My cat has stubborn fleas. How can I finally get rid of them?

See your veterinarian for an exam. Sky may need antibiotics to prevent or treat infection of the sores. A short course of steroids followed by antihistamines may provide relief from the itching. Your vet can also dispense Capstar to kill any adult fleas on Sky. Follow up with a topical preventative such as Revolution or Frontline. Either should be applied monthly for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Vacuum your home/apartment. Clean everywhere Sky has been. Dispose of the bag outdoors. Wash all bedding in the hottest temperature allowed by the fabric. To prevent reinfestation, use an environmental treatment such as Knockout ES.

Capstar is a great medication to kill fleas present, but it has no preventative qualities. Also, not all flea collars are created equal. The only one I recommend is Seresto. Many of the older collars have older drug formulations in them that can lead to more side effects or less effectiveness . I would recommend a dose of Revolution. It will kill internal parasites and prevent fleas at the same time. Tapeworms are created by an animal ingesting a flea so it is important to treat your cat for tapeworms in the present situation.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I certainly understand your frustration. There are 2 products that I particularly like in these cases where different therapies have failed to help. I like Bravecto as a preventative and Capstar to be used concurrently as needed for fleas. Capstar is crucial because it can help kill a lot of fleas at once and it can be used as often as once daily to effect. Also, it is important to vacuum the house and all things that have contact with them frequently. Try this for 1-3 months and if does not make a difference, they may have another type of allergy such as a food allergy or environmental allergy. This is likely going to help. Good luck and have a good night!

Great question! Yes, you can use Capstar now, and it's safe to use daily until it's time for his next dose of Revolution. Keep in mind that fleas live in the environment, not on the cat, so if you haven't disinfected your home, it will be a continuing source of fleas. I will give you information on how to disinfect your home. Wash Ron's 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!

That's not good at all. Fleas can make Catty very sick, and cause anemia. She has to be treated for it. 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.

They make several topicals such Frontline and Advantage that last for 1 month and do not require a prescription and can be purchased from a vet or a pet store. They make a topical called Bravecto that will last for 3 months or a tablet called comfortis that will last for 1 month but do require a prescription. Typically a flea problem is more of a problem in the environment than the pet so you may want to look in to treating the environment also

If you have a flea infestation in your house or yard it will be harder for the Revolution to be fully effective. Make sure you vacuum regularly, and treat the other pets in the household as well as the yard if that is practical. I use a flea comb dipped in soapy water to catch the fleas on Dexter. You’ll find that the fleas are slower than normal because they are dying. If you are consistent with your flea control in the house, other pets, and yard and use Revolution monthly as directed the fleas should all be gone in several weeks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Dexter.