My cat has fleas. How long to wait between Hartz and Advantage II?

Congratulations on adopting Butterscotch! She's adorable! Good for you for having Advantage II on hand - this is a much more effective and safe medication than Hartz flea treatments. However, I generally advise waiting at least 2 weeks between applications of topical flea medications. Fortunately, there are a few other options for treatment at this point. The ideal option would be giving Butterscotch prescription-based Comfortis, which is an oral flea medication that works quickly and effectively, and can be given at the same time as topical medications due to different mechanisms of action. However, this may require a trip to the vet since Comfortis is prescription based. The other option would be to give Butterscotch a dose of oral Capstar (available through most pet stores) which will quickly kill adult fleas, but will not provide lasting prevention. After a dose of Capstar, you can also give her a bath in original Dawn dish soap to kill any lingering adult fleas and remove any flea dirt with the hopes of keeping the fleas at bay for the next week until you can apply Advantage II. Be sure to keep both of your cats (and any other pets) on good quality flea prevention regularly for at least the next few months. Also be aware that cats can acquire tapeworms from eating fleas infected with this parasite, so it may be worth discussing a deworming treatment with a praziquantel-based medication with Butterscotch's vet. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Yes, it's too soon to apply another topical medication. I suggest try a Seresto Collar (not Hartz or any of those other OTC collars). You can put that on now and it is good for 8 months for both fleas and ticks. Read the instructions to make sure you put it on correctly. ( https://petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar-for-cats )

I'm sorry to hear you've had trouble finding an effective flea med! Most over-the-counter options are not very effective in my experience, including Advantage - although it's probably the best of the currently available OTC options! Flea collars do not work well, and can often be toxic to cats. Instead, I would recommend getting a prescription flea medication like Revolution or Bravecto from your veterinarian. This will be safe for your kitty, and much more effective. If it's been at least 1-2 weeks since you applied the Advantage, it should be safe to go ahead and use a new medication from your vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Using Capstar is a great idea. Yes, you can use Capstar when you get back. If using another flea preventative like advantage 2 it is best to wait at least 3 weeks from the last dose of the Hartz product. Good luck and have a great day!

I would not recommend repeating treatment with similar ingredients for at least a month, especially in cats which are very sensitive to overdosing. It is important to treat bedding and sleeping areas to kill eggs and larvae before they hatch. If problems persist contact your vet for oral treatment such as comfortis

I would not use the Advantage so close to applying another treatment. Wait at least 3 weeks since previous treatment. It may still be killing the fleas on the cat, but if fleas are still in the environment, new ones are jumping onto the cats. I would recommend treating the environment to help get rid of fleas more effectively. It will take at least 4 months to get rid of fleas if you are treating ONLY the pets. Make sure all pets are treated as well. Here are some articles for more info. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

While some flea collars are generally safe to combine with topical flea medication, I do not recommend using either of those products on Khloe. Both are poor quality products that do not work well at all, and Hartz is especially poor. Many animals have had bad reactions to Hartz products, as well as still having problems with fleas. I can give you the flea treatment program I always recommend, which works very well and is safe for Khloe. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!