Cat flea Q

[Simpo Two]

Evening all...

Last Monday my cat (11) went to the vets for a checkover as she was looking a bit tatty and scratching. The vet duly found some fleas and gave her a dose of Stronghold. I came away with two more doses to be given at montly intervals.

But this week she's scratching again, and combing produced two tiny black fleas. Is it safe to give another dose of Stronghold after 12 days or does she have to wait another fortnight?

[jmsgld]

There's no need to apply Stronghold any more often than monthly, as it works for a month at a time, evidenced by the fact you are finding dead fleas.

It generally takes 3-6 months to get rid of a flea infestation if you do everything correctly. 95% of the fleas are in the house, only 5% on the animals. You need to treat the house - Indorex Defence is the best you can get as a member of the public - any flea spray is also toxic to birds, reptiles, fish, insects etc. One tin does a small house, ie if your house is not small buy more than one tin.

Vacuum at least every other day and empty straight into the bin outside...

If you decide to get a flea product not from the vet, then the only 2 that seem to work are Advantage and Seresto.

[Simpo Two]

Thanks for the reply - but the fleas were alive. I combed out a normal size one yesterday (alive), and that was after her bed had been through the wash. In the past when a cat has had flea treatment they fall off dead and that's the end of it.

Logic suggests that either the fleas are getting immune, or the Stronghold formulation has been made less effective...

[Thevet]

Or your cat picked up fleas from your house (or outside) and they were in the process of dying. Not aware of resistance to stronghold.