Fleas!!!

Has anyone tried the flea repellent called, "Revolution?" We have always used Frontline D on our cats and dogs, but for the last few seasons, it simply hasn't worked. It's so expensive, and I'm tired of wasting money on it. A friend recommended Revolution to me. It's slightly less expensive and he swears by it. Anyone know anything about it?

 

I haven't tried it yet, but since yours has stopped working, then you should give it a try. Fleas get more and more resistant to the same poisons generation after generation, just like germs do with antibiotics. You should always continue the treatment until you are 100% sure all the fleas are dead. Just to make sure the same thing won't happen, because if you end it too soon the surviving fleas might reproduce and pass certain immunity to the next generation of fleas.

 

Ok,
so this is a weird reply to a flea issue in cats, but bear with me. We are fighting Japanese beetle infestation where I live (Idaho) and during my research I found out that there is a biological predatory nematode (Heterorhabditis biophora) that goes after all kinds of insect larvae in your yard. Do some research on the Web, this nematode goes after flea larva, iris bores, etc. You can buy it commercially and apply it by spraying a water solution.

 

I wondered if the fleas might be resistant to the chemicals in Frontline, just like bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics! The problem with flea treatments is that there is no "continuing the treatment until all the fleas are dead." It's a once a month treatment, and it can't be used any more often than that. It used to kill them almost instantly. I guess it is time to try a whole new medicine.

 

That's a bummer! We've always used Frontline, too, and it's been fine so far. Then again, the areas we've lived in haven't had many issues in the way of fleas... Apparently that's not the case where we've just moved (lots and lots of pets, lots and lots of strays), so hopefully Frontline will still do the trick. Would you please keep us updated on any new medicines you try? I wouldn't mind switching to something cheaper anyway, as long as it works.

 

I use Revolution for my cat and it does wonders. The only problem that you may start to have is that the fleas may not be on your cat anymore, but now they are hidden within the carpets and clothing. I would recommend starting Revolution AND taking the time to bomb your home. Fleas don't go away once off the cat, they wait for that one moment when you mess up on your medication or when it's an extremely hot day.

What my family and I did was we bombed the house and took our cat to a groomer who specializes in removing fleas. After the groomer was done, they would give our cat Revolution. Since then, we've been flea-free and still using the product. I do agree with @Trellum regarding fleas being resistant to medication after awhile. I would buy 2-3 months in advance and see what happens because buying months in advance is a waste of money; especially if the fleas begin to resist the medication. We used to use Frontline before for about a year to 1.5 years and just recently used Revolution thereafter and it's been about 8 months. So it's up to you of how you want to go about the product!

 

Thanks Bloomsie, that's good advice. I will treat our house and furniture when I use the revolution. Somebody told me we also need to treat the yard with 7Dust, since they're indoor/outdoor cats I hope it works.

 

That sounds like a good plan, I was starting to get a little bit worried about that Glad to have you around to save the day, hehehe! I'll try doing that. I've a dog and a cat, so I better stay sharp

 

Oh, I hear you! You have to get rid of all those fleas hiding in the house, too. We just went through this ordeal a couple of months ago, I would have thought, we would not get fleas, since our cats our indoors, But they likes to hangout downstairs by our front door and garage door.

Anyways, this last time, we could just not seem to get rid of the flea problem! So, I am, also on board with the change from Frontline to Revolution. Frontline was just not working! I wonder, if it is a build up of resistance or they changed the formula?

 

@icekat If your cat is an outdoor and indoor cat, I would stay away from using products on your lawn. Even though it's a good product that can be safe your for pet, I wouldn't risk using it in case of allergens. Fleas will go away with proper cleaning regimes and keeping up with the medicine. Outside will always have bugs of all kinds, there's never stopping that.

@Trellum Good luck! When fleas started taking over our home, we had five cats and one dog. It was a nightmare! But it worked out as time progressed. As I mentioned to icekat, the more you keep up with your cleaning routines, grooming and medicine, the better your outcome.

@Herman&Eddie Looks like you posted exactly the same time I did! Those are the worst -- when the last thing you think about is fleas because you have indoor pets, but it's totally true, the garage and outside doors carry the most insects, including fleas!

Sometimes I feel like flea problems are never-ending because we still have fleas here and there, but we are still proactively eliminating them when we can by vacuuming every other day, flea-bombing every other room, and so forth. What makes my home worse is that we happen to have a green-house that plays as an extra room to the entirety of the home. It's basically our entertainment center and where my cat, Wolfy, goes to do his business. Well, I go and clean his litter box yesterday morning and a flea jumped right on hand and I was astonished: it had wings! I wonder if it's a "female" or advanced form of fleas, but one things for sure, it hasn't gotten to Wolfy which means Revolution is working, but fleas definitely wait until they are resistant... That's for sure.