Please Help! My Babies Are Miserable!

[swilson56]

I currently have four cats. Two sets of siblings from completely different parents (not sure that even matters lol). Anyways, my two oldest siblings (almost 2 years old) Unsub & Penelope are indoor/outdoor cats. My other set of siblings are still kittens. Maybe 6 months at the most. Boy kitten & Girl kitten (I haven't come up with names yet lol) are strictly kept in my bedroom only. Here's my problem. All four of them have fleas. I want to go about treating them the best way possible, both for them & for me but need some help. I have already bought some Sentry Capgaurd tablets which I'm planning to give one to each of them since it's safe for all cats that are 4 weeks of age or older, & over 2 pounds but less than 25 pounds. But these tablets only kill adult fleas so I'm looking into also using a topical flea treatment as it is safe to use in addition to the tablets. I want to get them the Bayer Advantage flea medication, but my question is this... Penelope, Boy kitten, & Girl kitten are all under 9 pounds, but Unsub is probably around 16-17 pounds (fat kitty I know right? Lol). Can I get the Bayer Advantage for cats under 9 pounds & just double the dose for Unsub? Or do I really need to buy the one for cats UNDER 9 pounds & also the one for cats OVER 9 pounds? Thank you so much in advance!!

Side note: If it matters, Unsub & Penelope are obviously being affected by the fleas most since they are indoor & outdoor cats. I can only ever find like maybe 5-6 fleas at the most on the kittens at a time.. On Unsub & Penelope I can find at least that many in just one small area..

 

[neely]

I'm not a flea expert but will try to bump your post up and offer a bit of advice. First, if Unsub and Penelope are affected the most maybe it would not be advantageous to let them outdoors at this time or you may be fighting a losing battle. Second, regarding the dosage of flea prevention treatment for the two different weight amounts of the kittens I would check with your vet for peace of mind. I'm sure other members will have some additional advice. Best of luck!

 

[KittyChaos]

I'm going to write a long post only because I've never met you and don't know what you know about fleas. In my personal opinion OTC flea products are a waste of your money and time. Also based on the flea life-stages, for every 5 fleas you see on your cat those equal 95 fleas in the environment that you don't see. So for every say 10 fleas you see on the kittens, that's almost 200 in the environment. For every 30 fleas you see on the cats, that's almost 600 fleas in the environment that you don't see. So if you're seeing anywhere from 10-30 fleas per cat, you've got over a thousand eggs and flea larvae growing in the environment and it multiplies rapidly.

This is not medical advice just personal observation and experience from working in the veterinary field for 10 years...

Products: OTC products no longer work in the state of Florida where I live. They may work for the first month of the flea life cycle (we'll get to this) but they don't help with the entire cycle and you end up with more fleas year round. The best results I've seen between client's reviews and my own personal experience has been with Revolution and/or Bravecto. Both are topical so you don't stress your babies out with pills and both are very effective on fleas down here. As it was once explained to me- again talk to your vet about this- there is no Over-The-Counter flea MEDICATION. Only chemicals are sold OTC. Advantage is a chemical you put on your pet's skin to neurologically impair the parasite. Revolution has a MEDICATION selamectin ingredient that is absorbed systemically and actually lasts the entire month and is safer to use with less chances of your pet licking it off, that's why only a licensed veterinarian can sell it- it's a medication, not a chemical. Bravecto is new to the market and although expensive it lasts 3 months and this brings us to the flea life cycle. Comfortis is a pill that has been reported by clients to be extremely effective in flea control during infestations. This is just what I've heard, I've never used it myself. Also reported to be effective is Capstar which is found OTC. However, Capstar is a fast-acting oral CHEMICAL that is only going to last 24 hours and only kills what is currently on the pet. Long-term use is usually not recommended so most people give a dose of Capstar to kill a large population, bomb/treat the house and yard, then give a long-acting flea prevention such as Bravecto, Revolution OR Comfortis. Again, ask your vet, I can not stress it enough as different regions have resistance to products but the stores are going to offer the same products across the board because they're corporate and not veterinarians.

Flea life-cycle lasts for 3 months minimum. That means that the eggs from the first flea can sit there and not hatch until 3 months later. You need at least 3 months straight of prevention, environmental control, and most importantly, patience. Vacuum frequently - the pressure and heat will CAUSE eggs to hatch, it stimulates the flea eggs to hatch. This is good, it quickens the cycle so that you can kill the fleas faster. Now products like Revolution, Bravecto, Comfortis, and Capstar will help to kill those fleas, you can't kill what's not there yet and flea eggs are nearly indestructible. The adult fleas that you see make up only 5 to 10 percent of the fleas in your home. The other 90-95% are eggs, larvae, and pupae. The only fleas on your pet are adults, the other fleas are found in the environment, such as your home or yard/garden. This brings us to environmental control.

Once the fleas hatch they'll need a meal, this means the adult fleas are going to be laying eggs in the most common areas of the house where your pet's stay. The adult fleas only jump on your pet to eat a meal, your pet is a walking restaurant. The adult flea jumps off your pet to breed and reproduce. The cat towers, bedding, carpets, rugs and anything that is cloth should be vacuumed or washed. If washing use warm water and dry warm to hatch and kill any flea eggs that may be present. Make sure to clean out the dryer catch and dispose of the lint in a plastic sealed bag so any survivors do not jump back into the home. When vacuuming make sure to also get near the baseboards as if you have tiled floors the fleas will migrate to the closest darkest area for depositing eggs. Again, vacuuming stimulates eggs to hatch for fleas so do not panic if you clean and then suddenly see an increase in fleas, with the right medications they will all be dead within 24 hours. Repeat the cleaning process at least twice a week for the first two weeks and then as long as you are no longer seeing adult fleas you can cut back to once a week or two. If the infestation is bad enough then consider taking all 4 of your babies to the vet for treatment and while you are taking them there bomb the house using a safe flea-bomb. Call and discuss with your veterinarian which is safest on the market OR consider hiring pest control to come and do it for you. Just be aware it's usually at least a 5-6 hour procedure as you must first prepare the home to be bombed (Such as air-tight containers for food so that it does not get the poision on it, cleaning clutter or anything that needs to be moved so the poison can get into tight places, etc.) and after the bombing (usually takes 2 hours) you also usually need to open the windows to air out the home and another hour to clean it. Some vets will keep your pet for the day and give them capstar so that any fleas on your pet will start to die before they even come back home. This all depends on the infestation of course, which is why you should speak with your veterinarian.

Once you have the infestation under control, it is safer to keep the outdoor kitties on monthly prevention in MEDICATION form instead of CHEMICAL form as fleas tend to form resistance to chemicals faster than medications. - Once again, ask your vet.

 

[Brian007]

I agree with everything that KittyChaos has written. I advise you to reread it carefully and take heed.

And, I'll join in the restressing that you need veterinary prescribed medicine, not over-the-counter. Each cat needs weighing and prescribing the correct dose for their individual weight. And for that medicine to be administered for a minimum of 3 months but in reality for a far longer period. Comb all cats and kill fleas and eggs daily. Hoover and flea-spray your entire house regularly. Wash pet beds and spray often. This is going to have to be carried out like a military operation until you've got the blighters on the run.

Also, I strongly recommend asking your vet about tapeworm medication as fleas carry tapeworm and cats eat fleas, thus contracting the worms. Tapeworm are not killed with flea/roundworm spot-on but by a separate medication.

Good luck, and keep us posted. If you need more clarification, tips, and general support through this experience, please do not hesitate to ask.

I wish you well.

 

[swilson56]

Jesus now I'm scared... Thank you so much for your detailed & thorough response. I very much appreciate it & I truly do want to do what is safest & most effective for all my furbabies.. Okay so let's say I take all 4 of my cats to the vet & have them put on comfortis/bravecto/revolution, & I take care of the environment part such as vacuuming, washing, spraying etc.. Roughly, how much is this vet bill going to cost me? I live in Southern California if that helps at all & can not apply for care credit. I need to get a better idea on how much this may cost before I'm able to even consider that route unfortunately. Thank you all so much again.

 

[maggiedemi]

No, I definitely wouldn't use a double dose on the bigger cat, that sounds dangerous. You can try Frontline Plus, that's what I use and it works well for me. It can take 3 months to get rid of an infestation. I didn't have very good luck with the Capstar/Capguard tablets, they didn't seem to work.

 

[KittyChaos]

I'm not sure how much things cost in California unfortunately, I can tell you in Florida at a private general practice for 4 cats it would cost anywhere between 35 and 60 dollars for exams, if your vet has seen them within a year then sometimes they'll just dispense the medication if you say you would like to pick up their prevention and then charge you for clinic boarding for a half day for example. Revolution comes in a 6 pack and comes in doses 1-5 lbs, 5-15 lbs, 15-22 lbs. You could technically split a pack between two cats for the 3 months of treatment and if they're in the same weight range. You might be able to purchase it online with a prescription- however- there's no guarantee how online pharmacy ship and handle their product so it's not guaranteed to be effective when you get it. Revolution cost vary per clinic and sometimes go from 120-170 dollars for a 6 month supply depending on how much your clinic has to pay for it. If your veterinarian is too expensive for a 4 cat treatment then I would suggest looking for a low cost or not for profit organization. I'm not sure where in southern california you are but Golden State Humane Society they only charge 20 dollars for an exam which is 80 dollars for all 4 then it looks like they offer single-dose purchases of flea prevention so you could potentially cut back your costs exponentially going there and possibly get away with around 150-200.00 depending on their charges for prevention. Now if you do go through them then you wouldn't be able to keep them there as low and no-profits do not typically board pets, so you might have to plan how you treat the environment differently such as have kitties in carriers in a safe place (protected from the elements with fresh water available) while you treat or hire a pest control service to treat with something that is safe for your kitties to be around.

 

[orange&white]

Do Unsub & Penelope go roaming outside your yard, or just in your yard area? If they roam the neighborhood, you can purchase a yard spray for around $10 to wipe out the fleas outside. If they are roamers, there is probably no point in that, but you will have to always be vigilant about keeping monthly flea meds on them.

So...
Yard Spray: (if that's feasible)

Interior Spray with an insect growth regulator (IGR): Pivot Ultra and PreCor 2000 both have active ingredients that exterminators use, but can be purchased OTC or mail order. The last time I had fleas in the house (2012), I moved all the cats out of my bedroom for 24 hours and sprayed that room. The next day, I moved all the cats into the bedroom and sprayed the rest of the house. You have to spray all fabrics like curtains and furniture and underneath everything like kitchen appliances. In rooms with hard surface floors, you can just spray the baseboards. The IGR in the product will kill any newly hatch eggs for several months. I wouldn't spray the cats bedding with insecticide, but rather run it through the washer on as hot of water as the fabrics will stand (same with your bedding).

Capstar or PetArmor FastCaps (active ingredient = Nitenpyram): That does knock the adult fleas dead very quickly, but has no lasting effect. If you're seeing tons of fleas on Unsub and Penelope, killing the existing fleas will relieve some of the miserable itching. The kittens may only need a bath in very diluted blue Dawn dish liquid. Soap drowns fleas, so you don't need a medicinal flea shampoo. Be very careful not to get soap in their eyes, ears, or nose and rinse very well. Keep them warm while they dry. Nitenpyram is safe for them as well, but if they aren't miserable scratching, then a topical flea ointment may be all they need.

Topical flea meds: I have successfully used the PetArmor Plus flea and tick brand. It is exactly the same as Frontline Plus, after the patent expired. The Bayer Advantage you are considering may also be effective. As KittyChaos mentioned, some of the flea medications which used to be only available through veterinarians like Frontline and Advantage have lost effectiveness in some geographic areas. The Frontline (or PetArmor Plus) seems to still be working here, but your mileage may vary. These previous prescription-only products' patents expired and new prescription products with different chemicals have replaced them. Prescription or not, they are all chemical insecticides which are toxic to fleas, but hopefully safe to use on cats.

Good luck! Having fleas is a pain...particularly for the kitties. If you plan on them being indoor-outdoor cats, you'll need to stay on top of the flea treatment. Once you rid your home of the existing fleas, you should only need the monthly topical ointment.