4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[v8landy]

Hi

 

We regularly treat our cat with either bob martin spot on or the front line spot on, but this evening we have noticed concentrated around his ears what we believe to be fleas. These where not there yesterday.

 

He was only treated 2 weeks ago with bob martin.

 

Is bob martin no good?

 

I am planning to go to the pet shop tomorrow and ask their advice, my thought was a spray to spray the cat for the visible ones and then either bob martin again or front line.

 

Also something to treat the whole house, (spray of fogger)

 

Thanks

[Lesley]

We only have semi-feral farm cats so can't help with a product, but if you think that you can see flea dirt you can brush it onto damp kitchen paper - if it is flea dirt it will mark the paper red if it is just garden soil it won't.

[v8landy]

I dont think I need to search for dirt, there things are moving on him!

 

 

He goes for weeks with nothing and then over night (like now) he turns up and there are like 20 of there things all focus around his hears, no where else even parting the fur.

[Lewis]

The vets at w/e always say use frontline - Bob Martin is a supermarkety brand so in their opinion, not the best to use.

[Groovychook]

Sounds to me like they might be rabbit mites.

One of our cats is a prize rabbit hunter and her poor ears get covered in them in the spring...

 

I tend to pick them off & squidge them and then treat with a cream we got from the vets- the name of which escapes me!

[v8landy]

The vets at w/e always say use frontline - Bob Martin is a supermarkety brand so in their opinion, not the best to use.

 

Or my sincial view is the vets get a better mark-up by selling frontline?

 

I am also going to phone Bob Martin tommorow and ask their opions, you (your vet) calls it a supermarket brand, but they must have to meet X Y and Z / trade description acts?

 

 

 

But that still does not answer why yesterday he had none and today his ears are covered.

 

He is a hunter, and often rabbits brought back etc (you should see him trying to drag a rabbit through the cat flap).

 

 

I guess even the best treatment, if a flea jumps on him, it can still be carried into the house?

[v8landy]

Sounds to me like they might be rabbit mites.

One of our cats is a prize rabbit hunter and her poor ears get covered in them in the spring...

 

!

 

SNAP, sounds spot on what he has got.

 

Will get the tweezers out and try and squash them, but he has now gone off out side in a huff after we have been proding and poking him trying to look at these things.

[Groovychook]

Yes- they're horrible things!

 

Their ears can get really sore if they get badly infested and I'm not sure that normal flea treatments do the job...

Might be worth getting something from the vets.

 

Poor thing though... I bet he's really grumpy!

[Lewis]

The vets at w/e always say use frontline - Bob Martin is a supermarkety brand so in their opinion, not the best to use.

Or my sincial view is the vets get a better mark-up by selling frontline?

 

I am also going to phone Bob Martin tommorow and ask their opions, you (your vet) calls it a supermarket brand, but they must have to meet X Y and Z / trade description acts?

I was on work experience with them so wasn't trying to be sold to but could be - you can buy it online with a prescription and from other places, like Boots.

 

'Supermarkety' as in anyone can get it off the shelf and use it, whereas most types of frontline need a prescription (as far as I'm aware).

Not sure what you mean about trade descriptions - its most likely sold as less concentrated or with different active ingredients so they aren't doing anything wrong

[v8landy]

Quick update.

 

This morning he turned up, so I pinned him down wrapped in a towel, with tweezers in the other hand.

 

A bit of hissing and wriggling, but 10 mins later all of the things where off his ears. About 20 -30 in total.

 

He instantly seamed much happier despite the molesting.

 

He even started to pur as the last few where taken off, I think he realised what was happening.

 

A trip to the pet shop for some spray on stuff, and another check tonight, and I feel this is caught.

 

Like has been said, ANy of the flea treatments do not stop them picking up fleas, so given he did not have them the day before, he must have picked them up sticking his head down rabbit holes.

 

Thanks all

[The Dogmother]

Bless him!

 

One of mine is a veteran hunter and picks up rabbit fleas and a whole host of other things if I don't keep him treated - he gets Frontline Combo drops (stop the fleas from hopping off and multiplying in yer household) and a collar to deter and kill any cheeky critters which hop on for a ride.

 

Provided I remember to keep it up (especially now that it is getting warmer) he remains flea-free. I tried 'supermarkety' products in the first instance, but while they seemed to have a slight deterrent effect, they weren't as efficient as the combination I use now. It works for my wee man, so hopefully it might for yours.

 

Good luck with your little hunter

[v8landy]

Its all getting confusing now!

 

I phoned Bob Martin this morning, and they clarified to me that their spot on is just a replant, i.e it does not kill.

 

They have a new combined product out, but I have not seen it.

 

Pets at home, do sell front line, but my vet (who I have just also phoned) says even though P@H claim they are selling a vet strength product it is still not the combie product that they sell.

 

Vets 3 pack £18, 6 pack £31.

 

And then I also asked about the program inject, which is about £30, but that only stopped thm laying.

 

Also vet questioned are they fleas as I said I had picked them of with tweezers

 

(well I say vet, it was the woman on the phone)

 

Think best to take him to vets?

[The Dogmother]

I think I might be able to help with this... strictly from experience, you understand.

 

Frontline Combo is currently only available on prescription from your vet, if you use that, you won't need to give the Program jabs/drops as it does the same thing - renders the fleas sterile so they can't breed on yer puss or in the house.

 

Generally speaking, shops will sell prevenatatives only, expect for some (like Pests at Home) who have a licence to sell the basic Frontline, which is why it is in a locked cabinet.

 

As you picked them off his ears, I am wondering if puss picked up some ticks rather than fleas....? I've never known any flea stop still long enough to be tweezed off!

[Chucky Mama]

The only Bob Martin flea spot on that is any good is Bob Martin Double Action Spot on which is actually the same as Advantage which is a veterinary prescription spot on. It is fairly new and it will kill fleas and prevent their eggs hatching in the house. Frontline spot on will kill fleas when the bite the animal and will do so for up to 5 weeks. To treat flea infestations properly when using standard frontline, you must also treat the house with a suitable spray such as Acclaim, Skoosh or RIP Fleas. By not doing this the life cycle will not be broken. You should also treat for tapeworm as the flea is the intermediate host.

[v8landy]

.

 

As you picked them off his ears, I am wondering if puss picked up some ticks rather than fleas....? I've never known any flea stop still long enough to be tweezed off!

 

I am 100% sure they are not ticks.

 

They looked like fleas, but as I said, they "ran" more than jumped??? And where just concentrated on the outside of his ears. Def not ear mites as the web says they are microscopic.

 

I am not saying that picking them off with the tweezers was easy, they where quite fast, but I have a good eye and hand!

 

I am going with the vet frontline combo drops 6 tubes for £30

[Chucky Mama]

I am 100% sure they are not ticks.

 

They looked like fleas, but as I said, they "ran" more than jumped??? And where just concentrated on the outside of his ears. Def not ear mites as the web says they are microscopic.

They are not ticks or ear mites.

 

It sounds like your cat has picked up some rabbit fleas from a dead rabbit. They wont be able to survive on your cat as they are host specific. I would flick them off and continue to treat for cat fleas as normal.

[Cinnamon]

Yep,Frountline Combo is the only way to go.

 

I do the Chill Puss once a month with these, & the only time he has had a flea was when he went AWOL for a fortnight & missed his dose day.

I actually did pick them off & chuck them into the log burner,then gave him his drops. He also wears a collar,regularly changed, for added prevention.

 

good luck with it - just thinking about Fleas makes me itch

[The Dogmother]

Glad to hear they're not ticks - that's a whole other topic!

 

Frontline Combo, or a similar dual action product is deffo the way to go.

 

I used to dab Biscuit's ears with surgical spirit when he picked up rabbit fleas - they didn't like that one bit!

[v8landy]

I am 100% sure they are not ticks.

 

They looked like fleas, but as I said, they "ran" more than jumped??? And where just concentrated on the outside of his ears. Def not ear mites as the web says they are microscopic.

They are not ticks or ear mites.

 

It sounds like your cat has picked up some rabbit fleas from a dead rabbit. They wont be able to survive on your cat as they are host specific. I would flick them off and continue to treat for cat fleas as normal.

 

Thats good news.

 

When you say host specific, does that mean they are less likely to be an infestation in the house?

 

And also when you susgest treating for cat fleas as normal, would you class Frontline as being "normal"?

[Chucky Mama]

no they shouldn't be a problem in the house. Rabbit fleas need a rabbit to feed off to survive. Standard Frontline is adequate (don't need to go the the vets for it) but I would still advise a household spray if you haven't used one recently. Skoosh is pesticide free if you don't want to use pesticide based sprays in the house.

[BarbaraJ]

Maybe they were head lice sorry remember them well

 

i found the only thing worked on my cats were frontline from the vets and their spray was good (when they didn't do the combi) for the house. Supermarket brands didn't work on mine!

[foreveryoung]

advertix is good stuff, have you tried that??

Edited March 19, 2010 by Guest

[Gem_Seb]

MAke sure you are buying frontline full strength, we started buying it from pets at home as it was cheaper but then ours caught fleas! wse went to the vets and they said they dont actually reccommend frontline anymore as the fleas are becoming immune to it, they sold me advocat. We put it on both of them and you could see the fleas jumping off them! we did treat our house with RIP fleas but the advocat also treats the house from the shedding skin from the cats, its just a longer process!

[Olly]

Can I just add that when I got a really bad infestation in the house, I had to get the Council to come and treat it. I just found that proprietary sprays were not tackling the problem, it was well worth it to get their chap round, one spray and it was over.

 

It was a lesson to me not to economise on flea-treatment and to do it regularly, once they get into your carpets it's very hard to get rid of them.

[Daphne]

We've used Frontline drops on our mogs for years with no problems. I'd never use anything else. However, our vet has started recommending Stronghold because apparently Frontline is becoming less effective (fleas/other nasties are becoming more resistant I guess this means). From memory, Stronghold is also a wormer.