I have a kitten medication question?

Question

I have 2 kittens that are 4 months old. I took them to the vet for a checkup and they were given a product called revolution. It is a topical liquid that prevents ticks,fleas, heartworm, parasites and earmites. The vet told me I need to give this to them monthly as a preventative. It's about 40.00 for a 3month supply. So not trying to sound cheap or uncaring, but that can get expensive with 2 kittens.( I have 3 children also) When I got the kittens, my friend who has 4 cats said she never takes them to the vet and they are fine. ( they are exclusively indoor cats and so are mine) My hubby had cats growing up and except for a flea collar they never gave their cats any type of preventative medication and they were fine. So what I'm asking is do I REALLY need to give this product to them EVERY month? Could I just give it to them seasonally? Maybe during the spring and summer months when mosquitos and bugs are at their greatest? I want to take the best care of them but when you live paycheck to paycheck it can be hard to decide what to do with that little bit of left over money. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

A lot of times vets are just trying to get you to buy the product. If they are selectively indoor cats, I would recommend just a flea collar. Those are about 5 dollars and need to be replaced once a year.

Answer 2

There's a product that I used and purchased at a local store for very cheap. It's called advantage. You put this on the cats neck and no more fleas for years. I haven't seen my cat scratch itself since I put this on. You might also try purchasing a spray just in case you have fleas in the house. It's called syphotrol II. Spray around the house wherever your cats go. Leaving your cats in another room. Then vaccuum it up after 5 minutes. This spray gets rid of any signs of fleas and ticks around the house carpets.

Answer 3

Understandable, really.

First off, where do you live? Some areas have heavy insect problems year round and could require prevention accordingly, other areas would allow you to do the seasonal thing.

Being that they are indoor cats your risk is a lot smaller, but there still is a risk, especially where fleas are concerned. Please be aware of that. I do know plenty of indoor pets that have never been on any type of parasite prevention and did just fine all their life(just ignore the rude remarks you are going to harvest in here by some).

One thing I would ask you though, please, please have your kittens spayed/neutered just as soon as they're old enough to do so. That, in combination with annual vaccinations and worm checks, is so much more vital to your cats well being and life expectancy than the flea and tick prevention may be.

Here's what kind of shots they'll need:

http://www.caringtogether.com/cats/catva...

Your local SPCA or Humane society may be able to help defray the cost of that a little bit.

Good luck to you

Answer 4

I also buy a monthly supply of flea med for my cats, but mines only like $6 bucks for 3 months at Wal-Mart, and it still works good.  I also never take my cats to the vet, actually my eight year old cat has never gone and she is healthy.  Good food, self-grooming, attention, getting them fixed is a must because you don't want spraying, or consistent meowing to get outside when in heat, and then getting exposed to fleas and everything else on your list.  Helps also if your house is  clean environment for them... I shouldn't think you should need to spend so much on them.  I spend about a totally of $30 bucks for kitty litter, and food every month for 2 cats.  

Good Luck!

Answer 5

if they are inside cats why would you need all that protection? I dont put anything for fleas on my indoor cats at all and they dont have any of the fleas, ticks, etc that you mentioned....and if they are 4months old and they are outdoor cats you should find them a home that they can be indoors...there are too many bad things that can happen to cats outside let alone kittens...and please never use flea collars on your cats because they are the most terrible thing you can put on your cat especially if they are Hartz brand never use Hartz brand anything they are pure poision

Answer 6

You need to use flea medication IF the cats have fleas. Fleas can cause a number of serious illnesses if not treated. On the other hand, it is not recommended that you use any medications needlessly, as most medications have some side effects. So, if your cats are strictly indoors and you don't see any fleas, you should NOT medicate them as a preventive.

I have had 3 cats. The first never went to the vets her entire life (except at the end) and live to be 21 without ever being sick. Our second cat was adopted at 12 and I estimate we made about 60 vet trips over the next 5 years until she died.

So, no, you should not medicate when it is not required, but if an animal is sick, you need to give it medical attention.

BTW, you should never use flea collars or cheap medications from the supermarket or attempt to diagnose illnesses on your own or give human medications to cats, as many of them are inappropriate or even dangerous. Always go to the vets for a diagnosis first.

Answer 7

During the summer months we can bring fleas and things in on our shoes and clothes, so even indoor cats are at risk for fleas.  But if you keep your cats strictly indoors, then it would be safe to just treat them seasonally.  One of my cats has severe mite allergies so she gets Revolution year round, but the others get treated from April through October only.  This time of year, also, Revolution generally has a special of buy 6 and get one free.  This is a larger outlay of money, but more economical in the long run as any extra you could save for next year.  Talk to your vet about that (I just bought 7 of them last night when I was at the vet).  

Answer 8

you should use frontline flee medicine. its like 15 bucks for one application that lasts a month. its what i use on my kitten.