Best flea medication for cats -- need some help

[Skye'sDucks]

Hello all, just this morning my mom informed me that one of our kitties has fleas on her. We have 5 outdoor cats, they don't come inside except for our outdoor porch, which has old outdoor carpeting. So I'm not sure if there's any area prevention I need to do as well.

I came here to ask about flea medications. What works best? What doesn't? I'm open minded to actual medications or more home remedies--we do have ditamacious earth (however you spell it lol) but I'm not exactly certain if that'd work?

Please note these are previously feral cats, so they can be shy about being held/handled. No baths will work on them (except maybe one, and she's not the one with fleas that we physically saw) but I'd probably be able to get topical or oral medication into all of them. They're all tame, just varying levels of wary about being handled as I said. And obviously flea collars are a no--I heard mixed reviews on them and I also refuse to put any kind of collar on our outdoor cats in fear they'll hurt or kill themselves by getting caught.

I saw some medications only kill adult fleas, and some treat everything but then need to be reapplied at least monthly. We also have 5 cats, so while I want to do what's best for them, I'm also considering the cost. I don't want to endanger my cats with something cheap but I'd love to save money where we can. I saw a brand called Revolution works great but needs a vet prescription. Others had varying reviews, so I'm a bit lost.

I started doing research and I will do some more, but I love to hear actual advice from real people on here. I have been meaning to look into flea prevention / wormers for our cats for a while now--they've never been to the vet, but they were former stray cats. Do I need to actually treat my other cats, or just use prevention? I will need to check them myself but they wander throughout the day so I don't know when I'd be able to look at all of them.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Gizabelle]

Hello all, just this morning my mom informed me that one of our kitties has fleas on her. We have 5 outdoor cats, they don't come inside except for our outdoor porch, which has old outdoor carpeting. So I'm not sure if there's any area prevention I need to do as well.

I came here to ask about flea medications. What works best? What doesn't? I'm open minded to actual medications or more home remedies--we do have ditamacious earth (however you spell it lol) but I'm not exactly certain if that'd work?

Please note these are previously feral cats, so they can be shy about being held/handled. No baths will work on them (except maybe one, and she's not the one with fleas that we physically saw) but I'd probably be able to get topical or oral medication into all of them. They're all tame, just varying levels of wary about being handled as I said. And obviously flea collars are a no--I heard mixed reviews on them and I also refuse to put any kind of collar on our outdoor cats in fear they'll hurt or kill themselves by getting caught.

I saw some medications only kill adult fleas, and some treat everything but then need to be reapplied at least monthly. We also have 5 cats, so while I want to do what's best for them, I'm also considering the cost. I don't want to endanger my cats with something cheap but I'd love to save money where we can. I saw a brand called Revolution works great but needs a vet prescription. Others had varying reviews, so I'm a bit lost.

I started doing research and I will do some more, but I love to hear actual advice from real people on here. I have been meaning to look into flea prevention / wormers for our cats for a while now--they've never been to the vet, but they were former stray cats. Do I need to actually treat my other cats, or just use prevention? I will need to check them myself but they wander throughout the day so I don't know when I'd be able to look at all of them.

Thank you for the help.

Over the years I've tried so many different topicals for both prevention and occasionally infestation.
I've finally found one that really works for us, but it does require a vet RX: Revolution.
However, I do not use this as recommended... I don't reapply monthly as directed, but only when I notice a flea, flea dirt, or a live tick (after the month efficacy period). This can sometimes save you a month or two here and there depending on the season/weather. I spend a good bit of time with my cat though, and usually check his neck/head every evening when he's hanging out with me (so its easy to stay on top of the situation)
The great thing about this medication is that once the flea has come in contact with a treated animal it will die even if it tries to "jump ship" to a different host.

Because you will need a vet RX, what I would do is pick one cat to take in to the vet and then purchase a 12mo. supply and dose all kitties (provided they are all in the same weight range) If you have a really awful infestation, you may need to administer capstars as well. (Capstar is a non RX tablet that kills all fleas on the animal in minutes but is only effective for 24hrs)
Keep an eye on them to see how things are going, then after a month has passed, reapply to EVERYONE when you see the first flea or flea dirt.
Eventually you'll need to take another kitty in to the vet for another 12 doses.

I know vets and meds are ridiculously expensive, but it's a worthwhile expense and this medication is the only one that has consistently worked for me.

Good Luck!

Edit: Just thought of another possible cost saver: Look for low-cost pet vax clinics (my local TS hosts them on the weekends at least once a month, I think) Just make sure to call in advance to make sure they will be able to give you the RX.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Over the years I've tried so many different topicals for both prevention and occasionally infestation.
I've finally found one that really works for us, but it does require a vet RX: Revolution.
However, I do not use this as recommended... I don't reapply monthly as directed, but only when I notice a flea, flea dirt, or a live tick (after the month efficacy period). This can sometimes save you a month or two here and there depending on the season/weather. I spend a good bit of time with my cat though, and usually check his neck/head every evening when he's hanging out with me (so its easy to stay on top of the situation)
The great thing about this medication is that once the flea has come in contact with a treated animal it will die even if it tries to "jump ship" to a different host.

Because you will need a vet RX, what I would do is pick one cat to take in to the vet and then purchase a 12mo. supply and dose all kitties (provided they are all in the same weight range) If you have a really awful infestation, you may need to administer capstars as well. (Capstar is a non RX tablet that kills all fleas on the animal in minutes but is only effective for 24hrs)
Keep an eye on them to see how things are going, then after a month has passed, reapply to EVERYONE when you see the first flea or flea dirt.
Eventually you'll need to take another kitty in to the vet for another 12 doses.

I know vets and meds are ridiculously expensive, but it's a worthwhile expense and this medication is the only one that has consistently worked for me.

Good Luck!

Edit: Just thought of another possible cost saver: Look for low-cost pet vax clinics (my local TS hosts them on the weekends at least once a month, I think) Just make sure to call in advance to make sure they will be able to give you the RX.

Thank you for the reply and help! In the research I was doing it seemed like Revolution through a prescription was the most popular and effective method (and pricey, but I get it). It's good to know that it actually works though. I will have to talk to my mom about it, since they're family cats, and see if that's something she wants to do. We can afford it but were just looking for ways to save, although just going straight for the one that for sure works pretty well might be the most cost-effective way.

I'll have to wrangle my cats and try to comb through them--I hope not every single one has fleas, but it sure would be easier if my dog-like cat (who is ridiculously chill and friendly) could be the one to bring to the vet if I need to. The one that we noticed fleas on is sweet but definitely shyer and doesn't like to be handled.

I will check and see if we can find a pet vax clinic near us too, thank you for recommending that! It would definitely be nice to save money where we can--like I said, we will spend it (and thankfully are able to) if we have to, but I try my best to save money and see what kind of "short cuts" I can take that still help my pets. But again, this might be the best way.

 

[Folly's place]

Revolution does work very well, and applying it monthly is a good idea, because it does fleas, ticks, heartworm, ear mites, and some internal parasites. A very good deal all around! You can price shop for the best deal too.
And all cats should get rabies vaccines at least, for your safety.
Mary