Using dog frontline flea medication for my cat?

[ninababy]

Hi,

I have Frontline Plus Dog 22-0.023 fl oz (which I believe is for use on small dogs less than 22 lbs). I wanted to use this on my cat but didn't know if it was ok to use the whole amount on her?? My cat weighs about 9 lbs.

Also, I've never had to give her flea medication before in the past (i have to know for the month because she is going to stay with one of my friends while i travel and they have other animals with fleas)... if she has some kind of an allergic reaction to it... how long will it take to manifest?

Thanks!

 

[mrblanche]

I bought the big dog dose (up to 88 lbs) and divided it between five cats. $10 for five cats is closer to the right price, don't you think?

If your cat is going to have a problem, it usually manifests within 24 hours, often much faster.

 

[ziggy'smom]

No, you should not put the full amount on the cat. The cat dose is 0.5ml while the small dog dose is 0.67ml. I do use dog frontline on my cats because of the reduced cost but you have to be certain that you are not giving too much. What I do is I use a syringe with a needle, stick it through the back of the pipette and draw up .5ml (which is the same as .5cc). If you don't have a syringe with a needle you can empty the content in a medicine cup and draw up .5ml/cc. If you have a syringe with a needle you have to be able to remove the needle so that you can squirt out the frontline on the back of the cat.

Please remember that while you can give dog frontline plus to cats you should not give cat frontline to dogs. The cat version has a larger concentration of s-methoprene than the dog version so it may not be safe to give this additional amount to dogs.

A lot of people are against giving dog frontline to cats and thinks it's irresponsible. I understand why they think so since it is in general a very bad idea to give dog meds to cats. They are not the same specie and some dog meds can be poisonous to cats. But I personally feel safe giving dog frontline to cats because I have an understanding of how the drugs work and have discussed it with my vet.

 

[ziggy'smom]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I bought the big dog dose (up to 88 lbs) and divided it between five cats. $10 for five cats is closer to the right price, don't you think?

Definitely. I get a 3-pack of the largest kind (I think 89-130lbs) and I can use one dose on 8 cats. I buy the 3-pack for $38 so each dose is about $13. You can't beat $13 to treat 8 cats. It's certainly a lot better than spending $80 treating 8 cats which would be the cost if you bought the cat version. The price difference can determine if you will be able to treat the cats or not. If you do rescue or care for strays it's very helpful being able to do it that way. You can actually use dog Revolution on cats too as the ingredients are the same. One dose for a 85-130lb dog is enough for 8 cats at 0.37ml each.

 

[inkedkitty805]

Can I ask you where you get your frontline from? I have 7 cats and I just bought it off of some site called solapets.com and it wasn't the biggest dog tube and they were 23.99 each. So I bought 2 and they said 1 would do 8 cats and it only did barely 6 cats.

 

[kand]

I ordered mine from SoLapets for 19.99 for 8 doses.

 

[quiet]

Don't use the frontline plus for dogs on a cat. I think you are thinking of the regular old advantage, that is the only one you can dose out for a cat. Not the advantage plus just straight old plain advantage but you have to have the tiny syinges to measure it and the unused part will evaporate. It is just much easier to get the product that is labeled and made for cats.

 

[Willowy]

Don't use the frontline plus for dogs on a cat. I think you are thinking of the regular old advantage, that is the only one you can dose out for a cat. Not the advantage plus just straight old plain advantage but you have to have the tiny syinges to measure it and the unused part will evaporate. It is just much easier to get the product that is labeled and made for cats.

Frontline Plus and Advantage II are both OK for cats (if dosed properly). The "plus" and "II" part is just an IGR and cats actually need a higher dose of that than dogs do so that amount isn't dangerous. It's also safe to split Revolution, but since it comes in different strengths you have to be more careful in dosing, plus since you need a prescription, most vets don't like to write a prescription for off-label use.

But NO OTHER products should be used like this!!!! Not Advantix or Advantage Multi or any other dog product. You have to be super careful to get the right thing because most dog flea products will kill cats. ONLY Frontline (Plus), Advantage (II), and Revolution can be used this way.

 

[carolm]

I have been buying the large dog size of Frontline and splitting it up for cats for years...but the most recent package says "DO NOT USE ON CATS" all over it...I'm pretty sure it never said that before, so I'm wondering if they have changed the formulation. I've been on the company's website for the past 20 minutes trying to figure it out, but I can't find anywhere that mentions a difference other than size between the cat and dog version...but I just wanted to be sure before I use it. Anyone know for sure that it is still ok to use Frontline for dogs for cats?

 

[catlady06]

I have been buying the large dog size of Frontline and splitting it up for cats for years...but the most recent package says "DO NOT USE ON CATS" all over it...I'm pretty sure it never said that before, so I'm wondering if they have changed the formulation. I've been on the company's website for the past 20 minutes trying to figure it out, but I can't find anywhere that mentions a difference other than size between the cat and dog version...but I just wanted to be sure before I use it. Anyone know for sure that it is still ok to use Frontline for dogs for cats?

Be sure you are not using frontline tritak for dogs on cats. This can be deadly. It has completely different ingredients than frontline plus

 

[fritzina]

I have done it over 10 times with my 5 cats, got way more for my money and they are healthy and happy. Watch out, some of these posts are from the companies that sell the stuff, so they want you to pay more for 5 cats dosage, which is the equivalent of one or two dogs, so they price it higher and base it on per animal, in a way. Its the same exact stuff, just look at what the cat size doses are on cat frontline information you can find online and go by that. You will save a ton of money.

 

[aimee talbot]

I have been buying the large dog size of Frontline and splitting it up for cats for years...but the most recent package says "DO NOT USE ON CATS" all over it...I'm pretty sure it never said that before, so I'm wondering if they have changed the formulation. I've been on the company's website for the past 20 minutes trying to figure it out, but I can't find anywhere that mentions a difference other than size between the cat and dog version...but I just wanted to be sure before I use it. Anyone know for sure that it is still ok to use Frontline for dogs for cats?

I have also been buying Frontline Plus for big dogs and splitting it up among my 8 cats for years with no problems and no fleas. However, I have also noticed that they have suddenly changed the label that now says DO NOT USE ON CATS. I am also hesitant to use it, but it does save a ton of money by using the correct .5 ml dose. Anyone in the Animal Rescue world that can comment whether it is still okay to use the big dog formula on cats?

Thanks!

 

[4catsncounting]

I addressed this in my thread which I just bumped:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/295371/...ds-of-frontline-plus-ingredients#post_3726546

Basically - I called the manufacturer of Frontline Plus, who told me the bolder labeling of "Not for use on cats" is due to the FDA wanting it to be more prominent. 

They tell me flat out there has been no change in their formula.

I also called the other 2 makers of the cheaper versions found in big box stores:  PetArmor Plus and Pet Action Plus-

the tell me only that the warning might be for their "other inert ingredients", as a general rule,

but they will not give out what those ingredients are, as they are proprietary (industry secret, as it were).

 

[aimee talbot]

 
I have been buying the large dog size of Frontline and splitting it up for cats for years...but the most recent package says "DO NOT USE ON CATS" all over it...I'm pretty sure it never said that before, so I'm wondering if they have changed the formulation. I've been on the company's website for the past 20 minutes trying to figure it out, but I can't find anywhere that mentions a difference other than size between the cat and dog version...but I just wanted to be sure before I use it. Anyone know for sure that it is still ok to use Frontline for dogs for cats?

I have also been buying Frontline Plus for big dogs and splitting it up among my 8 cats for years with no problems and no fleas. However, I have also noticed that they have suddenly changed the label that now says DO NOT USE ON CATS. I am also hesitant to use it, but it does save a ton of money by using the correct .5 ml dose. Anyone in the Animal Rescue world that can comment whether it is still okay to use the big dog formula on cats?

Thanks!

Thanks 4CatsNCounting! I am planning to continue using Frontline Plus for big dogs and splitting it up in the .5ml dose for my 6 cats! Aimee

 

[marnold67]

I was told by my Vet that using Frontline Plus for dogs on the cats is perfectly fine. Use a small syringe (without the needle) and measure .5 ml for each cat. I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. I have been doing this for 5 yrs + and I have never had a problem with the cats getting any reaction from the dog flea treatment, and it works fine. The sites I have researched on this subject are concerned with giving the cat too high of a dosage. All cats are to get .5 ml (not by weight). And again if you measure the dosage with a small syringe ( I got a few from my Vet), you will give the cat/cats an accurate dosage. Hope this helps a bit

 

[marnold67]

 
I was told by my Vet that using Frontline Plus for dogs on the cats is perfectly fine. Use a small syringe (without the needle) and measure .5 ml for each cat. I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. I have been doing this for 5 yrs + and I have never had a problem with the cats getting any reaction from the dog flea treatment, and it works fine. The sites I have researched on this subject are concerned with giving the cat too high of a dosage. All cats are to get .5 ml (not by weight). And again if you measure the dosage with a small syringe ( I got a few from my Vet), you will give the cat/cats an accurate dosage. Hope this helps a bit

 

[tia juanita]

It is absolutely ok to use frontline plus for dogs on cats. I actually buy it from frontline4less.com and they send me a kit that includes a bottle to

empty a large dog dose into, a dosage chart for dogs and cats and syringes for measuring and application. They also  have sales. Makes it a 

lot cheaper.

 

[kstonya]

I have been using dividing the Largest dog Frontline I can get and dosing my Dogs and my cats. After I divide out the doses I need for all my kids. I put the leftover in one of the syringes and cap the end. I then put the syringe in a ziplock and get the air out and close the ziplock. I have never lost any doses that way.

 

[powchris]

We have adopted 100s of farm cats and aways have feed out for drifters. We had a farm vet suggest the largest dog size to save $ for the10,15 cats we were caring for. We would like to spend the money on food, medical, neuter rather than feed the fat folks at pharmaceutical corporate.
For

 

[allamosa]

I am trying to buy from Solapets but it doesn't have anywhere to register and I keep getting notices to go back. How did you buy anything from them>