My cat has fleas and I treated him with Frontline Plus, but he's still miserable. Help, please.?

Question

I treated him with Frontline Plus three days ago. I found a live flea on him today and he's still scratching like crazy, practically not even being able to move without having to stop and l**k or scratch. He has thick hair, so I'm slightly (only slightly) concerned that I didn't get the treatment on his skin when I applied it. He's never acted like this before and seems to be miserable. Should I treat him again? Is it normal for an infestation to continue to cause misery for several days after an application?

Answer 1

Bug bomb your house.  You and your pets have to leave the premises during the treatment, but according to my sister, it kills all of the fleas.

For the cat, you need to give him a bath.  Use baby shampoo or Ivory dishwashing soap.  The soaps are a petroleum product and they will kill the fleas.  The best way to give a cat a bath is to do it in the tub.  Fill the tub with water a tiny bit warmer than lukewarm (cats can't take the heat) and turn the water off.  Bring the kitty in the bathroom then and easy him down into the water.  Use a cup to rinse him.  Running water makes them frantic.  Pick through his fur as you dry him and get any remaining fleas off.

I also recommend switching to Revolution.  It works so much better than Frontline.

Answer 2

Hi - I have the same issue with my cats.  If it's a really bad infestation, I take them to the groomer for a bath and flea dip, and then I give them the Frontline.  It seems to help knock down the itching, and it gets rid of all that gross dried bloody flea "dirt" in their fur, poor things.

Answer 3

No, don't treat him again.

Wash all his bedding and vacuum.  He's probably picking up new fleas.  After you've done that if they are still swarming him call the vet and ask for advice.  

If the medicine did get on him and he's just being constantly re-infested then applying it again would be a major over-dose.  Give it a bit more time.  While you wait you could probably bathe him in plain Dawn dishsoap (I don't have it with me to check but I think you can give a bath 48 hours after applying Frontline).  No more harsh flea killers, including shampoos.  But Dawn is probably alright for one bath.  We did that with a kitten who was infested with fleas but too young for chemicals.  Most of his fleas died and some ran to his face (ick!) where I picked them off and drown them.  That seemed to give him a lot of relief.  You could also use a flea comb on him.  It may take awhile, but it's much better than overdosing him on flea poison or watching him suffer.

good luck!

Answer 4

IF YOUR HOUSE / cat HAS FLEAS….

I have a NATURAL remedy for getting rid of fleas in your house.

Go to the Store and buy some 20 Mule Team BORAX.

Then sprinkle it all over. Carpets, couch, bedding, pillows, pet beds, car, even wood floors. (NOT ON YOUR PET!)

THEN VACCUME IT UP.

What Boax does is coats the eggs ... The eggs hatch deformed or unable to reproduce.

You will have to do this 2 or 3x about a week apart in order to get all the egg cycles.

FOR YOUR PET. Use the flea killer that is on the market or use a flea comb (this is also a head lice comb) especially for kittens or puppys who are too young to have insecticide put on them.

Kill the fleas that you find on the comb with soap or alcohol

Answer 5

you should buy a tatty comb and comb em out~]

Answer 6

if your animal is that miserable, you need to take them to the vet. They can give em a pill that will kill the fleas in almost minutes... Also, can offer you alternatives to dealing with the ones infesting your house.

Washing you animal in Dawn dish soap actually kills fleas... you have to get them all down the drain, or when they dry out, they will just come back to life, eventually.. don't need more of those buggers jumping around the house.. lol but it does well to get rid of the eggs. You have to use conditioner on them, though, or their skin will dry out.

With short carpet (if that's what you have) taking some flea shampoo (and I mean a very little bit) and mixing it with water, in a spray bottle. Spray everything! (Use a large spray bottle). OR doing the same thing, only with some of the frontline (this actually does work) Vacuuming EVERYDAY also helps, and washing their bedding in actual flea shampoo... (carefull how much you use in the wash, otherwise you'll have a house full of suds... )  

Answer 7

Frontline should kill all fleas on your cat within 24 hours. Those new fleas you are finding on him are coming from your home. If you have other pets, they need to be treated as well. You need to treat your house. Wash all bedding in hot water. Go to the vet and ask for a product called Knockout spray. Most vets carry it. That's going to work better than anything you can make at home or buy from a petstore. It works in the home for up to 7 months after you use it. Don't flea dip the cat. It's not going to help. The Frontline is doing its job, but new fleas are going to keep jumping on the cat until they are gone from the home. As long as it's been 24 hours since you applied the Frontline, it's ok to bathe him, but just use a normal shampoo (for cats). You can try a soothing oatmeal type of shampoo to help out his skin. And as far as people saying Frontline doesn't work as well as Revolution and all the other products...it works fine. I've never seen a single animal at my work where Frontline hasn't worked. If there is ever a case of an animal still having fleas, it's always due to an infestation in the home.