Types of Flea Control Products for Cats

When it comes to flea control, prevention is always the best medicine. However, not all flea control products are created equal. There are a number of different ways to control fleas in cats. Different types of cat flea products include topical solutions, collars, sprays, tablets, and oral solutions.

Why Controlling Fleas is Important

Fleas aren’t just an annoyance for your cat. Persistent flea bites can lead to various health issues like dermatitis, tapeworms, cat-scratch disease and anemia. Cats are pretty good groomers, and they usually are able to remove most ticks from their fur before they attach.

However, sometimes the fleas populations get too high for your cat to manage on their own. Purchasing quality flea control products will help kill the fleas saving your cat some trouble.

Important Flea Medicine Warning

Flea control products don’t come one-size-fits-all, and they should be labeled as safe for cats. No matter what flea control product you choose for your cat, never use dog flea control on a cat.

>> What to do if you put dog flea medicine on your cat

Using a product labeled for dogs on your cat can make them extremely sick; in some cases, it can even be deadly. Different types of flea control products for cats include topical solutions, collars, sprays, tablets, and oral solutions. Read the label very carefully before using any flea control product on your cat.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Flea Control Products for Cats

The most common types of flea control medicine can be delivered in five different ways:

• Topical Products
• Flea Collars
• Flea Shampoo
• Flea Spray
• Oral Products

Topical Flea Preventives

These are usually in liquid form and applied to the skin, usually on the back of the neck and can last for a month before having to be reapplied. Many can start killing off fleas in as little as 8-12 hours.

The most common flea control products contain either imidacloprid (Advantage II), fipronil (Frontline), dinotefuran (Vectra), spinetoram (Cheristin), Fluralaner (Bravecto) or selamectin (Revolution).

Just a note, there is a flea product call Advantix which is sometimes confused with the Advantage flea product. Advantix is a dog flea product and is not to be used on cats.

Other topical flea control products for cats include bioactivated ingredients like Activyl.

After being applied to the back of the neck, they sink in and spread through to the layer of fat beneath the skin, killing any adult fleas present. They continue to kill fleas for at least 30 days. After 30 days, a new dose can be applied.

Flea Collars

Flea collars are worn around the neck, where they deliver preventive flea medication to your cat’s skin and coat. The flea collar is used on your cat’s neck to distribute a constant flow harmful agent to the fleas. Many of these collars work for several months at a time.

If considering a flea collar, look for collars that have a “break-away” mechanism, so if it gets caught on something, the flea collar will release, rather than choke or cause injury to the cat.

Flea Shampoos

Shampoos kill fleas that are currently on your cat, and are not geared toward preventative use. When searching for a shampoo, ones that contain pyrethrins are a good choice as they are natural extracts from plants which work as insecticides.

Another important characteristic of a flea shampoo is whether or not the product is effective of flea eggs and larvae. Some shampoos will only kill adult fleas, but not the eggs, which require more washes to completely destroy the flea life cycle.

If possible, choose a shampoo that can kill fleas at all stages of life and repel them for at least a week after a bath. Otherwise, you might end up bathing your cat frequently.

Flea Sprays

Sprays are applied to the skin and fur but are generally less effective than the other flea prevention treatment. Some sprays can be effective for longer than 30 days. Read the label to make sure you are applying the spray correctly.

Do not spray directly on the cat’s head. Instead, spray on a gloved hand or washcloth and rub gently into your cat’s fur, being careful not to get any of the product in the cat’s eyes or mouth.

Oral Flea Control

Oral flea control products, sometime called flea pills, or tablets, are given to your cat by mouth. Topical flea and tick creams can be messy. Oral flea treatment for cats is easier to administer.

Oral flea medications work from the inside out and should be given to your cat monthly for the best flea control. Flea pills are intended for use in cats and kittens 4 weeks of age and older, and 2 pounds of body weight or more.

How to Know if your Cat has Fleas

Determining if your cat has fleas is easy if you see live fleas in the fur. Sometimes, fleas may not be seen, but “flea dirt” (or flea poop) is present. Flea dirt looks similar to pepper.

Summary of Flea Life cycle on Cats

Fleas do not jump from cat to cat. Once a flea jumps on your cat, it stays there for its entire life. When a female flea lands on your cat, it immediately begins biting and feeding on blood, much like a mosquito. Ingestion of blood is what allows the female flea to become fertile and reproduce.

Approximately 24 hours later, the flea starts laying eggs — about 50 per day. As the cat roams an area, flea eggs fall off . About a week later, the flea eggs hatch, and little larvae emerge.

One to three weeks later, baby fleas emerge from the pupae. The fleas wait for an animal, i.e. your cat, to wander by and jump on. The life cycle will start all over again at this point.

As you can see there are a number of choices that you have available as a pet owner. Speak with your vet if you have questions about which flea prevention mechanisms are best suited to your cat and living conditions.