# What is the best way to prevent ticks on my cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053 "2008-04-20T00:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/1 "2008-04-20T00:08:48Z")
After coming in one day covered in ticks, I’ve come to realize that I’m in tick country. We like to take one of my cat’s out on a leash on occasion. Since I don’t want my cat to get ticks I havent let him out, but I can’t stand the whining anymore. There is no real way to treat our swamp, er yard, so I need to put something on him. Unlike with dogs, I can’t use permethrin based things. The Advantage that I put on him says nothing about preventing ticks so I assume it doesn’t. It looks like Frontline Plus offers some protection, but what can I do for the “ultimate” protection? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/2 "2008-04-20T00:10:31Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] After coming in one day covered in ticks, I’ve come to realize that I’m in tick country. We like to take one of my cat’s out on a leash on occasion. Since I don’t want my cat to get ticks I havent let him out, but I can’t stand the whining anymore. There is no real way to treat our swamp, er yard, so I need to put something on him. Unlike with dogs, I can’t use permethrin based things. The Advantage that I put on him says nothing about preventing ticks so I assume it doesn’t. It looks like Frontline Plus offers some protection, but what can I do for the “ultimate” protection? [/QUOTE] Probabaly nothing short of not letting the cat outside. Let him whine…call it revenge for his aloof nature. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/3 "2008-04-20T00:50:40Z")
I think Advantage gets rid of ticks, but they didn’t pay for the testing to prove it so they don’t advertise it. We used it for a few years. Then we switched to Revolution, which from the user’s point of view comes in a similar package, gets applied the same way, and seems to work similarly - or maybe better, based on the vet’s recommendation. We have many ticks in our region but if we stay up to date with these things, or even every 6 weeks or so, they don’t seem to bother the cats. We may find ticks crawling on the cats, but not feeding. And, heck, we find ticks crawling on inanimate objects. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/4 "2008-04-20T04:19:53Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] Since I don’t want my cat to get ticks I havent let him out,… [/QUOTE] Yes, that’s about it. Sorry. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/5 "2008-04-20T04:30:54Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] I think Advantage gets rid of ticks, [/QUOTE] Frontline and Revolution are the ones that get ticks. Advantage only works on fleas. A dose of Frontline every month will likely keep the OP’s kitty satisfactorily tick free. Remember, for every tick/flea you find, the cat likely already found and ate 20 off of itself. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/6 "2008-04-20T05:28:08Z")
You could laminate your cat. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/7 "2008-04-20T06:03:32Z")
I didn’t know Tourettes was possible in cats. Sorry Frontline works very well. It’s supposed to work best in combination with Advantage. I have, in the past, lived in tick territory and used the combination on my dog never saw a tick on her. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-prevent-ticks-on-my-cat/446053/8 "2008-04-20T12:12:10Z")
> [@](#): > > You could laminate your cat. I suppose some Saran Wrap every day before I take him out might be an option.