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- Jun 17, 2018
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Hello!
I am in need of some advice on how to deal with my cat's flea problem.
She is a large Maine Coon cat and is almost a year old. She is an indoor cat (we live on the 12th Floor), but she does like to go outside on her harness sometimes for some fresh air and exploration. However I've barely taken her out the past few months because of one problem. FLEAS.
I first noticed her fleas about 6 months ago and immediately went out and bought some Advantage for large cats (even though she was only 6 months, she was already the size of an above-average housecat). I also flea sprayed the whole apartment and all her favourite sleeping spots. For about a week after this I noticed a slight reduction in her live fleas when combing her, but within a fortnight they were back in full force again. I finished the Advantage tubes and when she still had fleas I went to the vet and bought some Capstar tablets. The vet staff told me those should work where the Advantage didn't. I did find Capstar was a lot more effective, in that she would have a few weeks of relative comfort (flea infestation being at around a 3, instead of a 10), but they always ALWAYS come back. So once that was finished, I bought both Advantage and Capstar and used them together (the vet said the Capstar may help Advantage work better). But still, no lasting respite.
I just don't know what to do at this point. Online everyone is always recommending Advantage, but it simply doesn't work for my cat. I have had cats all my life, indoor/outdoor cats that lived out in the country surrounded by fields and dogs and lifestock and never have I had a flea problem like this. For my previous cats, just giving them their preventative flea treatment once every couple of months was enough. I don't know if the fleas where I live now (Hawaii) are simply more resilient or what? The sad thing is I really want to be able to take my girl out for some adventures and fresh air because she loves it, but I feel like I have to keep her cooped up inside so she doesn't keep bringing fresh flea infestations into the house. I feel like even if I manage to rid my apartment of fleas completely, the moment I take her outside she will just bring in a new batch, considering it seems none of her treatments work preventatively.
Has anyone else dealt with a similar issue? How do you keep your outdoor cats flea free?
I am in need of some advice on how to deal with my cat's flea problem.
She is a large Maine Coon cat and is almost a year old. She is an indoor cat (we live on the 12th Floor), but she does like to go outside on her harness sometimes for some fresh air and exploration. However I've barely taken her out the past few months because of one problem. FLEAS.
I first noticed her fleas about 6 months ago and immediately went out and bought some Advantage for large cats (even though she was only 6 months, she was already the size of an above-average housecat). I also flea sprayed the whole apartment and all her favourite sleeping spots. For about a week after this I noticed a slight reduction in her live fleas when combing her, but within a fortnight they were back in full force again. I finished the Advantage tubes and when she still had fleas I went to the vet and bought some Capstar tablets. The vet staff told me those should work where the Advantage didn't. I did find Capstar was a lot more effective, in that she would have a few weeks of relative comfort (flea infestation being at around a 3, instead of a 10), but they always ALWAYS come back. So once that was finished, I bought both Advantage and Capstar and used them together (the vet said the Capstar may help Advantage work better). But still, no lasting respite.
I just don't know what to do at this point. Online everyone is always recommending Advantage, but it simply doesn't work for my cat. I have had cats all my life, indoor/outdoor cats that lived out in the country surrounded by fields and dogs and lifestock and never have I had a flea problem like this. For my previous cats, just giving them their preventative flea treatment once every couple of months was enough. I don't know if the fleas where I live now (Hawaii) are simply more resilient or what? The sad thing is I really want to be able to take my girl out for some adventures and fresh air because she loves it, but I feel like I have to keep her cooped up inside so she doesn't keep bringing fresh flea infestations into the house. I feel like even if I manage to rid my apartment of fleas completely, the moment I take her outside she will just bring in a new batch, considering it seems none of her treatments work preventatively.
Has anyone else dealt with a similar issue? How do you keep your outdoor cats flea free?