Frontline and Interceptor

I have my cats on Frontline monthly. They are currently being harnessed trained and I hope to take them out by next weekend. I live in the DC area where there are mosquitoes, though now that the hot summer is ending, there shouldn't be as many of them around. In any case, the vet tech recommended I give my cats Interceptor on a monthly basis if I'm going to take them out. Is anyone using it along with a monthly flea topical? Is it overkill?

It isn't overkill as long as you aren't using a topical flea treatment that also has heartworm preventatives in it, such as Revolution. Frontline has no HW prevention in it so you're safe. Just make sure you're using the proper interceptor dosage for your kitty! 1.5-6lbs is a 5.75mg tablet, 6.1-12lbs is a 11.5mg tablet, and 12.1-25lbs is a 23mg tablet.

I picked up the tabs for my kitties today and the bloody things are huge. Do they seriously think cat owners will get that down their cats' throats? I asked the Vet office person if I could ground up the tablet but she advised against it. She said, at most, I could halve the tablet.

Any recommendations for getting the tabs into my cats? Not that my cats get fooled by pill pockets anyway (they enjoy eating it but not when it's stuffed), but the tabs are too big for them.

Also I realized that Interceptor is for heartworm should they get bitten by mosquitoes but that it doesn't prevent bites. What can I use to prevent bites? I use insect repellent (chemical and natural) in the summer. What can I use for cats?

I went to the official website and read this:

As with other heartworm preventatives, cats must be tested for heartworms prior to using INTERCEPTOR Flavor Tabs. In cats, safety studies at up to 10 times the label dose did not detect any adverse drug reactions.

My vet never tested my cats. Is this just legalese by the drugmaker to cover its fanny?

I did also read that the tabs are flavored...maybe the cats will eat it up?

Legalese yes but also common sense ... as many folks are now ordering flea control online and getting what used to be RX items at the local pet store

My vet suggest to always test for heartworm before giving meds.

Also, you can call a compounding pharmacy to see if they can change the the pill into something else (like liquid or even something to rub onto their skin). Compounding pharmacies can do so many things to meds to make it easier to give humans and animals.

My vet office recommended Interceptor because I told them I was going to leash walk my cats but was worried about mosquito bites and heartworm. They never brought up the issue of testing the cats.

Is testing recommended to see if the cats have heartworm? And if they do, they shouldn't be on a preventative?

I just remembered...one of my cats was tested for HW because she would pant. It came back negative. The receptionist said that the vet very rarely tests cats for HW and that prior to my cat, she can't remember any other case.

I'm going to call tomorrow and ask why the office would sell meds without following the testing protocol recommended by the maker.

Originally Posted by sharky

Legalese yes but also common sense ... as many folks are now ordering flea control online and getting what used to be RX items at the local pet store

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If it makes any difference, I get both the Frontline Multi and the Interceptor from my vet.

Originally Posted by tdonline

If it makes any difference, I get both the Frontline Multi and the Interceptor from my vet.

Click to expand...

Many people do not ... I you for doing that as you are far safer ...

Heartworm testing SHOULD be done PRIOR to a preventative program as it can cause harm if given and an infection present( though sometimes the treatment is higher dose preventives ; go figure