Noticing presence of fleas

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I noticed our cat Pepe was itching a lot more and licking more than usual. The thought of fleas crossed our minds but being new cat owners we also thought it could just be allergies or the changing of a new coat. However, after more research we noticed the "flea dirt" in his fur---i read that a lot of cat owners have used Advantage and it has worked; however my friend who used to work at a Vet's office said NOT to buy the "cheaper" stuff at Petco or anything like that because it can cause seizures...

Can anyone help me out? Have you used Advantage from a Pet store and has it worked? Or do you always go to the vet?

If you can get Advantage or Advantage Plus at a pet store, it should be OK, as would be Frontline or Revolution. What your friend was talking about was the generic stuff or Hartz, which have caused some real problems. You can also get Frontline at Costco. Apply it to the back of the cat's head/neck, and it should take care of the fleas almost immediately.

I always get Revolution from the vet. It's worked the 2 times there was a flea problem.

The cheaper stuff at Petco your friend is talking about is cheaper brands like Hartz or Biospot, etc., not Advantage or Frontline. Buying Advantage or Frontline from Petco is just fine. It's the same stuff you get at your vet. The cheaper brands of flea treatments contain pesticides that can cause seizures, skin problems, hair loss, etc. and these should never be used. Of course your cat could have a reaction to Advantage or Frontline too, like any medication or product you use on them, but they are generally safe and effective. I use Frontline on my foster cats that come with fleas and it works great. All the little suckers are usually dead in 24-48 hours. If the infestation is bad and the kitty is itching a lot you can also give her some Capstar along with the other stuff. Capstar kills adult fleas in about 30 minutes but it only works for 24 hours while the other stuff works for 30 days.

I don't treat my home for fleas but I do make sure to vacuum well and wash anything that can be washed to get the fleas out of the environment. If you treat your cat for 2-3 months with Frontline or Advantage (or Revolution which has to be bought at your vet) any larva or fleas in the environment will have gone through the lifecycle and will die out on their own. So in my experience treating the environment beyond cleaning and washing is usually not necessary unless you have a really bad infestation which you probably don't.

If your cat has fleas chances are good that she will have tapeworm too. They get tapeworm from ingesting fleas. You usually don't see any signs of it until after they've had it for a while if you see anything at all. So to be on the safe side I would treat her for that too. You can get some Profender from your vet which will also work on other worms in case she may have that. You can get tapeworm pills too but they can be a pain to get into the cat.

Does your cat go outside? If so you really should keep her on a flea preventative monthly at least during the warmer months or year round (ask your vet). If she goes outside she should also be dewormed twice a year unless she's on Revolution which prevents/treats worms.