What can I expect from Frontline? (for cats, specifically)

[chaoticbear]

Got a cat several months ago, from a friend who was moving away and couldn’t take him with her. He was used to being an inside/outside cat, and after he got done hiding in the attic for several weeks, then running away for a month, that’s how we were handling him.

Then after a big flea infestation, we kept him inside to prevent him from bringing more fleas inside, since we had just fixed the problem. A combination of Hartz flea drops (late night Walmart run), bombing the house, and boric acid seem to have fixed the problem for the last month or so, and I sprayed the yard as well. Our yard. The cat loves to explore, though, and our neighbors have complained about fleas as well, so I know they’re out there somewhere.

The cat wants to be outside very much - we’ve got a screened-in front porch that he loves hanging out on, but since it’s upstairs, I don’t think it’s going to get a lot of fleas. I’d love to make him happy by letting him out, though.

So, the concluding question: I’m planning on switching over to one of the major brands of flea spot treatments now that the Hartz is gone, both being dissatisfied with having a matted, greasy cat neck for several days, and reading on the Internets that they’re more effective. But are the topical drops going to be enough to prevent us from getting reinfested with fleas for a cat that likes to play outside?

[voltaire]

I’d go for Revolution instead. Not only takes care of fleas, but also heartworm, ear mites, hookworm, and roundworm. All which are things an outside cat will be vulnerable to.

[Buttercup_Smith]

I manage a Vet Clinic and I agree that Revolution is the better choice but Frontline is considered the safest product on the market for both dogs and cats.

I would avoid any over the counter products like the Hartz as they have been know to dangerous or fatal. As far as I know there is not a pill for fleas for cats yet but there is a pill for dogs called Comfortis.

I have a one year old cat that is strictly indoors that has never had any flea product yet. I have been thinking of using Revolution for the heartworm protection. Cats do get heartworms caused by mosquitos.

[TriPolar]

Works great on Blackjack. But he’s a dog. Don’t have any info about cats.

[thelabdude]

I have never used it. I never have used much of anything since it and the other good stuff came into wide use. Much of the last 20 years we have had one healthy, young dog in the house. Our hardwood floor provides lousy flea habitat. When we go out somewhere where there will be other dogs, I sometimes spray the dog with Ovitrol. I have even let that slide with so many other people using the good stuff,

In 2003 ten year old Aster joined us complete with an existing flea allergy dating back to when fleas were more of a problem. Our vet put her and our puppies on Revolution. For the next 5 years, we never saw a flea. But then the only time in the 5 years before that we had a problem was when we took our unprotected puppy to visit my sister’s flea bitten cats. In the year and a half between Aster being put to sleep and Sampson joining us, we were using Interceptor to control heartworms for Tux and no flea remedy. We had one incident of fleas with him. I blame letting him relieve himself outside the cattle barn at the state fair. A dose of Capstar fixed that in time for him to show.

Sampson came with a supply of Sentinel as well as the 2 puppies he has shared the house with since then. His Sentinel has run out and he is on Interceptor now. No sign of fleas since the mess with Tux in 2009.

We have used very little flea remedies since the good stuff has been in wide use. We had more trouble with fleas before that than we have had since. It really seems if our dogs aren’t exposed to fleas elsewhere, we don’t have trouble whether we are using anything or not. I might add, our puppies are checked monthly by trained people. I am sure our friends would say something when they sit our dogs if they brought in fleas.

Since we go years without using anything or having flea problems, I won’t claim when we have used Revolution or Sentinel, that they do any good. I don’t know what the one family started using back in the 90’s, but I do know they went from a severe flea problem to none at all. We used to have to drench our puppy in Ovitrol before visiting them. Now we don’t worry.

I have seen some reports that Frontline is no longer effective. I have also seen suggestions there is counterfeit material and that is behind the problems.

The bottom line to a long post? There are many good products out there, each doing a slightly different job. Most of the good stuff comes from the vet. Talk to yours to select the product that will fit your cat’s needs. We had to switch to Sentinel and Interceptor after discovering a whip worm problem.

As for garlic and other home remedies, they weren’t working 20 years ago. That is why those with flea problems switched to Frontline, Revolution, Sentinel, etc.

[Buttercup_Smith]

There is a flea pill for cats that is good for infestations but does not offer long term protection. It is Capstar and must be given daily but if you have an infestation it begins working in 30 minutes. It comes in a 6 pack and may be given once a day but would be cost prohibitive to use as a long term treatment.

There are new products coming out all the time but remember that all these products are pesticides.

If you have carpet, 20 Mule Team Borax sprinkled and left for a day or two will dehydrate the fleas and kill them. Most fleas are the cat flea, even the ones on the dogs. If you have an infestation and do not treat the environment the problem has not been solved. Good luck.

[salinqmind]

I use Frontline on my long-haired cat. He’s indoor, but goes outside under supervision. It must burn his skin when applied to the back of his neck because he runs and hides when he sees me coming at him with it once a month. But he gets over the discomfort pretty fast. I mentioned it to the veterinarian and he said yeah, it could irritate the skin, but Frontline is the best flea prevention med, in his opinion. Sorry, kitty, but suffering for a few minutes is the price you pay if you want to go out and look for a mouse. I think you can buy Frontline and such at pet stores, but it is much cheaper when you buy a 6 pack at the veterinarian’s (and certainly cheaper than running out trying to de-flea your house and yard with bug bombs). I haven’t seen a flea in the house in years. (When I think of the horrors of past flea infestation, not just the poor animals but getting into the house, into the rugs - a nightmare. Those horrible powders and collars and sprays you can buy are worse than useless and I think more harmful to the cat or dog.)

[barbitu8]

@voltaire

I’d go for Revolution instead. Not only takes care of fleas, but also heartworm, ear mites, hookworm, and roundworm. All which are things an outside cat will be vulnerable to.

I also agree with this. If the cat ventures outside at all, he will be subjected to numerous parasites, which Revolution works best. Usually, you need a vet’s prescription for this. However, www.petshed.com does not require a prescription, and they are the cheapest source. I don’t know why they don’t require a prescription, except possibly for the reason that they are located in Australia (but ship in the US).

[Buttercup_Smith]

@thelabdude

I have never used it. I never have used much of anything since it and the other good stuff came into wide use. Much of the last 20 years we have had one healthy, young dog in the house. Our hardwood floor provides lousy flea habitat. When we go out somewhere where there will be other dogs, I sometimes spray the dog with Ovitrol. I have even let that slide with so many other people using the good stuff,

In 2003 ten year old Aster joined us complete with an existing flea allergy dating back to when fleas were more of a problem. Our vet put her and our puppies on Revolution. For the next 5 years, we never saw a flea. But then the only time in the 5 years before that we had a problem was when we took our unprotected puppy to visit my sister’s flea bitten cats. In the year and a half between Aster being put to sleep and Sampson joining us, we were using Interceptor to control heartworms for Tux and no flea remedy. We had one incident of fleas with him. I blame letting him relieve himself outside the cattle barn at the state fair. A dose of Capstar fixed that in time for him to show.

Sampson came with a supply of Sentinel as well as the 2 puppies he has shared the house with since then. His Sentinel has run out and he is on Interceptor now. No sign of fleas since the mess with Tux in 2009.

We have used very little flea remedies since the good stuff has been in wide use. We had more trouble with fleas before that than we have had since. It really seems if our dogs aren’t exposed to fleas elsewhere, we don’t have trouble whether we are using anything or not. I might add, our puppies are checked monthly by trained people. I am sure our friends would say something when they sit our dogs if they brought in fleas.

Since we go years without using anything or having flea problems, I won’t claim when we have used Revolution or Sentinel, that they do any good. I don’t know what the one family started using back in the 90’s, but I do know they went from a severe flea problem to none at all. We used to have to drench our puppy in Ovitrol before visiting them. Now we don’t worry.

**I have seen some reports that Frontline is no longer effective. I have also seen suggestions there is counterfeit material and that is behind the problems. **

The bottom line to a long post? There are many good products out there, each doing a slightly different job. Most of the good stuff comes from the vet. Talk to yours to select the product that will fit your cat’s needs. We had to switch to Sentinel and Interceptor after discovering a whip worm problem.

As for garlic and other home remedies, they weren’t working 20 years ago. That is why those with flea problems switched to Frontline, Revolution, Sentinel, etc.

The above BBM quote is true. If you find a product cheaper from overseas say Australia it is probably counterfeit. Buyer beware. I sell these products cheaper than even 1800petmeds because we are military and get discounts. Our markup is less than most civilian Vet’s but people can buy it from down under for cheaper? I don’t think so.

[Buttercup_Smith]

@barbitu8

I also agree with this. If the cat ventures outside at all, he will be subjected to numerous parasites, which Revolution works best. Usually, you need a vet’s prescription for this. However, www.petshed.com does not require a prescription, and they are the cheapest source. I don’t know why they don’t require a prescription, except possibly for the reason that they are located in Australia (but ship in the US).

Thanks for the link as I have had returns of products that were procured from the makers of the products. I happily do the refunds but let the owner know that these products may be countfeit.

[barbitu8]

The Revolution I get from PetShed looks just the same as the ones I’ve gotten from my vet. It seems to be a reliable company. It comes in the same box, the same injection vial, and the same user info as the one from my vet. I’ve been using it for a while, it has controlled my cats’ scratching. Do you still think PetShed may be selling counterfeit stuff?

[chaoticbear]

@Fed up

There is a flea pill for cats that is good for infestations but does not offer long term protection. It is Capstar and must be given daily but if you have an infestation it begins working in 30 minutes. It comes in a 6 pack and may be given once a day but would be cost prohibitive to use as a long term treatment.

There are new products coming out all the time but remember that all these products are pesticides.

If you have carpet, 20 Mule Team Borax sprinkled and left for a day or two will dehydrate the fleas and kill them. Most fleas are the cat flea, even the ones on the dogs. If you have an infestation and do not treat the environment the problem has not been solved. Good luck.

Oh! To clarify, the problem has been taken care of. I am just trying to avoid a repeat of that disaster. I am not dealing with any problem right now. But some animals being more sensitive to fleas is a new one for me, I guess that’s why he was so miserable for weeks after we got all of the ones on him and the house dead.

I’d seen Revolution around the internet before, but wasn’t aware of its advantages. I’ll have to go look into that one some more! I’m more curious to see if a spot-treatment alone is enough to protect the cat from bringing fleas back home.

[voltaire]

@chaoticbear

I’m more curious to see if a spot-treatment alone is enough to protect the cat from bringing fleas back home.

While a spot treatment might not completely prevent a cat from bringing fleas back into a home, any fleas that do make it in won’t be able to live and reproduce in the home without a suitable host. Humans aren’t suitable, and as long as your cat and any other pets are protected, they won’t be able to get a foothold in the house.

[voltaire]

Note: The above assumes your house isn’t infested with rodents, in which case you have bigger problems than fleas!

[MadTheSwine]

Capstar kilss all adult fleas within hours,nice to start with if the animal is badly infested.Then us the liquid on the neck.Can’t remember if you canuse them at the same time or have to wait a few days.

[madrabbitwoman]

I use Revolution on both cats and the rabbit. I did a lot of research before using it and would not be using it (especially on the rabbit) if it was not safe a effective. I like the fact you can do stuff like bathe and cuddle the animals only a few hours after application.

[thelabdude]

One thing I liked about Revolution was that it only left one small spot on Aster. Earlier I had used some OTC stuff that left a messy streak the length of her back. We sat her before she came to live with us. It think once while we were still cleaning up the mess from visiting my sister’s cats.

[KarlGrenze]

@chaoticbear

So, the concluding question: I’m planning on switching over to one of the major brands of flea spot treatments now that the Hartz is gone, both being dissatisfied with having a matted, greasy cat neck for several days, and reading on the Internets that they’re more effective. But are the topical drops going to be enough to prevent us from getting reinfested with fleas for a cat that likes to play outside?

From a vet: Yes, topical drops, especially those that are/were originally prescribed by vets are good enough to treat and prevent reinfestation.

This is a similar thread, but with a dog.

Same rule applies for cat as it does with dogs. Treat all animals in the household, keep treatment for a few months. Make sure you buy something labelled as safe for cat.

Yes, Revolution is good, and as mentioned, has a broader spectrum of protection than Frontline.

[Gleena]

@Fed up

The above BBM quote is true. If you find a product cheaper from overseas say Australia it is probably counterfeit. Buyer beware. I sell these products cheaper than even 1800petmeds because we are military and get discounts. Our markup is less than most civilian Vet’s but people can buy it from down under for cheaper? I don’t think so.

Australia? Given what I pay for it is probably 10 times more than you pay for it, why would you think you could buy in cheaper from Australia, or that counterfiet goods would be more likely to come from here? Why would you pay to ship that back to the US when it’s more expensive to start with, and it was shipped here fro the US most likely in the first place? Bizzare.

We rotate between Frontline and Revolution, depending on what the fleas are sensitive too during the season, for both our cats and our dogs. Cats are indoor only, but the dogs schlep them in from their walks.

[barbitu8]

@Gleena

Australia? Given what I pay for it is probably 10 times more than you pay for it, why would you think you could buy in cheaper from Australia, or that counterfiet goods would be more likely to come from here? Why would you pay to ship that back to the US when it’s more expensive to start with, and it was shipped here fro the US most likely in the first place? Bizzare.

We rotate between Frontline and Revolution, depending on what the fleas are sensitive too during the season, for both our cats and our dogs. Cats are indoor only, but the dogs schlep them in from their walks.

I buy Revolution from Pet Smart in Australia, as I mentioned before. It is about half the price I would pay my vet and cheaper than the TV add by the vet docs. Although the firm is in Australia, they have a US shipping site. (I did once buy some from the TV vets but that was because they had a free shipping special, which made them slightly cheaper. They require a prescripton. Pet Smart doesn’t.) I have no reason to believe Pet Smart sells inferior merchandise. If someone does, I’d like to know.