Heres my rope ==========================(here is me)

Ugh. Do fleas build up an immunity to Frontline? Benji, the poor little guy cannot shake them off at all. OH has used 4 pipettes on him in 5 weeks (as I found out today when I went to dose Benji up and found none in the box!!!!!) So other question, is that going to hurt my cat? I can't believe OH has overdosed my cat with Frontline!

We are vacuuming morning, noon and night. I pick them off me in the mornings when I come downstairs and squash them with my special FLEA SQUASHING PEN LID OF DOOOOOM (that clicky squashy noise is VERY satisfying!), I've spent a fortune of sprays for the house and furniture.

I am currently looking up Rug Doctor to see rental prices so I can COOK THE LITTLE GITS but there is really very little point if Benji can't get rid of them either!

Please help, I've scratched my legs to shreds :'(

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-Hayley

Is it Frontline or Frontline Combo?

Frontline Combo is far better and is only available from a vet.

Also others swear by Advocate. Sometimes it's difficult to get a hold of, not all vets carry it.

I assume than it's regular Frontline as it came from Sainsbury's pharmacy :-/

Right, I'm off to the vet in the morning!

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-Hayley

my vet told me that frontline is'nt effective anymore, we're using Advocate now & no flea problems
Definitly think about washing carpets worked a treat when we had problems. Instead of rug doctor think about buying a vax/bissel they don't cost much in the long run. Great for freshening up the carpets & upholstery if you have house cats

Frontline combo is much better as it treats the home aswel so you dont have to treat the house aswel but I would chat to your Vet/Vet nurse about the fact you cant get rid of them. There is also Stronghold but Im not sure if this treats the house like frontline combo does.

Have you tried lavender for yourself.... wash clothes with lavender essential oils in your wash and when you have shower or bath use some moisterising cream afterwards with lavender essential oils mixed with it. It should prevent the fleas from biteing you aswel!!

Hope this helps xxx

I've just been on the phone to merial the makers of frontline this morning...

A lot of people seem to think frontline is less effective these days, but my theory is that frontline is the most common prescription flea treatment (i'm talking about frontline combo here as i think it is more effective than normal frontline as it has the environmental factor), therefore it gets blamed, and by the time people move onto another flea treatment its not that that works better its just they're further down the line of eradicating the flea life cycle (and no i dont work for merial!)

Are you still seeing fleas? does the cat go out? do you have other pets? what household spray have you used.

If you're still seeing fleas what size are they? Adult fleas and it is likely that they have jumped on the cat from outside/another pet if this is applicable. It takes fleas up to 24hrs to die once they have been on a frontlined animal. So they can jump on and bite, as frontline contains no flea repellent but they will die within 24hrs so will not have time to breed/lay eggs.
Juvenile fleas then it is likely they are hatching out in the environment then jumping onto the cat - ditto it will take up to 24hrs for them to die.

Household flea sprays only kill adult fleas, larvae and sometimes eggs, they don't kill pupae. So these pupae will always hatch out even if you have sprayed, and hoovered as they get into cracks and crevices. Pupae can lie dormant, so it can take a while to get completely on top of the whole flea life cycle.

If the cat goes out, or comes into contact with any untreated animal's then they can pick up adult fleas, but the frontline combo should prevent the environment becoming infected, and the adult fleas will die within 24hrs so you wont end up with an infestation.

It can take a good couple of months to get on top of a flea infestation due to the lifecycle of the flea... If you've treated the house, and the cat for i'd say 4 months, with the cat being frontlined every 4weeks, and you still have a problem, then call merial

I am seeing fleas. i see them on Benji and every morning it's like they come out from where ever they are and munch on my legs (and all over the kids who play on the floor).

As I hoover through they day i see less and less (and I empty the cylinder in to the outside bin after every going over) but then morning comes and bang it's scratch city

The sprays came from my friend who was prescribed it by their vet but their cat died and don't need it anymore so gave it to me.

The funny thing is, it's not been an issue until about 2 months ago, Frontline and regular daily hoovering did the job fine.

I only have the one cat now, Deacon died last month. It's just Benji. His fur is very thick.

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-Hayley

I have to say that, despite using Frontline as properly prescribed, I was having a nightmare of a time with fleas the last two summers (09 & 10). No amount of sprays & hoovering were making a bit of a difference and poor Merson was scratching himself silly.

This year, however, I moved over to Advocate and haven't had a bite, or seen a flea, since doing so!! I am lucky in that my vet charges exceptionally reasonable prices so I can get three pippettes for approx £15. This might seem expensive but when you add up the cost of frontline plus the cost of house sprays, it soon balances out.

Advocate covers the cat for fleas, ear-mites and MOST worms. It will also treat your house and the areas the cats frequent.

For now, I think it is one of the best spot-ons available. I TOTALLY recommend it.

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Have you considered getting a profession pest technician in to treat your house? If you do, make sure they are registered with either BPCA or NPTA. The stuff they use is stronger than the stuff available to the general public (ex husband is a pest technician).

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Lynda, with Mink de Ville, DJ, Lightning (rat boys), Sparky (syrian hammy), Rosie (Tarantula), and the tropical fishies. RIP Snoopy the Lakeland Terrier 16/12/93 - 13/2/06. Always in my heart.



Critter and spider banner by Pheebus!

Our Poppy has Advocate and has never had fleas to my knowledge. And we have heard of fleas gaining immunity to Frontline.

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