Flea Collars & Frontline Plus

nyckittie

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Good evening to all,

I'm new to the forum. This past monday night I took in a stray who had been going through my neighbor's garbage. I, of course, kept him away from my own cat (who was not too thrilled). I took the baby to the vet and it turns out that he has a "small" case of fleas and tapeworm
. I gave him his first dose of Frontline Plus. He is still kept away from my cat but I decided to be safe and get a flea collar for my cat. Was I right about putting a collar on mine? The vet didn't mention how long the kitten should be kept away from mine. Would anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Also, I bought the Hartz 3 in 1 spray to use on any furniture/bedding, etc that the kitten was on. Sorry for the long post.

Thanks.
 

jennyr

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Welcome to TCS! And thank you for taking this kitten in. First of all, the Frontline Plus will be fine to kill all the fleas and tapeworms on your kitty very quickly. Please do not use any other product with it, especially those you have mentioned. It has been proven that flea collars can be very dangerous for cats - before I knew better, I may have caused cysts and eventual jaw cancer in a previous cat I had because of the toxins that were seeping into his neck every day. The best use for a flea collar is to cut it up and put it in the vacuum cleaner, where it will kill any fleas you hoover up. I have also put small pieces of collars under the couch cushions, where the cats cannot get at them. Hartz products, especially flea drops, can also be dangerous for young kittens. Only use vet approved products, such as Frontline, Advantage or Revolution. I would keep him away from your cats for a week or two, until you are sure he is not harbouring any other infections from outside. Good luck.
 

missymotus

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As mentioned please remove the flea collars.

I would keep them apart until the new kitty has had it's shots and the worms are cleared up.
 

goldenkitty45

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Take off the flea collar and put it in your vacumn cleaner. They are a waste of money and can do more harm. If you cat has Frontline on them, you don't want to dose them with more poison from the collar. You'll have a very sick kitty!

I would get a fine-toothed flea comb and use it several times a day till you find no more evidence of fleas.

And be sure to vacumn a lot.
 
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nyckittie

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Actually what I meant was that my own kitty (who I've had since he was 2 months old) is wearing the flea collar. The 5 month kitten is using the Frontline and is locked up in another room. So what I'm advised to do is remove the collar off of my own cat? I've vacuumed ever since I got back from the Vet. I just want to make sure that my current cat doesn't get sick and that the kitten gets better.
 

goldenkitty45

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Yes take the collar off all the cats - they do no good. If you want, put Frontline on your other kitty. Not the collar.
 

lorina

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What they said. No flea collars, on anybody.


In your situation, I'd make sure the kitten is tested for feline leukemia and FIV before begining introductions.
 

yosemite

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Agreed - take the flea collar off your cat. The best thing would be to treat both the cats with the Frontline. Even though Mika is indoor only and my hubby (much to my annoyance) insists on letting Bijou out, they both get Revolution treatments monthly from April until November. Cut the collar up and put pieces in your vacuum as suggested above. After vacuuming, immediately take the bag outside and put it in the garbage.

Any over-the-counter flea products do not usually work very well, are a complete waste of money and the worst part is they can (and have) caused death in cats.
 

jen

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I agree too, flea collars have made cats seriously ill and have even caused death. I don't understand why they are still sold. Plus they smell just awful. I took in a cat who was wearing one, I threw it away and the smell of it lingered for days.

Anyways, cut it up and put it in your vacuum. As long as it is off the cat!

Frontline your own cat too if you are worried. And have the new kitty tested and most importantly neutered before even beginning to introduce him to your own cat.
 

nekochan

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Frontline is a good flea preventive, so I'd say it would be a good idea to put that on your own cat as well...
I have found a type of flea collar that was herbal and contained pet-safe ingredients but the majority of flea collars contain nasty chemicals that you don't want on a cat's neck...
 

tru87

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Im only gonna repeat what others said to convince you further!


Collars are of no purpose and do harm rather than good. I go to a University that has about a population of 350 cats or so and both my cats are adopted orphans from there... so it's very possible for me to carry fleas with me and then bring them home.. yet... The only time they've had fleas was when I first adopted them, and so far nothing at all... and yes, you guessed it.. I used frontline spot on and that's all you really need as it does the job meticulously and efficiently
 
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