Fleas - what works in your area?

[Anne]

Some people mention that certain anti-flea treatments no longer work in their area. I'm curious if we can map out the places where fleas may have become immune to frontline, advantage or other treatments.

If you've had to deal with fleas in the past year, please reply with the following - 

1. Where you live.

2. Which flea treatments have you tried that didn't work for you (if any).

3. Which flea treatments have you tried that did work for you.

Feel free to elaborate some more, but please start with these three answers. Thank you!

This should be interesting, if we get a substantial amount of replies. 

 

[milosmom123]

when I was living in Inverness Florida we used Comfortis  on both our cats and dogs and it worked wonderfully although we have nothing to compare it to as this is all we ever use the fleas just drop dead and fall off                                                   

  

 

[Anne]

I'm moving the thread around the forums for some more exposure. I'm sure some of our members have had a run-in with fleas sometime in the past year?

 

[Anne]

Bump! I can't believe no one here has had a flea encounter? Let's make this even more interesting. Even if you didn't see a single flea, please still mention if you used any preventive measures and if your cat or any other pet goes outside. 

 

[teddytimble]

 
Bump! I can't believe no one here has had a flea encounter? Let's make this even more interesting. Even if you didn't see a single flea, please still mention if you used any preventive measures and if your cat or any other pet goes outside. 

I have had flea "encounters" over the years , one cat I had was a real "mouser" and we lived opposite a woods and everyday she would catch something small and furry. and bring it home for me.  Mice and small voles have fleas and I had to  have my house sprayed more than once!  At the time I was living in a part of  UK that had a very mild climate which made the flea problem worse.  I use frontline on my cat at the moment and she does not even go out, but could still get a flea.  Even an indoor cat may get flea which my vet said it something I had possibly brought in with me!

 

[betsygee]

1.  Monterey, California, USA

2.   I used to use Sentry Natural Defense.  It was SO strong smelling, yuck.  But it worked for fleas, for about three years.  Then over time it seemed to not work that well any more.  I tried Advantage II which worked for fleas but not ticks.  

We have three indoor/outdoor cats and this spring I have already had to get a tick off of the cats twice. So now I am going to try Frontline Plus on the advice of my vet to control both fleas and ticks.  I haven't tried it yet so I can't say anything about effectiveness.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

1. Ontario, Canada
2. None
3. Prescription Advantage

Max and Maggie have not had any fleas since we adopted both in 2006.

When Thomas came to us as a stray in late 2012, we found out that he also came bearing a mild case of fleas. I picked up some prescription Advantage and everyone received two sets of doses. I also did the aerosol (something like ultracide) spray from the vets and did all of our rooms, beds, pillows, etc. The Advantage worked like a charm and we have not had any problems with this since. However, in the following year Thomas picked up ticks on at least two occasions which I thought was remarkable as Max has lived with us much longer and has only ever had the odd occurance.

We live in the country surrounded by lots of bush where mosquitos and ticks are common pests. I plan on using a good natural flea and tick spray this warm season, and hopefully this will work to protect everyone. Just prefer to keep it natural as much as possible.

 

[peaches08]

 
Bump! I can't believe no one here has had a flea encounter? Let's make this even more interesting. Even if you didn't see a single flea, please still mention if you used any preventive measures and if your cat or any other pet goes outside. 

Actually, I've not had to use flea control since going raw with these cats.  I have no idea why, and it's been about 2 years now.

1.  I live on St. Simons Island, GA.

2.  Advantage stopped working years ago.  I'm convinced that BioSpot caused cancer in one of my cats (Miss Black).

3.  I used Capstar and Revolution last time, and if I had a problem now I would try those first.

 

[stephanietx]

1. Texas USAm 3 indoor only kitties

2. none

3. Revolution (prescription from vet)

However, what we've found most effective now that we own our home is to treat our yard with Beneficial Nematodes (an organic method).  Nematodes are microscopic worms that burrow into the soil.  They basically destroy many soil borne pests such as fleas, ticks, roaches, snails, and slugs.  I've also applied Diatomaceous Earth around doorways and windowsills to keep fleas at bay.  For carpets, I've sprinkled Borax (found with the laundry detergent) on carpets, brushed in with a broom, left overnight, then vacuumed the following morning.  Borax kills fleas.

 

[feralvr]

Oh I am sure all of us at one time or another has had to deal with these pesky, nasty little buggers. Last summer - I saw ONE flea on Perla. :shocker: I couldn't believe it. All of my six are indoor only and I normally do not treat them but last summer I began a monthly regime. I have dogs - whom I use Frontline Plus - and the dogs must have brought in a flea from one of our walks. I never saw another flea on any of the cats other than Perla but know how quickly one flea can become many. So.....

1. Northwest Indiana.
2. None.
3. I have used Frontline Plus for cats and have used Advantage for cats. Both have worked extremely well for us.

 

[happybird]

1. Virginia, northwest of Washington, DC
2. Frontline stopped working
3. Advantage

I got my dog, Maggie, 20 years ago and she had flea allergies, so flea treatment was a big priority. We used Frontline on the dogs and cats for about 12 years and it worked perfectly. When the Frontline Plus came out, we used that. When the dogs were elderly and didn't go to the park anymore, I stopped flea treatment all together. We were fine for several years.

Then, three years ago, we took in a stray kitten and she had fleas (and ear mites). Every cat and the dog got fleas from her. It was a full blown, major infestation. We found out one of our newer cats, Bob, also had a flea allergy. I immediately ran out and bought Frontline for everyone.

It seemed to work at first. We were finding dead fleas and Bob's hair pulling and biting stopped. Her redness and rash started to go away. But that only lasted about two weeks. Everyone started to scratch again and Bob was obviously uncomfortable. Sure enough, when I flea-combed her, there were several new, tiny fleas. We thought it was part of the flea life cycle, maybe hatchlings from some eggs that were not killed, and gave the second dose on schedule. The same thing happened: it worked for two weeks and then the fleas were back. We kept trying, thinking once more dose should do it, but the Frontline was just not as effective anymore. The number of fleas went down a little with each passing month, but it took about 6 months to totally get rid of them. I meticulously flea-combed Bob every day, picked the stray fleas off of her and dropped them into a Kill Bag (a ziplock with alcohol soaked cotton balls). It was awful.

A few months after we finally beat the fleas, we took in Sammy and he was absolutely infested. We decided to try Advantage and it killed all the fleas with the first application. It was such a relief! We dosed the cats on schedule for 3 months and then stopped when we were positive all the fleas and eggs were gone. Since my cats are all indoor only, I would rather not put the chemicals on them unless we have a problem (but if we ever take in another stray, everyone is getting Advantage before the new cat crosses the threshold).

We recently moved into a house with three resident dogs. They all had fleas. We put Advantage on all the pets the day before we moved in and my cats never got a single flea. We dosed everyone for two months and three dogs and my four cats are currently flea free and flea medicine free.

 

[yayi]

1. Metro Manila, Philippines

2. None

3. Frontline Plus seems to work for me. I have not tried any other brand though. 

I rescued a kitten about two months ago. I gave him his first and last bath using dishwashing soap to get rid of the fleas and then sprayed him with Frontline. It worked fine. 

 

 

[catsallaround]

NJ

Frontline seems to work but very limited time-week or two and fleas will be back.  Has been like that for many years though.

Advantage works great. Been using it since 97 or so

 

[mani]

1. Brisbane, Australia

2. None

3. Frontline.  I have an outdoor cat enclosure that includes some garden and which could easily harbour fleas.  I've never found any on my two and have always used it on them (Nilah 4 and Sundar 2)

 

[teddytimble]

 
1. Texas USAm 3 indoor only kitties

2. none

3. Revolution (prescription from vet)

However, what we've found most effective now that we own our home is to treat our yard with Beneficial Nematodes (an organic method).  Nematodes are microscopic worms that burrow into the soil.  They basically destroy many soil borne pests such as fleas, ticks, roaches, snails, and slugs.  I've also applied Diatomaceous Earth around doorways and windowsills to keep fleas at bay.  For carpets, I've sprinkled Borax (found with the laundry detergent) on carpets, brushed in with a broom, left overnight, then vacuumed the following morning.  Borax kills fleas.

Hello stephanietx

I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that borax kills fleas because it is the carpet they live in.  If I should get any fleas I will try it.  My cat is indoor so hopefully I won,t get the problem!  I dont't  think we get ticks on cats much in UK, I have never had that problem, they probably don't like our weather.

 

[burkey]

 
Bump! I can't believe no one here has had a flea encounter? Let's make this even more interesting. Even if you didn't see a single flea, please still mention if you used any preventive measures and if your cat or any other pet goes outside. 

Our two cats have been on flea control the last two months, while we are trying to identify an allergy issue that one of them has. We are using it to keep fleas out of the picture, in case he is allergic to those as well as whatever else is causing his skin issues. (So we don't confuse a flea bite reaction, with the other unknown allergy we're certain he has). When the allergy issue is resolved, we'll stop the flea control, and only go back to it if the need arises. The first month we used Advantage II, which was given to me by a family member whose cat outgrew the weight limit and thus had to start using the other dosage. The second month, we purchased & used Frontline because that is what we always used for our dogs in the past.

I've had many cats over the years, our current two are #6 & 7. All of them have been indoor cats (but we did have the occasional short-term escapee). With the exception of the current situation, I'm very fortunate to have never needed to use flea control of any type, whether chemical or "natural", for any of the seven cats.  About a decade ago, there were a few years where we had both cats & dogs at the same time, and the dogs (who obviously went outdoors regularly for walks & such) were on Frontline TopSpot from March through November. We did not have any issue with the dogs bringing fleas into the house & getting onto the cats, so I assume the Frontline was doing it's job....but that was some time ago, so it's effectiveness may have changed in our area since then.

I'm in Illinois, suburb of Chicago.

 

[sherit]

Pet Guard brewers yeast and garlic Wafers 320 count in the bottle....

or 4 Paws brewers yeast and garlic wafers...in a bottle..

I think I posted

am sure I did months ago that for the last 3 years we have not had a flea on the 3 outdoor cats of ours..

Our cats spend the

 night inside..

and on are our laps quite often..

We use Four Paws yeast and garlic supplement and also Pet Guard supplement

Sold on line and by the company ...also by phone..

They have been in business for years and  the garlic used is safe for cats...and or dogs.

I have told so many in Pet Smart and on the street and walmart about it and they bought it

and it works.

I give it to them before breakfast ..

one wafer cut up..per 10lbs of weight per cat or a dog..

6 months or older can use it..

My cats are doing great, healthy and beautiful fur coats..

bright eyes..

Sheri/sheridragonflys

 

[Anne]

Thanks for all the replies everyone 

Don't forget you can also post reviews of these products and maybe win a tee-shirt for that this month (or a $30 Amazon card)!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/275457/health-related-products-review-to-win

 

[rockcat]

East Central Florida

I haven't had much of a flea problem, but use Advantage II if we see one flea. Frontline didn't work for us.

My dad (same area) has an indoor cat that frequently escapes. That's a whole 'nother story. When he gets out he comes back loaded with fleas. I mean, you can see them from across the room! Anyway, he was using Advantage II so often, I was concerned for the cat and it was getting very pricey for him. He bought the Seresto Collar a couple of weeks ago and almost all the fleas disappeared!

 

[lilgreenastrid]

1. Kentucky, USA

2. Frontline (to be fair, I left my package in a hot car, but on the other hand, my parents had also had trouble with Frontline for the past few years)

3. Advantage for my cat, Revolution for my mom's (and Comfortis for their dog, if anyone's interested in that information)