Flea Control for Cats: What I've Used and What Worked

Every responsible cat owner needs to decide on a flea control method to use in order to keep their pets and home free of fleas. I have three cats, and I've tried quite a few different products before I settled on the one that works best.

I had started with what most pet owners probably start with: over-the-counter Hartz flea control drops. A pack of 3 small tubes costs around $8 lasts for three months (per cat). The content of the tube is to be distributed in a thin line along the cat's back. The first time I'd tried it, I saw little result, and I soon figured out why: the package I purchased killed only adult fleas, doing nothing for flea eggs and larvae. To this day, I don't understand why such a product would even be on the market.

Next time, I made sure I bought a slightly more expensive pack that said to kill flea eggs as well. My cats seemed to be doing okay, but still, they were not completely flea-free. Once in a while, I would notice a flea on them. However, the situation appeared to be under control, and I probably would have kept using that product if it wasn't for the last summer disaster.

Last summer was very dry here in our area, which, combined with warmth, is the fleas' favorite condition. Before I knew it, my cats were badly infested (even though they are indoor-only, they never go outside where they can pick up fleas from the grass). The cats were scratching all the time, dropping flea eggs everywhere. The Hartz drops were no longer working. I had tried flea control collars, but they didn't help, either. So-called "flea bombs" and sprays, also by Hartz, that I used on the house turned out to be a waste of money as well.

My hopes went up when I'd tried Sergeant's Skip-Flea shampoo for cats, but not for long. While the shampoo clearly worked - I could actually see dead fleas falling off while rinsing cats - it did not kill them all. According to the directions, the shampoo could only be used once every two weeks, so repeated bathing to make sure all fleas were gone was not an option.

Tired of seeing my cats suffer and even being bitten by fleas myself, I went to my vet. That's where I learned about Advantage, a more expensive but much more effective product. I also learned that I wasn't the only one who had no luck with Hartz flea control products: countless pet owners had experienced the same and worse, up to the point of losing their pets. The vet's assistant told me that Hartz products are actually being taken off the market, but it will only happen sometime in 2008.

Back to Advantage. I paid $32 for a pack of 4 little tubes, which is a 4 months supply (per cat; since I've got three, it will only last me a month, but the product is well worth the price). Similarly to Hartz drops, Advantage is to be applied once a month. The contents of a much smaller tube are to be squeezed out onto the cat's skin at the base of the neck (detailed directions and a drawing are provided). Advantage starts working within an hour, and within 12 hours it promises to kill 98-100% of all fleas, flea eggs, larvae, and pupae. The product is water-resistant, so it will continue to protect your pet even after a bath or getting under rain.

It took me less than half a day to have the flea problem solved with Advantage. The product lives up to the promise. I saw almost immediate results: shortly after the application my cats had stopped scratching and looked completely calm and relaxed. They'd been shedding dead fleas for several hours after that, and by the evening there were no traces of flea infestation left.

I highly recommend Advantage to every cat owner. It is a quick and very effective way to keep your pets flea-free. Advantage is available for dogs as well.