Flea ?

**Hollyhandi** · 08-24-2005, 07:33 AM

Does anyone here know a way to keep fleas off my cat. I can't use a flea collar he rips them off faster than I can put them on.
I need something to keep them off his face? ( Also if it works for cats is it safe for dogs and kittens ? )
Any help would be appreciated. TIA
Can't afford the stuff from the vets.....

**tbs727** · 08-24-2005, 02:51 PM

If you have a regular vet that your pet has seen recently and you have never purchased advantage from them they will usually give you a sample which would last your cat 1 month. If your cat is inside and you can get rid of the fleas within one month you won't need to purchase it again.

Don't buy the topical treatment other than Advantage, frontline or biospot. The heartz brand has been know to cause nerve damage in cats.

I don't know of anything other than advantage to get rid of fleas. (besides a good old fashoned bath, and I KNOW bathing a cat is not fun!!! )

**Sari** · 12-30-2005, 11:54 PM

The only thing a flea collar is good for is putting one in the vacuum bag to kill the fleas that get vacuumed up. They don't work and aren't always safe to put on pets.

Maybe applying Advantage every other month would be an option? It may be a little cheaper to buy it online rather than at the vet. check out www.petmeds.com

**Pepper** · 12-31-2005, 12:17 AM

We no longer have our cats but when we did we ended up becoming infested with fleas when some raccoons decided to take up their home under our house. Well, needless to say we tried all the home remedies. We didn't want to pay what the vet was asking either. We found that using Borax worked wonders. It took about two weeks. Spread the Borax all over your floors and let sit for several hours. Repeat this daily. We also bathed our cats. No it isn't fun, as stated earlier, but cheaper than getting the meds. It would take me and dh. When held from the nape of their neck they are pretty much paralyzed, so this is the method we used. And of course only long enough to suds them up. Some may think this is cruel, but our cats never disowned us. I would give it a shot!!

**Pepper** · 12-31-2005, 12:18 AM

For some reason I couldn't get in to edit.

Forgot to say that after you let the borax sit for a few hours, vacuum up. LOL! You can also use it on your furniture.

**QuilterMom** · 12-31-2005, 11:21 AM

Try putting a little bit of plain whute vinegar in your cat's drinking water. There are brewer's yeast and garlic edible tablets out for dogs (you mix it in with their food) - you might want to check if there is something similar for cats. The only other thing I'm aware of that hasn't been mentioned is a product called Capstar that is available through vet offices.

**QuilterMom** · 12-31-2005, 11:22 AM

That should say 'white' vinegar. I was typing one-handed with wee one in my arms - sorry!

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 12-31-2005, 12:11 PM

i also use "advantage" or "frontline". its the best thing on the market for fleas (thats what my vet said). it normally cost around $12-$13.

**KatieInLa2** · 12-31-2005, 01:03 PM

Frontline is the only thing I have found that works. It keeps fleas off the pet and out of the house too. You can get a very fine comb afor pets that will comb the fleas out of their hair.

**KatieInLa2** · 12-31-2005, 01:06 PM

I have bought frontline off ebay. Pet stores and feed stores carry it too.

**forestdale** · 12-31-2005, 03:09 PM

I use to use Advantage and Frontline but I didn't like the idea of it. About 6 months ago I started putting garlic in my dogs' food, which I make myself. They like the taste and they have fewer fleas than they've ever had before. I see the odd one when I'm checking them for ticks. But the fleas aren't always there. I think they get a stray one every so often that doesn't like the taste of their blood so they jump off again.

As I said, I check for ticks. The garlic doesn't seem to work for ticks as I've found one on the dog and one on the cat in the past three months.

I tried garlic on the cat but I had to add it raw to her tinned food and she wouldn't eat it. I do put apple cider vinegar in her water, so as Kim suggested, that probably helps. She's a white cat so it's easy to see fleas on her and I rarely see any.

**Sari** · 01-01-2006, 02:23 AM

Capstar doesn't really have any residual effect. It kills the fleas that are on them but doesn't give protection for the month like Advantage or Frontline.

Another way to save is to ask your vet how to split up a dog dose of Advantage using a syringes and put it on multiple pets.

VERY IMPORTANT>>> Do not attempt that with other flea/tick products! Some dog products will KILL a cat so don't do it.

**mizniteowl** · 01-01-2006, 04:59 AM

I used Borax as well and gave my kitty a bath. Man, I felt so bad for the little guy. But he survived.

**couponchic** · 01-01-2006, 08:48 PM

We have always used Frontline with great success on our dog. Since he's indoor most of the time, we don't put it on him every month either. I think there are sites on the internet where you can order Frontline much cheaper than buying at the vet's office. Also, I have bought Frontline at the feed store before, but it wasn't much cheaper than the vet's office here.