Please note that you should discuss the below with your physician and
veterinarian and get their clearance before taking any action.
The problem with anti-flea pills like CapStar and Program is the fleas
must bite your cat to ingest the insecticide. Any flea not biting your
cat (say, biting you instead) is free to go about its flea business
and make more fleas.
Frontline Topspot (Merial) is a superior product in that it 1] does
not need to be ingested by the flea in order to kill; 2] has
essentially no effect on mammals (cats, dogs, people); 3] is easy to
apply-- it's a few drops at the back of the neck; 4] one application
reaches max efficiency in about 24 hours and is effective for about a
month in cats and 5] it acts quickly enough against the flea so that
if a flea hops on your cat, it is usually dead before it gets a chance
to bite it (and if the flea is just hitchhiking, it'll die pretty
fast).
Topspot contains fipronil, a molecule that blocks a nerve ion channel.
I won't get very technical but will say that fipronil efficiently
blocks this channel in insects but not well in mammals essentially
because the channel is smaller in insects. This causes the nerves to
stay on all the time, sort of seizing up the system.
Topspot is not available in stores but can be bought from your vet
(without a prescription, but a lot of vets will gripe about selling it
to you-- don't let them lie or force you into an exam because Topspot
is NOT a prescription item; call another vet office), or ordered
online. Cat doses, effective for one month, shouldn't cost more than
ten dollars each (available in three packs or six packs, so that's up
to $30 for three to a max of $60 for six, and likely much less) so
shop accordingly.
There is a similar product called Revolution, applied in much the same
way, that contains a different active ingredient. It is supposed to be
effective against not only fleas but intestinal worms and ear mites as
well. Pfizer makes Revolution. I am not familiar with Revolution other
than to say it has been in use for a few years and seems to be quite
good.
Do NOT use the spot application products that are available in grocery
and pet stores from Hartz and other companies. These products are just
powerful versions of regular insecticides and can kill pets and people
(in big enough doses, of course). There have been accusations that
some Hartz products like this have killed pets in the past. Fipronil
is actually safe enough that it is used in Africa as an insecticide on
food products and is now being used against termites in the US.
Visit the Merial website (www.frontline.com) to see any cautions and
contraindications for you or your pet, and talk to your doctor and vet
to see if Topspot is good for you both.
As for the fleas still around, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum and toss the bag
each and every time. Keeping the bag in the vac and the vac in the
closet just gives the vacuumed fleas a place to mate and the vacuumed
eggs a place to hatch. Your doctor or an exterminator might be able to
make suggestions on a spray that doesn't leave a residue. Raid used to
make a fogger that produced smoke instead of a spray-- maybe something
like that would be good? Keep in mind if you don't treat the entire
house, the fleas may congregate wherever the insecticide isn't being
used (basement, attic, that sort of thing) and come roaring back
rather quickly.
If ordering online, don't buy the Australian or Canadian stuff. It is
slightly cheaper but you don't know how long it has been stored or
under what conditions. The best price I found for Topspot was from
EntirelyPets.com. |
