Cats, Fleas & Permethrin

[room onthebroom]

Hello all. I’ll jump right to the point.

I’m having an unusually difficult flea season here & I’d like to spray permethrin in my catio to kill the fleas out there. I know permethrin is not safe for cats directly, but I’m wondering if it would be safe for the cat after its dried.

I have just sprayed some Home Depot flea stuff out there that I have no idea if it will work or not. It says that it’s unsafe for cats until it’s dry, so it got me thinking about the permethrin. I use permethrin with the birds & I trust that it works, but cats can be so sensitive with things. Do any of you cat people have any experience with cats, fleas & permethrin?

@CatWhisperer and @Folly's place a little bird said that you might know, but I welcome everyone’s advice & opinions.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm interested too. I learned about this just last year. I've never had a problem, but I sure would like to know more.

 

[Folly's place]

What's a 'catio'???
Cats are sensitive to permethrin at dosages that are safe for many other critters. The typical story concerns people (idiots?!) who treat their cats with a 'dogs only' product!
Generally spraying coops with permethrin spray and then having it dry before letting an outside kitty enter it is safe.
BTW, some flea collars for dogs have warning also advising against having children in the same room with them. Read the labels!
Mary

 

[room onthebroom]

What's a 'catio'???
Cats are sensitive to permethrin at dosages that are safe for many other critters. The typical story concerns people (idiots?!) who treat their cats with a 'dogs only' product!
Generally spraying coops with permethrin spray and then having it dry before letting an outside kitty enter it is safe.
BTW, some flea collars for dogs have warning also advising against having children in the same room with them. Read the labels!
Mary

Thanks!

The catio is sort of an outdoor patio for the cat. It’s wired like a coop or an aviary so he can get some outdoor time & still be safe.

This is the worst year I’ve ever had for fleas. I can usually keep it under control with the dog & cat drops.

 

[room onthebroom]

The catio.

 

[Folly's place]

Personally I hate using any insecticide outdoors, and would prefer to manage with Frontline or Revolution, something on the cats, not in the yard.
You don't have double fencing; are you having visitors through the hardware cloth? That could be a problem in itself.
Wish I had a better answer!
Mary

 

[Buckeye Amy]

Personally I hate using any insecticide outdoors, and would prefer to manage with Frontline or Revolution, something on the cats, not in the yard.
You don't have double fencing; are you having visitors through the hardware cloth? That could be a problem in itself.
Wish I had a better answer!
Mary

This.

 

[room onthebroom]

Personally I hate using any insecticide outdoors, and would prefer to manage with Frontline or Revolution, something on the cats, not in the yard.
You don't have double fencing; are you having visitors through the hardware cloth? That could be a problem in itself.
Wish I had a better answer!
Mary

I don’t like using it either, but for some reason the advantage isn’t even denting the problem this year. We’ve tried chemical drops on the animals, borax & essential oils on the furniture, we even rubbed DE into the cats fur because I’m getting desperate. (I’m not sure if you guys find that as funny as I do.)

I’m seriously considering giving the cats a bath, but I’m not sure my medical insurance will cover wounds inflicted by raging felines.

Thank you for talking it out with me Mary. Having a sounding board is always helpful

 

[Folly's place]

The topicals do work well, but it's not an instant kill. Talk to your veterinarian about what's fastest and best, and until those miserable fleas are out of their outdoor lounge, you will still be seeing them. None of the other stuff works well enough to bother doing. Bathing them would be interesting, but only a fix that day anyway.
Mary

 

[CatWhisperer]

I don’t know that dried permethrin will solve your flea problems. Insects do develop resistance to insecticides over time. If you have always used Advantage, this may be the case. If you haven’t tried Frontline, consider that. For severe infestations I recommend retreating every 3 weeks instead of monthly. Bravecto is a new treatment. It kills fleas for up to 12 weeks. Bravecto Plus also prevents heart worms, something you should also be doing. Fleas can transmit tapeworms to your cat so I would recommend treating for that also.