Is prescription or OTC flea treatment better and safer for my cat?

If possible I recommend products available at your vet's office. These products are usually more effective than over the counter products and have undergone more extensive testing/safety trials. Often your vet's office will also have rebates or coupons available when you purchase the products that will help decrease the cost to you.

This is because the best and strongest ones are sold by a vet as prescription only. The ones you get OTC are not as good, and frankly some are awful. Hartz, for one. I would never recommend it. I know of a recent case from a colleague that a cat died from Hartz application. I don't know how it's still on the market.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! For cats, I would recommend Revolution which a topical solution applied once monthly. It helps prevents fleas and intestinal parasites in cats. It is easy to use and very effective in cats. This is a prescription medication your can obtain through Jax's veterinarian. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In my opinion, the best two flea and tick preventative medications are Bravecto and Frontline plus. Any of those would be good options for him. Good luck and have a good night!

Tapeworms are killed by a medication called praziquantel, which is prescription only. A dewormer containing that can only be gotten at the vet. A great deworming medication is Drontal which kills tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. OTC dewormers will only kill roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Personally I always recommend a deworming medication from the vet, as they are stronger and better than anything you get OTC. Drontal is safe and healthy for kittens. Bambi should get a dewormer now, and another in two weeks. After that she will need to be dewormed monthly until she is six months of age, and then every three months thereafter. It's perfectly safe to give them a deworming medication even if they don't have worms, it prevents them from occurring. I never recommend getting OTC flea and tick medications. Many brands of them, such as Hartz, are terrible products that do not work and can have serious side effects in cats. I personally recommend getting a flea and tick medication from the vet such as Frontline, Advantage, or Revolution. When you make an appointment with the vet to get her vaccines, you can also get the deworming treatment as well as the flea and tick medication. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Good question! In general it is best to purchase these medications from your veterinarian. When purchased through a veterinarian the company will most often guarantee the effectiveness. This is usually not the case with products bought online or over the counter. When sold through a veterinarian the company that manufactures the product will stand behind the product and often pay for medical treatment should the product not work for some reason. The veterinarian also knows how to properly store the product so that it does not get damaged or becomes ineffective. Finally, sometimes over the counter products or products sold online can be counterfeit or even dangerous to use. Your veterinarian also knows what particular products tend to be most effective for your location.

Bravecto is a good topical that last for 3 months but is a prescription. The change in duration helps control the environment and get ahead of the life cycle. The majority of a flea problem comes from the environment so it is essential to treat that area also. You may also look in to a Seresto collar that is not a prescription and it can last up to 8 months.