Flea treatment recommendations?

We've been using Frontline Combo on the big cat for about 3 years, in combination with regular combing and it had been working fine.  It just doesn't seem to be cutting it this year though.  I'm annoyed that I'm spending £40 every 3 months for the 2 cats and we are still having flea issues.

Can anyone recommend another brand or treatment method? 

I was just looking into this the other day.

Advantage is the only other option I have confidence in (so far) - but it's only available by prescription. 

Apparently, there are oral tablets but they need to be administered very frequently.

Sorry, but that's all I have so far...

We haven't had flea issues, but our monster cat has a mite allergy and Stronghold (sold as Revolution in the US) has really been a big help.  Apparently it knocks out a wider spectrum of pests than Frontline, but is still good for fleas.

The beast in question is a 22lb cat, so he gets a regular cat dose plus a kitten dose, and I know it's less than £50 every 3 months.  I am pretty sure it's prescription-only.

Capstar is the US name of the oral tablets.  They start killing the fleas within 20 minutes and give 24 hours of protection.  Most people will not use this as their sole means of flea control, because it's around $30 for 6 pills. 

I have had a lot of success using Revolution on my cats, guinea pigs and rabbits.  My vet does not recommend Frontline for cats.  In my area of Texas, it seems to be very ineffective.

if you have family in the us that would be willing to send it to you, there's a product from fleabusters.  works, pretty much, right away and continues to keep fleas away for AGES.   it's a powder though, so i'm not sure how much you'd like that with a little one around.  there's, also, a shampoo.   just a suggestion.

http://www.fleabuster.com/index.html

We've been using Frontline Combo on the big cat for about 3 years, in combination with regular combing and it had been working fine.  It just doesn't seem to be cutting it this year though.  I'm annoyed that I'm spending £40 every 3 months for the 2 cats and we are still having flea issues.

Can anyone recommend another brand or treatment method? 

Personally I'm a big fan of Stronghold (Revolution in the States). As with any flea product though, you need to be strict about its application (if you keep track of which day of the month you give it and apply it the same day every month it's usually easier to remember). Honestly though, when flea products "fail" it is usually* user-error! (I don't say this to be snarky, I know from personal experience!! I have a flea-allergic cat, and when I don't apply Revolution very strictly she starts to relapse...and then I kick myself because I remember I forgot it one month :-/).

*there is lots of controversy in the veterinary world over flea "resistance" to certain products. It is *really* hard to make a determination about that because like I said, sometimes people aren't always forthcoming about whether they have really been applying the product as they are supposed to! I hear less complaints in general about Revolution though!

Good luck!

Thanks.  I'll look into Advantage and Stronghold and in the meantime I'll keep hoovering and combing them.  (Just treated them with the Frontline about a week ago)

We've been using Frontline on our dog, but he still seems to get them on his feet/legs when he's been out running through the long grass.  So, we think he picks up 'passengers' that don't necessarily settle in, but are annoying him none the less.

Would something like these oral tablets work better than the Frontline, or is it just something we're going to have to put up with, living out in the country with so many other critters around?

We've been using Frontline on our dog, but he still seems to get them on his feet/legs when he's been out running through the long grass.  So, we think he picks up 'passengers' that don't necessarily settle in, but are annoying him none the less.

Would something like these oral tablets work better than the Frontline, or is it just something we're going to have to put up with, living out in the country with so many other critters around?

You are absolutely right - in the flea life cycle, adult fleas live on a host (your dog!) and have to take a blood meal before they can reproduce. When they do, they produce eggs which fall off your dog and develop in the environment. The eggs hatch into larvae who like to live in dark, warm spots (in carpeted areas under couches and beds are favorite spots!) and feed off of the feces or flea dirt that comes from the fleas living on the nearby host (it falls off into the environment).  These larvae pupate - creating their cocoon out of bits of fiber and lint found in their surroundings (this is the hardest stage to kill) they then emerge as adults! Just waaaiting for something big and warm (they are attracted by CO2 production, warmth, changes in light intensity) to walk by so they can jump on and start the cycle all over again!

Certain fleas prefer different hosts - so although the common cat flea (ctenocephalides felis) may jump on you if you walk around an infested area, they don't usually bite or stay on very long. Interestingly, the fleas found on dogs and cats are both generally the cat flea - the dog flea is less common.

Anyway, I am getting a bit rambly...

To get to the point - most flea preventatives work by killing the adult flea after it takes a blood meal. In other words, they have to bite the animal in order for the product to be effective. That means that using things like Frontline and Revolution (Stronghold) won't stop you from seeing fleas on your dog/cat.

There is a product that has repellent activity in the US - it's called Advantix (I really need to look into whether it exists here in the UK!!) it has something in it called Permethrin (this is the agent which repels fleas) which is TOXIC to cats so don't use it if you have a cat in the house especially if they associate with the dog closely (some people will tell you that as long as they don't associate closely you'll be fine but I would rather be safe, I guess it is a matter of weighing up the risks)!

So long story short - yes, you will probably have to battle with passenger fleas if you are walking your dog through an infested area...but if you are applying Frontline or Revolution strictly it shouldn't turn into a problem or infest your own environment!

If you made it to the end of this spiel congrats :-) Good luck with your pup!