Long post (apparently, I can't do short ones 
). Feeby (17+ yo) has been battling fleas for much longer than I would like to admit. Let me start off by telling you what I have been doing so that is 'out of the way' regarding suggestions. We have repeatedly used Advantage II, consistently flea comb her, regularly spray the carpet and all entryway rugs (as well as the screened in patio and yard outside the patio), routinely vacuum, hot water wash/dry all bedding/linens/etc, and place non-washable items in the dryer at the hottest setting for 60-90 minutes. All this and we have only kept the fleas to a minimum, so I thought I should try another flea treatment because this has just gone on far too long.
So, I tried Frontline Plus. That stuff - at least here in central FL - is less effective than Advantage II. She has much more flea activity now than she did before. Since I applied it to her, she has now resorted to staying almost 24/7 in one bedroom, moving from spot to spot in that room, and less interested in eating. This is pretty similar to what she did back when she first 'acquired' fleas - before we realized what was happening.
I do think something else is going on with her, she is hyperthyroidic, has Stage 2 CKD, and arthritis - all of which we are trying to treat - but I still think the flea situation is attributing to her behavior somehow. Because she had some enlarged lymph nodes in her intestinal area identified last December via an ultrasound/FNA cytology (no cancer cells found then), we are going to put her through another (her third) ultrasound in about a week from now, just to try to determine if there are any new developments.
I am a week away from a flea treatment being due. Given all of her issues, I am less than enthusiastic to give her the flea treatments being recommended by the vets - Revolution Plus or Bravecto. For those of you who are not aware, both of these treatments contain a product that has been known to be tied to seizures/neurological issues in cats, albeit few instances 'on record'. Both enter the bloodstream, whereas Adv or Frontline Plus do not. I found another product called Vectra which contains a different primary flea pesticide compared to the previous two and does not seem to enter the bloodstream either. ALL flea treatments caution use with elderly and/or debilitated cats.
What would you do if this was your cat? Go back to Adv, try Frontline Plus again, try Vectra, or try Revolution Plus or Bravecto?
). Feeby (17+ yo) has been battling fleas for much longer than I would like to admit. Let me start off by telling you what I have been doing so that is 'out of the way' regarding suggestions. We have repeatedly used Advantage II, consistently flea comb her, regularly spray the carpet and all entryway rugs (as well as the screened in patio and yard outside the patio), routinely vacuum, hot water wash/dry all bedding/linens/etc, and place non-washable items in the dryer at the hottest setting for 60-90 minutes. All this and we have only kept the fleas to a minimum, so I thought I should try another flea treatment because this has just gone on far too long.So, I tried Frontline Plus. That stuff - at least here in central FL - is less effective than Advantage II. She has much more flea activity now than she did before. Since I applied it to her, she has now resorted to staying almost 24/7 in one bedroom, moving from spot to spot in that room, and less interested in eating. This is pretty similar to what she did back when she first 'acquired' fleas - before we realized what was happening.
I do think something else is going on with her, she is hyperthyroidic, has Stage 2 CKD, and arthritis - all of which we are trying to treat - but I still think the flea situation is attributing to her behavior somehow. Because she had some enlarged lymph nodes in her intestinal area identified last December via an ultrasound/FNA cytology (no cancer cells found then), we are going to put her through another (her third) ultrasound in about a week from now, just to try to determine if there are any new developments.
I am a week away from a flea treatment being due. Given all of her issues, I am less than enthusiastic to give her the flea treatments being recommended by the vets - Revolution Plus or Bravecto. For those of you who are not aware, both of these treatments contain a product that has been known to be tied to seizures/neurological issues in cats, albeit few instances 'on record'. Both enter the bloodstream, whereas Adv or Frontline Plus do not. I found another product called Vectra which contains a different primary flea pesticide compared to the previous two and does not seem to enter the bloodstream either. ALL flea treatments caution use with elderly and/or debilitated cats.
What would you do if this was your cat? Go back to Adv, try Frontline Plus again, try Vectra, or try Revolution Plus or Bravecto?
