Advantage Flea Killer for Cats -- A great product to protect your felines
by - Written: Apr 13 '06 (Updated Apr 13 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: stays on the cat well, works well and does so quickly, no real side effects
Cons: very expensive
The Bottom Line: The Advantage Flea Killer for Cats is a great product that kills fleas quickly, and does so for an entire month per application.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Advantage Flea Killer for Cats |
I live in Eastern Washington State, and with each Spring comes the infestation of fleas to the area. They wait for the warmer season, and attach themselves to any animals that want to wander by. The reason they can get bad around here, is that there is a lot of tall grasses and wheat fields where they can hide out close to the ground. In addition, this is a college town, so when people take their pets to different areas, they often will bring back foreign pests. So, even though my cats spend a majority of their time indoors, they become as at risk as anything else. In reality it only takes one flea to jump on them, come into my apartment, and start laying eggs for there to be a quick problem. I have used one other flea product before because it was a cheaper option, and that was the Zodiac FleaTrol Fogger, which might not be considered cheap by some, but does a great job at controlling the outbreaks. The problem with foggers though, is that they are a pain to use. So, of course, I wanted a product that would be easier to use.
Going to a veterinarian in town, they recommended that I try the Advantage Flea Killer for Cats. This coincided with a friends recommendation, so I figured I would give it a try. The first thing that anyone purchasing this product will have, is extreme sticker shock. This is a very expensive flea treatment, and it comes with a guarantee because it works so well. They sell them in separate treatments, and (get ready) for a 4-month supply, it cost almost $50.00. Yes that's right, $50.00, or about $12.50 for each of the treatments. They also sell them in 6 and 12 pack dosages, and it can save you a little money if you are buying the product based on bulk. To make it a little easier on the pocket-book, this particular vet actually sold them as singles, by breaking open the packs. I guess this is an easy way to see if you are going to like how the product works, or if it is something that you want to stick with. Any way you slice it though, it is an expensive product that actually left me a little upset at my cats for having fleas.
One of my cats is a long-haired white one, with a little Persian in her mix, so as soon as she had fleas, I could see them. This was something that I was not going to stand for, and went right over to buy this new flea treatment the second I had a chance. I purchased 2 treatments for each cat, falling under the assumption that if it worked as well as it was promising, I could fix the flea problem and not have to worry about further treatments through the season. It wasn't that bad of a plan, because the Advantage was supposed to kill fleas all of the fleas almost as soon as it was applied to my felines. The package of 4 that I bought came with what didn't look like much at all. You get 4 little applicator pouches, that are plastic, and have a hole on one end that you squeeze the chemicals out of. It doesn't look like much, and the liquid is clear, but it does give off a slight odor that tells you it isn't water. Each of the little tubes constitutes one application (lasting one month) so it is easy to figure out just how much each cat will be getting.
Luckily, the Advantage comes with some easy to follow instructions on how to give the cats these "shots." Opening one of them, you then take the cat, and push aside some of the fur between their front shoulder blades. This is an area that they cannot get to very easily to wash, and it allows the Advantage to do its job. You are pushing aside some of the fur so that you can apply it directly to the skin with the applicator. Be ready, because they aren't going to like it at first when you are putting a liquid on them. What I do is get down on my knees, sit the cat between my legs, and pet them nicely to gain their trust. Then you just apply the substance, and as soon as you apply it, let them run off. They could be a little frustrated that you just put something on them that they get to, so give them a little space. Once this application process is complete, they can go back to their cat business. The fur surrounding the area you put the liquid on will get wet, and it will appear damp for a few days after you put it on. This is o.k., because it shows you that the Advantage is sticking to them. This one application will then last 4 weeks from that time.
The Advantage Flea Treatment says that it will begin killing fleas within a couple of minutes, and that 98-100% of the fleas in coming into contact with the cat will die within 12 hours. This works as a deterrent to eggs hatching as well, and keeps the fleas from re-establishing their population before the treatment wears off. Each one of the applications lasts 4 weeks according to the container, but I think it lasts a little longer than that if your cats remain indoors the whole time. For my cats, the first application went perfectly, and the next day I didn't see a single flea anywhere that was alive. I vacuumed up the area, and thought to myself that it was money well spent. If you are worried about eggs surviving your cleaning (which is still possible), change out the vacuum bag as soon as you are done. For the next 4 weeks, the cats didn't have a single flea that I could see, and they seemed much happier. There were a few instances of scratching here and there, but I think that was due to habit more than anything else. When 4 1/2 weeks were up, I applied the second dose, just to make sure that the problem was taken care of. As of yet I haven't seen another live flea in my house since putting Advantage into action.
The Key Things To Remember:
*Each treatment of the Advantage lasts 4 weeks.
*The treatments are sold in 4, 6, and 12 per a package.
*Advantage starts working instantly upon application.
*Stops the biting within 3 to 5 minutes.
*Most fleas should be dead within 12 hours of application.
*Sold at most veterinarians.
*Is slightly on the expensive side at around $12 per application.
*Only use on kittens/cats 8 weeks old or older.
My Final Thoughts on the Advantage Flea Treatment:
Buying the Advantage Flea Killer was quite an endeavor simply because of the cost. Paying that much, it comes with the worry that you are wasting your money on a dud product, but I can assure you that the money is well worth it. The Advantage went into effect immediately upon application, and did its job even better than I could have hoped for. The cats seemed a little frustrated to have something on their backs that they couldn't get to, but they got used to it, and seemed a lot happier not having to deal with the bites. It should be mentioned that there are two different types of doses for the Advantage. It is split between cats that are 1 to 9 pounds, and then for cats 10 pounds and up. The 10 pound one has a little bit more solution, and costs a little bit more. Just make sure that you are using the correct dosage, because you don't want to give a small cat too much, or a larger cat too little. I have to say that Advantage was an extremely good product, because it was worth every penny. Being able to stop fleas in their tracks, and prevent further infestation on the spot is valuable to any cat owner who has dealt with this problem before. I think that when it comes to treating fleas, that there is no better product out there, and I will continue to sing its praises for some time. I highly recommend Advantage to anyone with an outdoor cat, and suggest that every cat owner look at this product first if you are in the market for a flea controlling substance.
Warning from me:
Don't get it on your skin, or ingest this product, because it can cause problems with humans. This is a product designed for cats, and should be used thusly. There is a possibility it could cause a skin irritation on your pet (in rare instances) and if this occurs go to your vet immediately.
Ingredients:
Imidacloprid (9.1%), Inert ingredients (90.9%)
Recommended:
Yes
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