Treatment FAQ

why won't flea treatment work on my cat

by Savanah Kiehn Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Flea medication not working on cat

  • Incorrect application:. The number 1 reason that flea medication is not working on a cat is because the owner did not...
  • Ill-advised behavior. This is most common in topical solution flea medications. Most topical solutions advise that you...
  • Inadequate medication. It is important to note exactly what kind of flea mediation you are...

Many of the spot-on flea products use the natural oils of the coat to spread the flea treatment over your pet. So, if you've just washed your pet and stripped the natural oils, they'll be less effective.Jan 13, 2022

Full Answer

Can you use too much flea treatment on your cat?

Dec 16, 2017 · Comeb your cat's fur frquently with a fine toothed comb to remove fleas and eggs. Dunk the comb into hot soapy water after each pass throgh the fur to drown the fleas. Vaccum frequently. Give your cat a bath in blue Dawn dish soap or have a groomer give a flea

Why is the cat still scratching after flea treatment?

Dec 04, 2019 · Because the product can be harmful to your cat, there are a few steps that you should take if you apply the wrong flea treatment. The PPH said that if your pet shows any unusual symptoms such as drooling or agitation after application you should bathe the pet in warm water with a gentle dish soap.

How to get rid of fleas on your cat?

Aug 23, 2021 · Flea spot-on treatments are designed to be applied to the scruff of the neck, and the main reason for this is because it is an area that your cat cannot reach to lick the product off! If you apply the pipette in a different area of the body or don’t get your aim quite right, your cat may lick it off and so, render it ineffective.

How often should I apply flea treatment on my Cat?

Yo0ur cat is having a reaction to the treatment. If it is a dog treatment, it can be fatal and even if a cat treatment she is having a bad reaction, so yes, call the vet and get her in. Depending on what treatment you used you may be able to take some quick mitigating steps. If a …

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Why is my cat flea treatment not working?

Incorrectly applying topical flea prevention is the most common cause for its failure to work. Flea prevention is expensive, and you don't want to waste a dose. Topical medication should be applied directly to the skin, not the hair. You must part the hair so that you can apply it to the skin at the base of the neck.Jun 12, 2019

Why has my cat still got fleas after treatment?

As eggs hatch and develop, you might find fleas reappearing 10-14 days after treatment - this is quite normal and provided the insecticide remains in place it will kill them. This is why it is important not to carry out cleaning which might remove insecticide.

What do I do if flea treatment doesn't work?

Why Has My Pet's Flea Medicine Stopped Working?
  1. Make sure to apply topical medications correctly (do not split medications to use on more than one pet)
  2. Make sure your pet's skin is healthy so topical flea medications work well.
  3. Treat your yard and house where 95-99% of the flea population lives.

Why does my cat still have fleas after using Frontline Plus?

There are no flea products that stop fleas from jumping onto pets. This means that regardless of the licensed flea treatment you use - you may still see fleas on your pet until the flea product kills it.

Can I reapply flea treatment early cat?

The known safe answer is to wait the period of time the product is supposed to work, typically 30 days, before reapplying. An alternative is to bathe the pet in a detergent shampoo (meant to strip off skin oils) and reapply after 24 hours.

How effective are flea tablets for cats?

Starts killing fleas in 30 minutes—before they can lay eggs. Comfortis killed 100% of fleas on dogs and 98% of fleas on cats in just four hours in controlled laboratory studies. Effective. Provides full flea protection for an entire month.

Can I give my cat Advantage flea twice in a month?

can you use before 30 days is up. Under normal conditions this product is effective for one month. However, in cases of severe flea infestation, retreatment may be necessary earlier than 4 weeks. Do not retreat more often than once every 14 days for kittens or once every 7 days for small and large cats.

Why is Frontline Plus not working on my cat?

If the product does not reach your pet's sebaceous glands, it will not work effectively. This is common in pets that have extremely dry skin or thick fur. As with humans, exfoliating your pet's skin and removing extraneous dead skin cells will provide a clean surface for the topical.Dec 17, 2020

2. You used the wrong treatment interval

Remember that each flea treatment will have a recommended dosing interval. This is usually once every month, but it can vary. You should always follow the recommended interval because these instructions are specifically written to match the life cycle of fleas, which is about 1 month to go from egg to adult.

4. Fleas are still hiding in the household

It is a great idea to treat your household with a flea spray every year, regardless of whether you have noticed fleas. However, if you know that one of your pets has had fleas recently, treating your household as well as all in-contact pets is a vital part of complete extermination.

So, how do I get rid of fleas?

To recap: Use a quality product, follow the instructions, and be sure to treat your cat’s surrounding pets and environment to get the best results. Even if you do everything right, you may get an occasional breakthrough flea problem. It can feel like nothing is working.

Why isn't flea medicine working on cats?

The number 1 reason that flea medication is not working on a cat is because the owner did not properly administer the flea medication. For oral pills, this could mean that the cat did not eat a full meal before given the pill, which could weaken the effect. For topical solutions, this usually means that you did not put the solution in the right area of your cat’s skin. It is important to put the topical solution exactly where instructed so that it reaches the correct glands and spreads to the whole body. It is very important that you read carefully the instructions on how to administer the flea medication to your cat. Also pay attention to dosage so that you make sure you give your cat enough.

How does flea treatment work for cats?

Then, the chemical spreads through all your cat’s glands and covers the majority of your cat’s skin. Once on the skin, the chemical will cover fleas and paralyze their entire nervous system. Then, the fleas can no longer bite or even move, and they eventually fall off.

Can you let a cat swim with flea medication?

This is most common in topical solution flea medications. Most topical solutions advise that you do not let your cat swim or take a bath for a certain period of time while the medication is spreading to the rest of your body. If your cat’s skin gets wet too soon, it can wash away all of the medication. This is why it is extremely important to read the label and instructions on the medication.

How does flea medicine work?

Pills for flea medication in cats work by releasing a special chemical (insecticide) into your cat’s blood stream. When a flea bites your cat, it ingests some of your cat’s blood. Once the insecticide is in the bloodstream, it immediately kills the flea when it is ingested. This is why flea medication can work in as little as 25 minutes.

Do flea medications kill ticks?

It is important to note exactly what kind of flea mediation you are buying, as all flea medications are not equal. Some flea medications kill fleas, ticks, and their eggs, while some only kill adult fleas. Additionally, some flea medications only protect against fleas that are already on your cat, and do not prevent new infestations. It is important that you understand the functionality of flea medication when you buy it.

How to get rid of fleas in cats?

While the flea medicine slowly works, you can do other things to get rid of the fleas. Comeb your cat's fur frquently with a fine toothed comb to remove fleas and eggs. Dunk the comb into hot soapy water after each pass throgh the fur to drown the fleas. Vaccum frequently.

Does Broadline kill fleas?

Some use Advantage. They both kill fleas and the eggs . I don't know the active ingredients in Broadline . If one medication fails to work I would try a different one. Sometimes with longhair cats you must make sure you part the hair and apply the drops directly on the skin .

Can you use flea treatment on cats?

But even if you only use a small dose of a flea treatment not meant for cats, you may be putting your pet at risk. It's important to buy different products to treat animals of different sizes and species, even if they all have fleas at the same time.

Is flea spray safe for cats?

According to the Pet Poison Helpline, this chemical is very safe for dogs and is common in flea sprays and drops. Cats, though, are especially sensitive to it and many of its variants. The chemical is derived from chrysanthemum plant and appears commonly in a synthetic form.

Is pyrethrin safe for dogs?

The natural version, called pyrethrins, is used instead in products meant for cats. Both versions of the chemical are safe for dogs, but owners should still buy a separate product for each pet to assure they're giving the proper dosage.

Do flea treatments work for cats?

Every few years, one or more premium flea products for cats are brought onto the market and these tend to be more expensive than the existing alternatives and often, only available from the vet. This is more than just a marketing gimmick-over time, the flea populations in any given area build up a tolerance to the active ingredient contained within the treatment products, which mean that treating your cat with any given product might work well for years, but then begin to fail.

Can you open a cat flea treatment tube?

You should only open a pipette when you are ready to use it, and remember that your products can become compromised if opened and left for more than a couple of hours before use, or if there is any damage to the immediate packaging.

Do flea products need to be applied to the skin?

Flea products need to be applied to the skin, where they then diffuse across the body as they dry to provide protection. This means that you need to part the cat’s fur and ensure that you apply the liquid to the skin, and failing to do this and simply wetting the fur instead is likely to render the product ineffective.

How often should I use flea drops on my cat?

After the cat is dried, use a topical anti flea drop (Frypst or Frontline or Advantage), on its neck where it cannot lick it. This has to be done once every 5 weeks. Do NOT use the same brand every time as fleas become resistant after a while. Also, do NOT touch the cat for a whole day.

Do flea treatments kill fleas?

Some flea treatments don’t actually kill the flea, the flea offspring of the one that bit your cat just don’t have the tooth to bite your cat. If the environment your cat is in (carpet, bedding, cat tree) has fleas or eggs, they will jump on your cat after the treatment and still need to bite your cat (unless the.

How to get rid of fleas in your house?

Also, do NOT touch the cat for a whole day. 2 Vacuum your house thoroughly. Cover all areas- behind the couch, under the bed etc. If you are beginning your flea control today, the vacuuming has to be thorough. After day one, you can vacuum every other day with less thoroughness. Day 1 is the most important.

Where do fleas go in a cat?

Be sure to feed the cat and calm it down before you begin this. Most fleas will be found on the neck, forehead and belly. Carefully trap the fleas in the comb and dunk them in a container of slightly hot water (not too hot that your fingernails come off) mixed with dishwasher soap. The flea will drown.

Do cats have tapeworms?

A flea will carry tapeworm eggs inside it, the cat will swallow the flea with the eggs during grooming, the tapeworm eggs will hatch in the cat's belly, and now you have both fleas and tapeworms to treat. It's like a Tur-duck-en. Just because your cat stays indoors, as do mine, that does not mean they are protected from fleas.

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