does indoor cat need montly flea meds?

dawnalina

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I'm currently giving my cat a monthly dose of Revolution flea medication. Is it necessary for an indoor cat? Important detail: indoor cat lives with an indoor/outdoor dog (who is definitely staying on Revolution!). Thanks for info!

Dawnalina
 

sham

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It is possible for fleas to be brought in but I don't dose the indoor cats as freqently. Only every 2-3 months instead of monthly. The more fleas you have living in the area the more important it would be to apply it regularly. I don't have much of a problem here but we did at the old house. We had several infestations before we started using advantage and we just couldn't get rid of all the fleas in the yard after that. Even a couple years later if we missed 1 dose on any pet the fleas took over again. Here if I don't dose even the dog for several months I still don't see any fleas. It does somewhat depend on your specific area but I would at least dose them a couple times a year especialy at the height of flea season to keep ahead of a potential infestation. The last thing you want is to give the fleas a chance to establish around your house because then you will have more issues in the future.
 

goldenkitty45

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If the cat is strictly indoors and you don't have a problem with fleas, then I would not give a monthly treatment of flea preventative. Keno is treated with BioSpot (no fleas) and neither one of the cats has had fleas nor any flea problem so they don't get anything.
 

jencat

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My pets have never had fleas so I do not treat them. I'd say it depends on your situation. If your dog has had fleas in the past then they are probably in the outdoor environment in your area and they could be tracked into your home.
 

momofmany

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I live in a colder climate. All of my animals get treated over the warmer months as the dogs will bring fleas inside. The dogs start treatment in March and the cats start treatment when I discover the first flea on them. After the first freeze, we stop treating all of them unless we see a remnant flea. Personally, I don't like to medicate unless they need it and only use it as needed.
 

EnzoLeya

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I would treat them if it is flea season. I agree that if you have them it's just aweful to get rid of them. I'm sure you've had to deal with lice as a kid, or with your kids, if you have them. And lice is TERRIBLE to get rid of.....fleas are the same thing, but they jump!
 

stephenq

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In my experience I've never seen an indoor cat get fleas provided you dont have other animals (like dogs) that go outside.
 

sharky

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I dont treat Zoey regularly ... her canine sister gets frontline every 3 months during the warm months
 

sham

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In my experience I've never seen an indoor cat get fleas provided you dont have other animals (like dogs) that go outside.
I even had hamsters get fleas in an apartment when I had no dogs or cats. If the buggers are around they'll find a way indoors eventually.
 

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by stephenq

In my experience I've never seen an indoor cat get fleas provided you dont have other animals (like dogs) that go outside.
we adopted an adult indoor-only cat (no other animals in the house) when i was a teenager--he was infested with fleas worse than my mom has ever seen. the vet said they can come in on your shoes.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

we adopted an adult indoor-only cat (no other animals in the house) when i was a teenager--he was infested with fleas worse than my mom has ever seen. the vet said they can come in on your shoes.
very true /.... I have seen fleas in the yard... the girls dont get them but they are out there ...lmao.. since we went organic I have a teaming level of wild things in my yard
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I would treat them if it is flea season. I agree that if you have them it's just aweful to get rid of them. I'm sure you've had to deal with lice as a kid, or with your kids, if you have them. And lice is TERRIBLE to get rid of.....fleas are the same thing, but they jump!
Believe me, getting rid of lice is a piece of cake compared to getting rid of fleas. At least you can get rid of lice in one evening by washing everything in hot water - flea eggs and larva can live in your carpets up to a full year I believe.

Originally Posted by stephenq

In my experience I've never seen an indoor cat get fleas provided you dont have other animals (like dogs) that go outside.
We humans can carry fleas inside on our clothing/shoes so it is very possible to get fleas even if there are no other animals around that go outside.

Re your question - it really depends where you live. I live in Canada so I treat monthly from April/May until the end of October. I do not use flea medication during the winter months as it's really too cold to worry about fleas. If I lived in Florida or California I would treat 12 months of the year.

I would also speak to your vet - if you have only indoor animals and don't live in an area where fleas are prevalent, I would be tempted not to use the treatment every month. Using a treatment under those circumstances may only be necessary every 2 or 3 months. I also sprinkle diatomaceous earth into my carpeting which is a good preventative treatment.
 
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dawnalina

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Thanks, everyone! I live in California and all your flea stories sound so horrible that I think I'll take the safe way and keep giving my kitty meds. Thanks for all the great feedback!

Dawnalina
 
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