Advantage for cats is one of the top veterinarian-recommended flea killers. Safe to use on pregnant cats, lactating cats, and eight-week-old kittens, this flea medicine is also one of the top flea topicals preferred by breeders. Although some cats may experience an allergic reaction to the medicine, veterinarians consider Advantage to be one of the safest topical flea treatments.
Features
The active ingredient in Advantage for cats is imidacloprid, an insecticide that kills fleas on the pet and flea larvae in the cat's immediate environment. Imidacloprid kills fleas essentially by overactivating fleas' nervous systems. This insecticide also kills dog lice (a species of lice cats do not get).
There are two color-coded strengths of Advantage for cats. The purple-labeled box is for cats over 9 lb.; the orange label is for kittens (8 weeks or older) and cats under 9 lb. You can buy Advantage in single doses from your vet, or in 4-month, 6-month and 12-month supplies.
According to the label, Advantage keeps working for approximately 30 days.
Identification
Even if you do not notice fleas on your cat's coat, she may still have them. If you part her fur, especially around the base of the tail, you may see small black specks, called flea dirt.
Benefits
Advantage comes in convenient single doses and is very easy to apply. The fleas start dying soon after the application. Most fleas are dead within 12 hours. This quick action is especially beneficial for cats suffering from fleabite allergy.
Advantage disperses through the cat's hair and skin. Little if any enters the bloodstream; therefore, toxic effects on your pet should be minimal.
Advantage is not ineffective if your cat gets wet--a feature very helpful if your cat goes outdoors.
Cat owners can use Advantage on nursing cats. Furthermore, no treatment of the nursing kittens is necessary---the close contact with the mother is supposed to be sufficient to kill fleas on the babies as well.
Warning
As with any flea treatment, some cats may have a reaction to Advantage, though reactions are less common with this topical than with over-the-counter flea medicines. Watch your cat closely after initial treatment.
Considerations
You should place advantage on the back of your cat's head to prevent her from licking it.
Underweight or ill kittens and cats should not be treated for fleas until after you bring the cat or kitten to be examined by a veterinarian.
Advantage does not kill ticks. If you live in an area where ticks are common and your cat goes outside, you may wish to use a different product.
You should avoid touching the cat until the flea medicine has dried. In addition, you should dispose of the empty packaging carefully, as this chemical is very toxic to beneficial insects such as bees.
Tags: Advantage cats, flea medicine, kills fleas, single doses, some cats