Question about Advantage Flea Treatment

The dried blood looking stuff is flea droppings. They eat blood and when they poop that's what comes out so I think it's safe to say that Thor has fleas. I never have been able to find any flea eggs in cats with fleas and the little suckers themselves are experts at hiding so you usually don't see them either. I just go by if I find any flea dirt.

A cat should not have the experience you are describing from Advantage and it really sounds to me like he is having some sort of allergic reaction. They really should have no noticable reaction. I wouldn't give it to him again and use another product instead like Frontline or Revolution which you need to get from the vet. If you have other pets it's super important that they are treated too as well as the house 'cause fleas can jump on Thor and bite him before they die and just one bite can cause him to have a bad allergic reaction. Cats with flea allergy has to be kept on monthly flea preventative during the whole flea season or all year depending on the situation. If you want to you can also give him a dose of Capstar along with the other flea medication to kill the fleas quicker since any flea bite makes him suffer so much.

I haven't experienced it myself but I have heard that due to the effects of the flea medication the fleas may go nuts and start biting before they die and of course if Thor is allergic that would cause him major discomfort. For that reason Capstar may be a good idea since it kills them off quicker. Just a thought.

Hi well, I can tell you that some cats do go "crazy" with that wet spot on the back of their heads for a few hours or even a day. It really has nothing to do with any bad reactions, just the feel of that wet area on them makes some cats upset until it dries. I have seen a few cats at the shelter do this after being treated with Frontline (that is what they use). Like they are trying to run from the spot-on treatment.

Fleas just sort of happen. Even a cat that never ever goes outside can get fleas. All you really can do is to keep the fleas off him. Make sure you apply Advantage monthly (every 3 weeks if it seems like it doesn't last the whole month), vacuum often (just vacuuming kills most fleas that get sucked up, but you can put a flea collar in the bag for extra killing power), have the house treated if it seems like they're living in the carpets. I like to give a Capstar tablet before I apply Advantage, to kill all the current fleas and give the spot-on a head start.

Some of my cats HATE having a spot-on applied. I think it might sting a bit.

Since no one else has brought this up, its also important to remember, if a cat has fleas, it most likely has worms as well as fleas transmit tapeworm.

AFAIK, Advantage does not treat tapeworm like some of the other topical flea meds do.

Check your cats rear end: if you see anything that looks like little grains of rice, it would indicate worms, too. I had forgotten to mention that also.

The flea dirt usually does accumulate mainly on the back by the base of the tail: why it's there mostly is anybody's guess. You may also notice what looks like dried blood throughout your house if the flea infestation is bad enough: it will turn into wet blood if it gets wet.

Even if your cats never go outside, they can get fleas. You can track them in on your shoes - especially if you have strays/ferals that you tend to. My cats never go outside, but yet they occasionally get fleas. But I have strays that I take care of, which is probably where the fleas come from.

On a personal note, I rarely have to use the Advantage every month as is recommended. I just use it when needed. It seems to last longer than the month that is recommended it be applied. That may vary from cat to cat though - especially if your cats go outside. I would suggest just keeping an eye on your cats to determine if they have fleas. I personally don't like putting anything like that on my cats unless need be.

Another thing to be mindful of: make sure you actually get Advantage when you pick the stuff up - and NOT Advantix. My vet's office once made the mistake of giving me Advantix in stead of Advantage - which would have killed my cats if I would have used it. I thank the Lord every day that I had enough sense to double-check into it before using it. I never would have forgiven myself if I would have accidentally killed my cats - even though it would not have been thru no fault of my own. Just an FYI for future reference.

I'm glad Thor's doing better!

With cats that don't have a flea allergy it's okay to just use flea preventative once in a while and keep an eye on them but with a cat that has a flea allergy it's crucial to apply flea preventative monthly. They can not get fleas under any circumstances. If you have other pets they should be treated monthly too to make sure they don't get fleas and spread it to the allergic cat. Flea allergy can cause serious physical symptoms in your cat like vomiting and diarrhea, eye infections and respiratory problems. It's an overreaction of the immune system which can affect the whole body. Not to mention that it's horribly itchy and the skin can become sore from the itching. With an allergic cat you have to do everything you can to prevent it. Treating your home now since you know you've had fleas is also important.

When I get a new foster that came in with fleas I always treat for tapeworm. A cat can have tapeworm for a long time and show no symptoms but if they've had fleas chances are good that they have ingested one while grooming and if so they will have tapeworm. It takes a while before the tapeworm will start shedding parts of its body which is the little nasty white worm looking thingies you see. So just because you don't see any doesn't mean that the cat doesn't have tapeworm. Unfortunately it's very hard to detect tapeworm with a fecal test too so you're left with just doing the math to see if it's a possibility that kitty has tapeworm and treat it. I love using Profender for tapeworm since it can be hellish to get a pill into some cats.

To get rid of the flea dirt on the kitty you can use a comb dipped in water and comb through the fur along with using a wet wash cloth to wipe him off. If you want to be really mean you can take a pitcher with water, put kitty in the tub and pour it on him as quick as you can. Count on an angry kitty that will take off and get your whole house wet though but it is much quicker than wiping and combing

I was referring to cats that don't have flea allergies - not to those that do. When my Maverick had flea allergies, I had to make sure that he was treated on a continuous basis to avoid an outbreak. I just don't personally think that it's necessary for a cat to be treated with any kind of medicine if it's not necessary. If they DO need it, that's another story.

As far as the worms are concerned, I'm not saying the cat shouldn't be treated for them if they're not visible. I was just trying to point out what to look for...

You can get a fine-toothed flea comb and comb through your cat's fur, especially on the back, shoulders and base of the tail. That will catch the nasty little critters and if you are quick you can crush them between the backs of your fingernails. But to get rid of them you need to treat for them.

I have used the original formula Advantage on all my cats without any problems. However, this time I treated my two girl spays with Advantage II, and they both got nerve damage!

Fortunately, I noticed it with Koi, my long-haired calico because she slept with me, and I noticed her head tilt and eye jitter. I called the vet early the next morning, and he had me bathe her in Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent and bring her in to flush her system. That, and a lot of prayer, saved her. She is now back to normal, except now her coat is scruffy, like the horrible experience aged her.

Somemore, my little long-haired Manx, was not so lucky. Unfortunately, in the chaos of a 4 cat household, having to go out of town on business, and being extra busy, I didn't notice her vestibulary symptoms for two weeks, too late to bathe her. She's developed heart problems, she's constipated, her head/neck hurts, she goes around in circles, she won't drink water (I have to hand feed her a mixture of water & canned catfood), she slinks and hides, and she feels miserable! I've spent a small fortune on vets, with more to come, as I have to make an appointment with a vet. neurologist, who is 2 counties away. If her quality of life can't be improved I will have to have her put down! That makes me very sad, because she is a sweet little kitty, very pretty and feminine looking, with the most perfect little ears I've ever soon on a cat.

A vet tech friend told me she's seen a lot of these reactions to Advantage II. Have you, or do you know of anybody else whose cats have had bad reactions to Advantage II?

My too neutered boys go outside, so instead of Advantage II, I used Revolution on them. No problems. On a cat I used to have I used another product, Foremost, and he was allergic to it.

OMG! I am so sorry that your cats had such a severe reaction to the Advantage II! I'm glad you posted this, cuz I was about to pick up some Advantage for my own cats: I don't think I will now, now that I've read this. I wonder what could have happened to the new Advantage formula to make your cats have such a severe reaction. I've been using that stuff forever. I don't think I will now anymore, after reading this. I wonder if maybe you got a bad batch or something..

If it were me, I'd be finding out more about the Advantage II to see if anyone else has encountered any problems. I'm not the suing type, but I think I'd seriously be considering suing the company if any of my cats were seriously hurt by using the stuff. I think the company had better do some investigating into what's going on with the Advantage II, and take it off the market.

I sure hope your cats will be okay!

Catbutler, where did you get the Advantage? Did you get it from a vet?

Have you given him any flea baths? I believe Advantage is more preventative than 'get-rid-tative' if you get what I mean.