My new cat brought ear mites into the house, infecting my older cat. I’m using Revolution on both of them, applying it as directed, on the back of their necks. Which raises some questions:
How does the medication travel to their ears, where it’s needed?
Do I have to refrain from petting them in that area during the entire treatment, even if I don’t go beneath the surface?
Is it at all toxic, if one cat is grooming the other in that area?
Selamectin, the active ingredient in Revolution, is absorbed through the skin and sebaceous glands. The parasites absorb it through the skin.
Fun fact: ear mites, at least cat ear mites, can on occasion venture outside the ear.
You should not pet your animals in that spot right after you applied the medication. Wait for it to be absorbed and the coat is dry. It is not considered toxic to mammals (selamectin is a GABA potentiator, but the doses needed to kill parasites are far less than the ones needed to affect most mammals).
It is not toxic to cats if ingested, and in fact, revolution in cats is used to get rid of intestinal parasites too (because the cats lick themselves and ingest the drug this way).
Information obtained from classes and consulting Sanders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, Second ed, by Mark G. Papich, DVM, MS.
This is from the Revolution website:
“Once applied, Revolution enters the bloodstream through the skin. Concentrations of Revolution in the blood and intestinal tract prevent heartworm disease in dogs and cats and treat gastrointestinal parasites in cats. Revolution selectively redistributes from the blood to sebaceous glands, which are found below the skin’s surface. Revolutions’ presence in the sebaceous glands and in the skin is the reservoir of drug that provides protection against fleas, flea eggs and mites.”
Revolution does not control internal parasites by being licked off by the cat. In fact, it should not be licked off by the cat, and for that reason it should be applied high on the back of the neck, almost between the ears, which is one place a cat cannot lick itself. Cats should be prevented from licking it off each other until it is dry - usually two hours - although in my experience it smells so strongly that no cat in his right mind wants to go near it.
You’ll find if you keep your cats indoors they will have far fewer issues with parasites and other critters.
Same way aspirin finds a headache - through the blood.
I just wanted to add - for the benefit of anyone who’s wondered if Revolution is well, revolutionary and worth the price, it is. We can take our city-living dog to our friends’ place out in the boonies and put her in the back yard with three other dogs, two goats and random feral cats, and she simply doesn’t get bothered by the fleas and ticks.
Yes, the stuff really works. But it’s also really expensive, and the monthly fee for five doses of adult cat Revolution is HUGE. I do this even though the cats are completely indoors, because I’m terrified of fleas and, being in the country, we do get an occasional mouse in the house (no doubt harboring a flea or fifty).
As someone who is trying to live a green lifestyle, I am also concerned about applying such a pesticide to anything in my environment, let alone my beloved cats. But until something better comes along. . . .something that works as well, that is. . . .