Flea and Tick Prevention on Leashed Walks?

[corvidae]

Hi everyone! My 3 cats and I recently made a cross country move, and when I took Jem for his annual checkup and vaccines last week, the vet said that flea prevention is advisable in our new area. Our cats only ever go outside under direct supervision, on leash, and in the area around our house (mostly a gravelly parking area and some trees/bushes around the edges), so I'm wondering how necessary flea prevention really is given that. There is at least one indoor-outdoor cat in the area, so I suppose there's always a chance she could bring fleas from farther afield... If it is a good idea, are there effective and safe over-the-counter products? The vet talked me into one month's worth of revolution for Jem, but when I asked for more for my other cats said since they haven't seen them yet they can't prescribe. Since Merle and Mindy's vaccines aren't due until next spring, and moving is quite expensive, I'd rather avoid paying the 80-100 dollar examination fee for each cat on top of the cost of flea preventatives.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I'm afraid of most of the over the counter flea and tick products. There's one brand that I'm using, if you're comfortable with the ingredients ( from an online retailer) Only Natural Pet's EasyDefense flea and tick spray. I spray some onto a piece of paper towel and brush that across the fur on the back of his neck and shoulders. It is quite effective

 

[LTS3]

Can you ask the vet for a prescription for like a 6 month supply of a flea preventative and then just use it amongst all the cats? I used to get 6 boxes of Revolution from the vet at a time and used it for both cats even though the prescription was just for one cat. Assuming your cats are roughly the same weight, you just give one Revolution tube per cat.

 

[Furballsmom]

There might be something here;
Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Babypaws]

Hi!
I'm afraid of most of the over the counter flea and tick products. There's one brand that I'm using, if you're comfortable with the ingredients ( from an online retailer) Only Natural Pet's EasyDefense flea and tick spray. I spray some onto a piece of paper towel and brush that across the fur on the back of his neck and shoulders. It is quite effective

When I checked on Chewy it said the Natural Pets Defense flea spray is no longer available. When I checked PetSmart they didn’t have any…I could probably order it on line but my question is it safe to apply it as you do (paper towel) if the cats lick it? My cats lick each other. Do you use it just to keep fleas away or to treat a flea infested cat?
I use Advantage II for my cats and wondering if using the Natural spray would cause any issues…
Sometimes I think I’m killing more fleas than the Advantage by combing all my cats twice a day…but it does seem endless…

 

[Babypaws]

Also, forgot to ask how often do you apply Natural Defense? Everyday?

thanks

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

I apply it just to keep fleas away and also if I see him scratch, so he might not get any put on him for days at a time. I think in your case, with cats that lick each other, I'd probably avoid the EasyDefense spray since it has peppermint oil.

Would their collars work?
Only Natural Pet EasyDefense Non-Toxic Flea & Tick Collar for Cats

 

[Babypaws]

Hi!

I apply it just to keep fleas away and also if I see him scratch, so he might not get any put on him for days at a time. I think in your case, with cats that lick each other, I'd probably avoid the EasyDefense spray since it has peppermint oil.

Would their collars work?
Only Natural Pet EasyDefense Non-Toxic Flea & Tick Collar for Cats

Thanks….my cats have never worn collars, I had a bad experience with one cat and a collar a long time ago and have stayed away from them. I know these cats won’t wear them…
guess I’ll just continue combing twice a day, giving monthly Advantage and vacuuming as often as I can.
Some of them are really comical watching them trying to stay off the floors. Lol