any help please

hello i have a seven year old male. he has fleas..around his collar area and breast..and some on his back scabs are forming in these areas as well i have administered a flea and tick spray called nature's guardian,,but not much help it seems...he is starting to bring up a white sliva or some clear regurgitation..i hope its not from the spray...i do plan a visit to the vet and wonder if anyone could suggest a remedy for the fleas....thanks for your help jjr

OTC flea meds are soemthing to avoid. They have caused bad reactions such as this, the foaming means he swallowed some of it and they have even killed cats before. Don't get me wrong, cats can have bad reactions to anything, flea meds, medications, even food. But OTC meds are the worst.

So what you should do is first of all pick up some Dawn Dish Soap. Bath your cat in this and flea comb all the fleas off, or as many as you can. They bath should get a lot of the flea dirt (poop) off as well and refresh him a little. Then go to your vet or someplace reputable like Pet Supplies Plus or PetSmart/PetCo and pick up Advantage or preferably Frontline Plus. Watch his stools while you are at it because with fleas somes tapeworms and no doubt if he has fleas this bad he probably swallowed one and eventually you will see little rice like pieces around his butt and where he lays. Best bet would be to pick up some tapeworm tabs from the vet too. They may require a fecal to be done.

thank you for the quick and informative response..i will look for the remedies you have suggested..as far as bathing my cat,,it may be difficult to intrduce him to any water and he has all of his claws..so i will see a vet for more solutions as well thanks again...:-)

Good advice above. If he has fleas that bad I'd be surprised if he didn't also have tapeworm.

It sounds as though he's had a bad reaction to the over-the-counter flea meds and bathing him really is a great idea. Our kitties all have claws but still get bathed. You may need to enlist the help of a mate/friend and make it a 2-man job so to speak but try to get that medication off him.

IMHO the only safe meds are meds from a vet. Anything else is like playing Russian roulette unless you are very experienced with animal health.

It's not hard to bathe a cat with claws - show people do it all the time. Look under Care/Grooming for hints on how to wash your cat. IMO if he has fleas you really should bathe him before treating him.

And get Frontline or Advantage from your vet. Don't use the over the counter flea preperations. And DON'T put on a flea collar - it really doesn't help and can be toxic to the cat.

I would bath your cat, every moment that you don't that over-the-counter medication is sinking into his system. Have the tub/sink/basin already filled and then BE BRAVE and plop him in the water, ONCE IN, he will calm down.

good advice all

thank you all for your help...is front line plus otc the same as from the vet?

Originally Posted by alto77

thank you all for your help...is front line plus otc the same as from the vet?

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Not necessarily. Often the OTC meds are not the same strength as those received from a vet and may not work as well. In some cases some brands can and have been lethal to cats.

Originally Posted by alto77

thank you all for your help...is front line plus otc the same as from the vet?

Click to expand...

If you are buying it from a reputable pet store like PetCo or Pet Supplies Plus or a quality put store, then yes it is fine as long as it is those name brand flea meds like Frontline.

The important thing right now is to get off the medication you have used - which means a bath!