# Flea treating - am I doing it wrong?



## Snuggles2012

I use a spot on to flea treat my cat. On the instruction leaflet it shows a diagram of the cat's fur perfecly parted, exposing a long strip of skin to apply the liquid to. In reality, I can never manage to expose anything like this much skin while I'm trying to keep the cat still, part her fur, and hold the pippette.

I have done this many times now with my current cat and my previous cat and every single time, I am sure most of the liquid ends up on her fur rather than her skin. She always ends up with the fur on the back of her neck clumping together where it's got wet. It doesn't do any harm (she can't reach it), but I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time using the treatment as I'm not sure whether I'm getting enough on her skin for it be effective. My cats have never had fleas, so perhaps it's working, or perhaps I've just been lucky.

Is it inevitable that some of the liquid will end up in the fur, or am I doing something wrong?


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## OrientalSlave

Some of it always ends up on their fur, and it gradually spreads through their coat. The only problem I can see if it's all near the end of the fur is maybe it needs the cat's body heat to spread properly. My cats rarely get treated as they don't mingle with other cats, but when I treat them I put the nozzle of the pipette on their skin.

If you are really concerned you could probably arrange for one of the nurses at your vets to show you how, especially if you are using a treatment you have to get from the vets.


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## Jansheff

I used to have the same problem and never managed to improve my technique. Then, despite trying to keep them separated until it had dried off (which was a right pain and they yowled to get back together) my three would obligingly wash it off for each other. It was such a hassle every month to get all three done. 

I gave up and now take them for a six monthly injection at the vet. Much easier and no more costly when you add up the price of six months of pipettes.


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## Snuggles2012

OrientalSlave said:


> Some of it always ends up on their fur, and it gradually spreads through their coat. The only problem I can see if it's all near the end of the fur is maybe it needs the cat's body heat to spread properly. My cats rarely get treated as they don't mingle with other cats, but when I treat them I put the nozzle of the pipette on their skin.
> 
> If you are really concerned you could probably arrange for one of the nurses at your vets to show you how, especially if you are using a treatment you have to get from the vets.


Thank you OrientalSlave, I do put the nozzle of the pipette on her skin, I just find that so much of it seems to seep into her fur - but perhaps that's normal then!

I have thought about asking at the vets to be shown how to do it (I do buy the treatment from them), however when I mentioned this to the receptionist once she looked at me as though I was totally stupid


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## OrientalSlave

I do move the nozzle along as I squeeze, and don't worry what the receptionist seems to think.


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## Snuggles2012

Jansheff said:


> I used to have the same problem and never managed to improve my technique. Then, despite trying to keep them separated until it had dried off (which was a right pain and they yowled to get back together) my three would obligingly wash it off for each other. It was such a hassle every month to get all three done.
> 
> I gave up and now take them for a six monthly injection at the vet. Much easier and no more costly when you add up the price of six months of pipettes.


Thank you! I'm glad it's not just me! Poppy is very good and sits relatively still while I do it (unlike my previous cat who would try to run a mile when I went near her with the pipette), but it still ends up in her fur.

I will enquire about the injection next time I'm at the vets. Do you notice any after effects - are the cats off-colour at all after having the jab?


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## Snuggles2012

OrientalSlave said:


> I do move the nozzle along as I squeeze, and don't worry what the receptionist seems to think.


I think the problem is I can never seem to part the fur in such a way as to expose a line of skin. Her fur seem to be growing in all different directions, so when I try to part it, I can only expose a tiny circle of skin, if you see what I mean, so if I moved the nozzle along, I think I would just be moving it onto her fur.


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## LDK1

Mine end up the same as yours as I find it quite difficult to keep them still long enough to squirt the whole tube in the right spot. It's almost impossible to part the fur like in the diagram with one hand - well, for me anyway! Even if I do get it right on occasion, I still see wet fur.

I just work on the principle that they don't seem to get fleas so I won't worry about it and maybe the less chemicals that are absorbed in general, the better.

In fact, as they are in a lower risk situation (they have a cat run and don't roam), I've just started testing dosing Watson one month and then Rosie the next month (with Advantage) to reduce the amount of chemicals applied to their bodies.


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## Snuggles2012

LDK1 said:


> Mine end up the same as yours as I find it quite difficult to keep them still long enough to squirt the whole tube in the right spot. It's almost impossible to part the fur like in the diagram with one hand - well, for me anyway! Even if I do get it right on occasion, I still see wet fur.
> 
> I just work on the principle that they don't seem to get fleas so I won't worry about it and maybe the less chemicals that are absorbed in general, the better.
> 
> In fact, as they are in a lower risk situation (they have a cat run and don't roam), I've just started testing dosing Watson one month and then Rosie the next month (with Advantage) to reduce the amount of chemicals applied to their bodies.


Thank you! It's reassuring to know that it's not just me, I thought perhaps I was just being a total klutz!


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## Temperance

I've only done it once when we got her last week and had the same problem, se has medium length fur so it just seemed to go on her fur.


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## vivien

I am the same. No matter how you do it it still seeps into the fur. I do mine every 6 weeks as they don't mix with other cats, my garden is cat proofed and I spoke to the vet and she said that was fine, she even said that in winter I could stretch it out to 2 months. I use an all in one advocate 

Viv xx


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## Satori

Lol. I have only done this once and I made a total b*lls of it. Then I saw this video How to Apply Worming and Flea Spot-On Treatments to your Cat by Cat&#39;s Whiskers Vets (Worthing) - YouTube I think the trick is not to try and empty the tube all in one spot.


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## colliemerles

Satori said:


> Lol. I have only done this once and I made a total b*lls of it. Then I saw this video How to Apply Worming and Flea Spot-On Treatments to your Cat by Cat's Whiskers Vets (Worthing) - YouTube I think the trick is not to try and empty the tube all in one spot.


_very good video, very well behaved cat !!! as soon as i put my cats on the table they KNOW and start trying to run away !!!! so i have to try to hold the cat with one hand and put the stuff on with the other and the cat is usually trying its damn hardest to get away, i have even ended up with injuries !!! and the worst bit, ......i have another 5 to do !!!!!!!!:frown:..._


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## Snuggles2012

Satori said:


> Lol. I have only done this once and I made a total b*lls of it. Then I saw this video How to Apply Worming and Flea Spot-On Treatments to your Cat by Cat's Whiskers Vets (Worthing) - YouTube I think the trick is not to try and empty the tube all in one spot.


I've often thought this would be a better way of doing it, but the treatments I've used all say in the instructions that you should apply all the liquid in the same spot. Thinking about it though, surely it would be more effective if the liquid is on the skin in several different spots, rather than a bit on the skin in one spot, and the rest in the fur! But I wonder why the instructions say it has to go in one spot.


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## MoggyBaby

Having mostly long haired cats, I agree it is a nightmare.

I usually 'spot' in three or four different skin patches around the back of the neck area rather than concentrating on one tiny bit. This tends to ensure that most of the liquid will get onto the skin rather than into the fur.

It does seem to work as they never have any fleas. 

HTH


.


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## Paddypaws

Just to confuse the issue....are you all sure that your cats really NEED such frequent application of these powerful chemicals?
Indorex household spray kills adult fleas for 2 weeks and protects against newly hatching fleas for up to 12 months. I try and give my whole house a good spray with this stuff after spring cleaning every year and hardly ever use the spot on treatments. In fact after Wiggins' recent nasty reaction I doubt I will ever use the stuff again!


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## Snuggles2012

Paddypaws said:


> Just to confuse the issue....are you all sure that your cats really NEED such frequent application of these powerful chemicals?
> Indorex household spray kills adult fleas for 2 weeks and protects against newly hatching fleas for up to 12 months. I try and give my whole house a good spray with this stuff after spring cleaning every year and hardly ever use the spot on treatments. In fact after Wiggins' recent nasty reaction I doubt I will ever use the stuff again!


It does concern me Paddypaws, what with flea treatment, worm treatment and annual vaccinations, I do worry about the effects. Rightly or wrongly I only tend to flea treat over the summer months as I believe fleas are more prevalent then. My cat is very sociable and plays with several of the neighbours' cats so I reluctantly flea treat at this time of year. I will look into the spray as an alternative though, thank you for the tip.


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## Jansheff

Snuggles2012 said:


> I will enquire about the injection next time I'm at the vets. Do you notice any after effects - are the cats off-colour at all after having the jab?


No reaction whatsoever from any of my three. They have one jab along with their annual vaccination, the other one six months later.

One of my cats goes out, otherwise I wouldn't bother either, except when they've been in the Cattery. But my Burmese are not content snuggling on the bed, but have to burrow down it. When my son was younger he had some big itchy bites, we looked down his bed covers and found a great fat flea, so I've been very thorough about getting flea treatments done ever since.


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## Paddypaws

Snuggles2012 said:


> It does concern me Paddypaws, what with flea treatment, worm treatment and annual vaccinations, I do worry about the effects. Rightly or wrongly I only tend to flea treat over the summer months as I believe fleas are more prevalent then. My cat is very sociable and plays with several of the neighbours' cats so I reluctantly flea treat at this time of year. I will look into the spray as an alternative though, thank you for the tip.


Veterinary Laboratory, Tests For Companion & Exotic Animals
Why not get a stool sample checked once a year to see IF they do actually have worms instead of using the worming tablets all the time?
As for annual vaccinations, well I know it is tricky if you show or use catteries but again, I do think they are over used.


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## KathinUK

LDK1 said:


> ......
> I just work on the principle that they don't seem to get fleas so I won't worry about it and maybe the less chemicals that are absorbed in general, the better.
> 
> In fact, as they are in a lower risk situation (they have a cat run and don't roam), I've just started testing dosing Watson one month and then Rosie the next month (with Advantage) to reduce the amount of chemicals applied to their bodies.


To be honest I rarely use flea killers ... or any chemicals for that matter ... cos we very very rarely get fleas.

When I had the two kitties they would perhaps once every second or third summer need to SHARE a small vial of Advantage and it did the trick coupled with occasional combing. And these were both indoor/ourdoor cats.

Sometimes I think promoting the monthly application is just a ruse from the vets to sell more stuff to pet lovers who may feel guilty otherwise.

JMO
Kath


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## Paddypaws

I was delighted to read this on the nutriment.co web site as it backs up my own belief....based on advice I was given by an Holistic vet many years ago

_/If your cat or dog has a severe flea problem, it is often a signal that their health is not as it should be. Many commercial pet foods are nutritionally inadequate and contain harmful additives and by-products. A fresh, whole, raw food such as Nutriment is vital because it provides digestive enzymes and vitamins that can be destroyed by cooking. By feeding your animals a high-quality, natural diet, free of additives and preservatives, you improve their health and dramatically increase their protection from fleas. A healthy animal does not taste or smell as good to fleas.
_
This article is very interesting as it explains some of the risks to humans and children in particular from these flea killing chemicals
NRDC: Poisons on Pets


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## misskate

I know this is an old thread, but it was just such a relief to read! Giving the monthly flea treatments to my cats is a total mare. They hate getting the treatment, I have to hold them between his knees and shut the three of us up in the kitchen (fewer places to hide, unless they go behind the appliances). And one of them has developed exorcist like abilities and can lick between his shoulder blades, so I've moved it higher up on his neck.
Thanks for lessening the feeling of isolation and giving me a smile in the morning.


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## ForeverHome

My old cats from a previous relationship go out, especially Henry who actually leaves the garden unlike the girls. They get treated as and when Purdy's allergic reaction begins, which has been twice since I moved out 4 years ago. Henry has always been fine but he gets a dose too because he must be the one bringing the little visitors home!

All this to say, if yours are getting a treatment regularly, even if some of it is lost, my personal opinion is there's no need to get overly paranoid about it. 

I could bring home a flea when I go to see them but never have done yet, I'd know immediately with Bobby's coat!

Bobby and Molly are indoor and we'll deal with a flea if one crops up.


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## LDK1

I've now dropped giving my two flea treatment altogether, but keep some Advantage in the cupboard just in case a future problem does arise.


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