Find the best flea and tick medication for your cat
There are many different types of tick and flea medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, and it can sometimes be difficult to know which one to choose. Our vets can give you advice about treatment and prescriptions for effective flea and tick preventatives that suit your cat's needs.
1. Flea and Tick Collars
Cat flea and tick collars are ‘impregnated’ with active ingredients that are slowly released from the collar and spread over a cat’s body through the oils on the skin and hair coat. The chemicals on the collars usually start working within 24 hours of being attached to the cat’s body. The chemicals can kill fleas and ticks and the protection from the collars lasts about seven months.
2. Spot-on Flea and Tick Preventatives
Spot-on flea and tick products consist of liquid or gel that is applied between the shoulder blades or down the back of your cat. The chemical solution spreads quickly through your cat’s skin and hair coat via the oil glands. Spot-ons can kill fleas and ticks within one day after application.
3. Oral Flea and Tick Preventatives
Oral flea and tick preventatives come as pills or chewables. They can be a better option than other modes of treatment that leave residue on your cat’s skin and hair coat. One flea and tick medication has been formulated to kill adult fleas within 30 minutes and can be given to your cat daily.
A prescription for tick or flea medication provides long-lasting protection and can be prescribed if it’s deemed appropriate by our veterinarians. If a prescription medication does not suit your cat, we can advise on suitable alternatives.
To know which product is best for your cat, and to determine if a prescription flea and tick medication can be prescribed, the veterinarian needs to consider a number of factors:
