch out from carpet edges and gaps in floor because they're the places that get missed.

6) If you have only indoor pets, the easiest way is an injection (I think it's called Advantage) from the vet that lasts months. The fleas don't die but they can't reproduce so combined with Frontline or if they start flea free it's the easiest way.

7) If you bath your dog with tea tree shampoo, you can see the fleas drop off.

Magentasue

Just checked the Avon site for S-S-S and got hopelessly confused - which product do I need to stop me and the kids getting bitten? Any of them suitable for bathing a dog? Any others I should have in the cupboard?

Curry_Queen

Magentasue wrote:

Have to admit that I have only skimmed this thread but this is what I have learned about flea control

1) Frontline works but is not enough if you have lots of fleas in the house, I found this out coming back from a week away to find the house literally jumping. Frontline wasn't enough but is good if you're using it for prevention or beginnings of an 'attack'.

If your house is infested too then the only thing you can do is to use a product such as Acclaim or Staykill in the home too, otherwise they'll continue to live and breed in your carpets/soft furnishing etc and no amount of flea treatments on your cats/dogs will get rid of them.

You're fighting a losing battle just trying to treat the pets


Edit: BTW, Advantage is another dropper type treatment, not an injection, and again is only available from your vet. I'm not aware of an injectable flea control, unless it's a very recent product on the market, and the only one that used to be available that "sterilised" fleas rather than kill them was Programme, which you put in the animal's food.

Edit 2: Apparently Programme is now available in injectable form, which I hadn't realised, and is administered every 6 months, but as in the oral form this won't actually kill the fleas but sterilises them preventing them from laying any further eggs. It's quite a lengthy process to get on top of them using this method unless you also treat the house and initially treat the animals to kill of existing adults with other products, but it's a great long term protocol to use


Edit 3: sorry for keep editing but I just remembered something else ... some of you were asking about the use of flea collars and the majority of those available are pretty useless and a waste of money, but there is one made by a company called Vet-Kem (which also makes the Acclaim household spray) and they do them for dogs and cats in various sizes, and these are actually quite effective and would work well in conjunction with something like the injectable Program for those that don't like using sprays

Magentasue

Curry_Queen wrote:

If your house is infested too then the only thing you can do is to use a product such as Acclaim or Staykill in the home too, otherwise they'll continue to live and breed in your carpets/soft furnishing etc and no amount of flea treatments on your cats/dogs will get rid of them.

You're fighting a losing battle just trying to treat the pets


Edit: BTW, Advantage is another dropper type treatment, not an injection, and again is only available from your vet. I'm not aware of an injectable flea control, unless it's a very recent product on the market, and the only one that used to be available that "sterilised" fleas rather than kill them was Programme, which you put in the animal's food.

Yes - it is called Program and you can buy it to add to food but it is available as an injection for cats - at a price of course. We used it for our kittens when we got them and I think it was about £25 each but it was the year after our flea infestation and I was paranoid! It doesn't work outmuch more expensive than Frontline because it lasts (I think) six months.

I did get rid of them without spraying the house but only by constantly vacuuming EVERYWHERE every day or two, Frontlining and zapping the cats with a comb every day.

Magentasue

We cross posted - I'd recommend the injection but as you say it's for prevention rather than cure. It worked for us because the house was flea free and the dog had been Frontlined so any fleas that did come in the house would either bite the dog and die or bite the cat and die childless!

Curry_Queen

Magentasue wrote:

Yes - it is called Program and you can buy it to add to food but it is available as an injection for cats - at a price of course. We used it for our kittens when we got them and I think it was about £25 each but it was the year after our flea infestation and I was paranoid! It doesn't work outmuch more expensive than Frontline because it lasts (I think) six months.

Oooops sorry for the cross post

Yeah I looked it up after reading your post as I was intrigued to find they'd come up with an injection now! I don't keep as up-to-date with new products these days so wasn't aware of it and wouldn't have a clue how much it cost!

The oral Programme was pretty popular when it first came out, despite being fairly expensive, but a lot of people became put off by it as it's not an instant treatment as such and they begrudged paying the extra on top for Frontline, for e.g., to deal with immediate chronic problems and couldn't see the long term benefits of keeping up with it so got relegated to the back shelf pretty rapidly. Hopefully the injectable one will make life a bit easier than having to remember to give the oral doses regularly