Need Advice To Treat A Family Of 6 Cats (4 Resident / 2 Feral) With Fleas On A Budget

MikeAW2010 · Aug 1, 2019

In short I got blindsided by one of my resident cats ceasing to meow costing me a $800 vet bill + $75 in medication so Im not exactly financially strong at the moment. I took in 2 Feral cats about 3 weeks ago and seperated them from my resident cats but the Ferals had fleas. I had one of the ferals treated with Revolution at a vet but the other was not treated. I also treated all 4 of my resident cats with Revolution but it seems not to have helped any of them.

All 6 are itching and crawling with fleas and I definitely have to get rid of them, especially on the ferals.

Another thing is, one of the Ferals is not spayed yet. She does have her Rabies vaccination but was too uncooperative for the vet to handle her at the time.

The real issue is - I'm really on a budget as I have to pay back alot of debts from the last unexpected vet visit and also some other traveling expenses incurred. After those are paid off I should be okay for awhile.

So this comes with a variety of questions.

Option 1 - Seresto Collar:
- Costs for 6 cats: $135+
I was thinking of going with a Seresto collar on all 6 cats as I can 'safely' afford that. (I can't afford to schedule a vet appointment for 6 cats at one time.) Frontline costs about as much as Seresto but doesn't last as long. At the same time though I don't think Seresto kills eggs, only fleas right? Which one should I go for?

Also how should I administer it to the Ferals while causing the least stress/anxiety possible?

Option 2 - Vet Visit / Feral Spay / Annual Vaccinations for all 6 cats / Revolution drops for all 6 cats
- Costs aprox $350
More expensive but considering everything that is done is pretty cheap. Work being done by a discount animal clinic. Only thing about this is, there's a chance the revolution may not work and I may still have to get the collars.

Opinions?

catsknowme · Aug 2, 2019

I dont know much about flea control because I am blessed to be in an area with almost no fleas but I found this recent discussion about Seresto collars - wow, I sure admire our TCS members

Seresto From Petcaresupplies.com Or Other Sites

marmoset · Aug 2, 2019

I don't think flea collars are very effective and they are not necessarily safe either so I don't use them. We did have a flea outbreak last fall after we took in our most recent feral.

Flea control is pricey but we found an exterminator that was family owned and not a big name brand. It was a little bit more than buying revolution for our cats (which we still did) but it worked!

Revolution IME works very well and you shouldn't need collars but you might need to do a few months of the revolution. Two at least. If your 6 are now all indoors it's easier to control after the initial hit. You have to interrupt the life-cycle of the fleas. They can lay eggs that lie dormant until vibration and temperature is just right. So vacuum and vacuum more paying special attention to crevices.

We had an infestation- mostly old hardwood floors with big gaps between the wood in an older home so we expected a nightmare but it wasn't. We had to remove our six cats and our lizard from the premises for a night but we knew someone from our shelter that housed them for us- they had to be caged but it all went well even with the new feral who hated the sight of every other living being. All in all we found it less nightmarish than we expected and far far more affordable than we thought. Far cheaper than collars and flea bombs. We just looked for a local family-owned business and we live in a very expensive metropolitan area. It doesn't hurt to do a search on "family owned exterminator" locally and get quotes.

I've had good experiences with Capstar in non-pregnant cats as well. It's not cheap either but for all the TNR I've done it worked for years before we got an outbreak.

If you are working with ferals it might be good to try to connect to resources locally. If you are taking in animals and not trying to get homes for them a lot of shelters/ rescue organizations might be willing to help. The goal is always to help caretakers succeed and reduce the onus on shelter systems. If you are willing to pay for a neutering or spay and house the animals and really don't need them to help with fostering or homing you are pretty much golden. They might even be able to assist with food for the cats which could defray some of your cost. Donations of food frequently go to caretakers because shelters will typically stick with one brand of (dry) food so as not to upset the tummies of all their residents. Donated food usually goes to feral/ colony caretakers and fosterers which is a very worthy cause and makes a huge difference.

MikeAW2010 · Aug 3, 2019

What is the best way to treat a Feral cat with fleas? I tried to use Revolution and basically he put up a real fight and I couldn't get it on him.

silkenpaw · Aug 3, 2019

marmoset said:
You have to interrupt the life-cycle of the fleas. They can lay eggs that lie dormant until vibration and temperature is just right. So vacuum and vacuum more paying special attention to crevices.

And empty the vacuum cleaner right away into a sealed plastic bag and throw away ASAP. If your vacuum has a bag, keep it (the bag) in the freezer between vacuumings. You don’t want the fleas hatching in there. Good luck.

Molly and Abby · Aug 3, 2019

MikeAW2010 said:
In short I got blindsided by one of my resident cats ceasing to meow costing me a $800 vet bill + $75 in medication so Im not exactly financially strong at the moment. I took in 2 Feral cats about 3 weeks ago and seperated them from my resident cats but the Ferals had fleas. I had one of the ferals treated with Revolution at a vet but the other was not treated. I also treated all 4 of my resident cats with Revolution but it seems not to have helped any of them.

All 6 are itching and crawling with fleas and I definitely have to get rid of them, especially on the ferals.

Another thing is, one of the Ferals is not spayed yet. She does have her Rabies vaccination but was too uncooperative for the vet to handle her at the time.

The real issue is - I'm really on a budget as I have to pay back alot of debts from the last unexpected vet visit and also some other traveling expenses incurred. After those are paid off I should be okay for awhile.

So this comes with a variety of questions.

Option 1 - Seresto Collar:
- Costs for 6 cats: $135+
I was thinking of going with a Seresto collar on all 6 cats as I can 'safely' afford that. (I can't afford to schedule a vet appointment for 6 cats at one time.) Frontline costs about as much as Seresto but doesn't last as long. At the same time though I don't think Seresto kills eggs, only fleas right? Which one should I go for?

Also how should I administer it to the Ferals while causing the least stress/anxiety possible?

Option 2 - Vet Visit / Feral Spay / Annual Vaccinations for all 6 cats / Revolution drops for all 6 cats
- Costs aprox $350
More expensive but considering everything that is done is pretty cheap. Work being done by a discount animal clinic. Only thing about this is, there's a chance the revolution may not work and I may still have to get the collars.

Opinions?

Molly and Abby · Aug 3, 2019

I buy lufenuron (generic Program) & Nitenpyram (generic Capstar) online through Pets need Meds or Flea a
Assassin. Lufenuron + Nitenpyram 2 in 1 capsules are capsules & I open them up & put them in human tuna.

I give the 2 in 1 monthly & 2 weeks into the month I give CapStar only (Nitenpyram)

My cats are flea free. (And it's near impossible to give ferals flea drops)

Molly and Abby · Aug 3, 2019

MikeAW2010 said:
What is the best way to treat a Feral cat with fleas? I tried to use Revolution and basically he put up a real fight and I couldn't get it on him.

Molly and Abby · Aug 3, 2019

Capsules are the best way to treat ferals for fleas. Program + Capstar. Capsules - Put in canned food or human tuna.

I get the 2 in 1 online Pets Need Meds or Flea Assassin

Molly and Abby · Aug 3, 2019

MikeAW2010 said:
What is the best way to treat a Feral cat with fleas? I tried to use Revolution and basically he put up a real fight and I couldn't get it on him.

Program + Capstar capsules. 2 in 1. Put in canned food or human tuna.

marmoset · Aug 4, 2019

Capstar is how I prevented getting fleas from doing TnR. It's not cheap and doesn't last a whole month like spot on treatments (it really just kills the live fleas on the cat) but it's easily crushed and put in food. It doesn't have an off-putting odor or taste. So for ferals that are trapped capstar is great. You can use capstar on outdoor ferals but fleas in the environment will likely reinfest the cat in short order.

Capstar is no longer considered safe for unborn kittens of pregnant queens. They changed their label last year so that is something to be considered if you are doing TnR on a colony.

Molly and Abby · Aug 4, 2019

marmoset said:
Capstar is how I prevented getting fleas from doing TnR. It's not cheap and doesn't last a whole month like spot on treatments (it really just kills the live fleas on the cat) but it's easily crushed and put in food. It doesn't have an off-putting odor or taste. So for ferals that are trapped capstar is great. You can use capstar on outdoor ferals but fleas in the environment will likely reinfest the cat in short order.

Capstar is no longer considered safe for unborn kittens of pregnant queens. They changed their label last year so that is something to be considered if you are doing TnR on a colony.

Molly and Abby · Aug 4, 2019

Generic Capstar is available & works just as well as name-brand Capstar. I get it online at Pets Need Meds or Flea Assassin.

Program is the growth regulator. It prevents flea eggs from hatching.

So a 2 in 1 capsule - that has Program & Capstar is available online. I use this for my cats. Once a month.

And I follow up with generic Capstar mid-month.

No fleas on my indoor only cats or the ferals.

basscat · Aug 5, 2019

I buy Advecta II for large dogs. Using a syringe, I dose the cats at .09ml per lb of cat.
One vile is .4ml (.4cc)
.1cc for an 11lb cat
.06cc for a 7lb cat
.05cc for a 6lb cat
The remainder gets split and is used on a 50lb cat via dose every two weeks. He should get more, but, short fur and any larger dose would just run down down to his toes.
That's 3 cats and and horse for $6 a month.

Willowy · Aug 6, 2019

If you want the longest protection for the lowest price (per month), go with Seresto. May not be an option for the ferals though. You can try tricking them into putting their head into the collar, then tightening it very quickly, but they might freak out about wearing a collar.

If you want to use a spot-on, it doesn't have to be Revolution. You can use Advantage or Frontline and those are a lot cheaper and don't require a vet visit. Although, yes, that price is very reasonable.

If there are live fleas on the cats, it's best to use Capstar a few times to knock the population down to give the collar or spot-on time to work.

But definitely get the female spayed ASAP, even if you have to borrow the money. Raising a litter is WAY more expensive than a spay!

Need Advice To Treat A Family Of 6 Cats (4 Resident / 2 Feral) With Fleas On A Budget

MikeAW2010

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catsknowme

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marmoset

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MikeAW2010

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silkenpaw

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Molly and Abby

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Molly and Abby

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Molly and Abby

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Molly and Abby

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Molly and Abby

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marmoset

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Molly and Abby

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Molly and Abby

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basscat

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Willowy

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