How often should i be worming & defleaing a couple of indoor cats?

[kp76]

To be honest i can't really see where my cats would come into contact with fleas. No other animals come into my house so unless they travel in on me or a visitor then i would have thought the chances of having fleas would be minimal.

[Gillian Harvey]

The only problem with Gillian's advice is that if you wait till you see fleas on a cat, they are in your house too, as for every flea you see, there are tons (I forget the actual number) more on the floor, sofas, beds, curtains etc. Some vets do charge for prescriptions now.

As long as you keep on top of the house spray (and that only needs doing twice a year - some, only once a year) - thats preferable to putting toxic chemicals on a cat every month. I think its highly unlikely that indoor cats will become infested with fleas anyway. Even my cats, who go outside, don't get fleas - the only time they did is when Baby the new girl, arrived last month. So I treated all of them with spot on Promeris, sprayed the house and after a few days - no more fleas.

[kp76]

I think the best thing is probably ring the vets i rehomed them from. They are an expensive vets so i'm guessing they would charge but the only way i'll find out is to call them & see what they say/recommend.

[Desley (booktigger)]

The only problem with Gillian's advice is that if you wait till you see fleas on a cat, they are in your house too, as for every flea you see, there are tons (I forget the actual number) more on the floor, sofas, beds, curtains etc. Some vets do charge for prescriptions now.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

The vets should give you a free of charge prescription then you can order online or you may want to buy the stuff from your vets. I would imagine they would need to see the cats first before issuing a prescription but it probably depends on the individual vet.
Don't worry at all about asking questions- that's what the forum's all about and we all ask things from time to time

[kp76]

So i'm guessing the best thing to do is to speak to a vet about getting a prescription for both a flea & worming treatment or the advocate combined treatment. Will i have to pay for the prescription? Will the vet need to see both cats before they give out a prescription? Sorry i'm a bit naive when it comes to vets & their fees, these are the first cats i've owned on my own.

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

The Milbemax offer is also at my vets so likely to be a national thing. Frontline is available online and also from Pets at Home, as is drontal.
The other alternative is Advocate which is a spot on that does fleas and worms. It is the top product at the moment and having spoken to the vets at CP HQ, it is highly recommmended. It's like most spot ons- once a month application and covers worms as well but you will need to give your cat a milbemax or similar once a year to do tapeworm too.

I currently use Frontline combo (The normal one you buy online or at PAH only kills the fleas, not the eggs) as it gives complete cover, once a month along with MIlbemax once every 3 months. (That's now the cats are all over 6 months old, it should be given once a month to kittens under that age) but as soon as the boys all reach 4kg, I will be able to use the same strength advocate on all of them and will be switching as it definately seems to be an excellent product. I look forward to not having the regular stress of the worming tablets as well!

[Gillian Harvey]

I've never had a problem with Drontal. I usually break the tablet in half and give half at a time (usually with a lump of cheddar cheese moulded round it LOL! ) works a treat! drontal covers all worms and you can get it from Vetuk online.

I've recently used Promeris for a spot on flea treatment and have been pleased with it.

With regards to frequency, I never routinely treat for worms or fleas, I don't think its good to keep applying all these chemicals with the frequency that is often recommended (and its been found that frontline isnt as effective due to fleas developing a resistance because of overuse) It is only necessary to treat for fleas if you actually see evidence of fleas (and then of course use a worm treatment tood), make sure you use a veterinary spray for the house (which is only necessary once or twice a year).

[Desley (booktigger)]

Milbemax is also a prescription only item, i think the offer Mark mentioned is at a vets, but mine have never mentioned it, and they know I have multiple cats, so not sure it is done everywhere. I have never used Advantage, so not sure if it is flea only, or if it is similar to STronghold which does some worming and ear mites. Frontline can be used for de-fleaing, and is available online without a prescription - i recently paid £16 for a 6 month supply, and I think at the vets it would be over £20, although I dont know how much these days as I dont buy from them.

[kp76]

Mark can i get Milbemax online? You mention you get 4 for 3. Where do you get your supply from?
Desley if Advantage is a prescription only item what can i use as an alternative?

[Mark]

I agree re Drontal. The pill is big and you have to be good at pilling to get it down them. It is very bitter and makes them foam at the mouth if they get it on their tongue. Milbemax are smaller and coated with beef flavour - a lot of cats will eat them as a treat (not mine though!) - or easily hidden in a piece of ham or chicken. As its only 4 times a year, I don't mind paying £4 each for them (you can get them 4 for the price of 3 )

[Desley (booktigger)]

Drontal is cheaper online, but I dont like it, the tablets are very large and hard to get down them - even my vet couldnt worm my latest foster with it, and they dont actually stock it. I think Advantage is a prescription item though.

[kp76]

Thanks for the info, it's very helpful. On the info i got with them from the vets it says they were both given Advantage & Drontal on the 17/11/08. I'm assuming Drontal must be the wormer the vet prefers to use. Are there any tips on where to get these products cheaply or do i have to pay vets prices?

[clarenmax]

My boy is indoor only, in the Summer like Mark I flea every month and worm every 2-3, in the Winter I only flea every 3 months or so, and to be honest, I've not wormed for a while, but will probably do that in Jan.

For fleas I use Advantage, and for worming he won't take the tablet wormer, so I use a spot-on one, but can't for the life of me remember what its called 

[Mark]

I do flea treatments once a month in warmer weather and 6-8 weeks in the winter.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

the following should help:  http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4781.0.html

The best products are the ones available from your vet ... please DO NOT use the products you can buy from supermarkets.

Regarding the frequency:   Flea treatment every 1 - 2 months and worm every 3 - 4 months.   http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,19466.0.html

[kp76]

Hi, does anyone know how often i should be worming & defleaing my pair of indoor cats? Also what should i be using & where do i get it from?