Applying Advantage?

sockiesmom

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Every month, on Socks' "Advantage Day" we have a struggle. How can I make this better for the both of us? She kicks, screams and whines for the short amount of time it takes to apply it, and she's usually mad at me for three days after. She hates being held, but if I try and do it while she's lying down, she runs away. I've tried it while brushing her, and as soon as she feels the liquid, she runs away. Do anyone else's kitties get mad at them for this? I don't think it's chemical, because she gets mad at a lot of things (car trips, vet trips, etc) and exhibits the same behaviour. She's recently been vet checked and everything is okay... so I don't think I'm hurting her at all and I hold her very gently.

I hate having her mad at me, she won't even jump on my lap or sleep on my bed for a couple days after her Advantage, or a bath, or a vet trip, or a trip home from the cottage, etc. Is it normal for kitties to get mad and ignore their owners for a couple days? What can I do to make her calm down? What's the best way to apply Advantage? Are you sick of my silly questions yet?

Thanks for all your help, guys.
 

hissy

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It may be that advantage is irriatating her or even causing her some pain (it can do that to some cats) I would switch to another brand (from your vet) frontline, or revolution and see if that makes a difference? Advantage has a very distinct and strong smell to it, she could be reacting to that as well.
 
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sockiesmom

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Originally posted by hissy
It may be that advantage is irriatating her or even causing her some pain (it can do that to some cats) I would switch to another brand (from your vet) frontline, or revolution and see if that makes a difference? Advantage has a very distinct and strong smell to it, she could be reacting to that as well.
Thanks Hissy. She has had some reactions to a flea collar in the past, so you're probably right. My vet told me that Advantage was the safest stuff out there and that cats very rarely had reactions? But this was a couple years ago so maybe those other kinds weren't out yet...

Anyway, thanks a lot for your help! I guess I'll give the Advantage I have left to my neighbour and see if I can get something else.
 

shell

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I use Advantage on my crew and for the first few times, it was a royal pain in the butt. They'd fight & scream...acted like I was killing them! Finally, I made my brother help me. He crouches down almost of top of them. His legs are on the mid section of the cats while he hold their front legs. It almost looks like a wrestling move of some sort. This way those cats can't move an inch! This past month was the easiest of them all. Maybe their just getting used to the idea of this new "torture" or they've just given up on trying to get away.
 

maui

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Sockiesmom,

Maybe the temperature of the Advantage is too cool? Usually irritants take a while to cause a reaction, but cats are very sensitive to temps. I put the vial of Advantage in my pocket a half hour prior so that it is body temp. When applied my cats hardly know what's going on.

From what it sounds like (because she stays away after vet trips, car trip etc) she is simply associating YOU with whatever she finds unpleasant because you happen to be there every single time
I don't think she is mad at you. She's just cautious and doesn't want to go to the vet so she stays away from anything she associates with vet.

Since she likes to sit on your lap (but doesn't like to be held), just have the vial in your pocket ready for her, then the next time she sits on your lap, give her LOTS of petting with one hand while you squeeze out the Advantage with the other hand.

Good luck!
 

sammie5

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I use Revolution on Sam, and he doesn't mind at all. He hates being brushed, or having his nails clipped, so much so that I take him to the vet for nail clipping. But the Revolution, never a problem. I had no idea that people went through so much! It may be the smell, Sam at least reacts very strongly to smells he doesn't like.
 

dragonlady

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I feed my kitties their wet food when I give flea drops. They are so into the wet food they don't even know it's happening! LOL Maybe they are too busy trying to get all the wet food before someone else does!
 

a_loveless_gem

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I use Advantage, though I'm going to switch to something that deals with ticks as well. I live in an area and tick season is just around the corner.


I put the Advantage in a pocket for about half an hour before I apply it. And when I do apply it, I have treats in a bowl for my kitties so that the only thing I touch is the applicator when I put it on them. That works for me.

Though sometimes Russell will insist that he doesn't need it and that he's invincible.
So if I'm at home by my self at the time, I wrap him in an old towel and apply it and offer treats.
 

lotsocats

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I've never had a problem applying Frontline. What I do is I simply apply it while I am petting them. I concentrate my pets on their head and neck, and separate the fur while I'm petting. Then, with one hand scratching the top of their heads I use the other hand to apply the drops. They never even notice what I am doing.

I've even managed to use this technique on three of my ferals who will tolerate a head and neck scratch but who otherwise won't let me handle them in any way.


Sicy...what have you heard about Frontline?
 

sicycat

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Someone posted on another board that they found sites about anectdotal stories of animals developing seizures and pancreatitis after being dosed. BUT.. I suppose with any medication there are side effects and different products have different effects on different cats. If its working fine for you I wouldnt worry about it at all.

Sorry I didnt mean to scare anyone
 

charmsdad

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With Frontline it is VERY important to use the cat version and not the dog version if you're treating a cat (they are very clear about this on the box.)

Frontline and Advantage are both excellent flea treatments. Advantage is an older medication and does seem have to have a somewhat quicker and stronger suppression of fleas, though this is not all that well documented. Frontline works on ticks, which Advantage does not. Either way you also need to treat the environment if you have a flea problem.

Warming the medication should help. Makeing the whole interaction positive will help too. Our cats get primarily dry food. Canned food is given as a treat. Dosing the cat and them giving them the already dished out canned foot made the whole thing a positive experience. I've dosed lots of cats that had never been treated, and have quite good luck as long as there is an immediate positive reinforcement given right after the treatment. (This has also been true when microchipping cats with that huge needle. Giving them an immediate treat of some sort right after USUALLY - but definately not always - calms them right down.)

George
 
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