smitjm asked 7 years ago
Hello, I’ve searched your site but was unable to find the answer, I hope this isn’t a repeat question. A stray cat adopted me recently. I gave him a dose of petaction plus for cats (same active ingredient as frontline plus apparently). He stayed outside until I took him to the vet to be neutered, and the vet said that it’s likely the frontline didn’t work as fleas have become immune to the ingredients in it. I brought the cat inside, keeping him in a bathroom to recuperate and found a few fleas on him three days after giving him the Petaction plus. I used a flea comb today (a week later) and found two live fleas.
I can’t give him anything else until the 30 days are up, but is there a product I should switch to that works better once it’s time to re-treat?
I’m already planning on super-laundering the towel he’s been sleeping on and vacuuming the heck out of the bathroom in hopes that we won’t have an infestation. Thus far I have only seen fleas on the cat, but it’s only been a week. I’m also going to give the cat a flea bath. Is there anything else I can do?
Your site is wonderfully informative and I love that it’s research-based. Thank you!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
smitjm,
Cat fleas (C. felis) are regularly tested for resistance against the adulticides in popular flea medications (e.g. fipronil in PetAction Plus). There hasn’t been any confirmed resistance to fipronil (in Frontline Plus), or imidacloprid (in Advantage II).
Here’s a relatively fresh journal article about Insecticide Resistance in Fleas.
Still, just because resistance hasn’t been observed in laboratory studies, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. And there have been anecdotal reports of product failure. However, some of these reports could be due to poor compliance, or having unrealistic expectations.
Regarding expectations, no flea treatment will end an infestation immediately. It usually takes at least 8 weeks. And seeing fleas until then is normal. This is why pet drops come in packages of at least 3 monthly treatments.
95-99% of flea populations consist of eggs, larvae, and pupae living in the environment. They live in protected habitats where sprays and vacuums can’t penetrate well. So some will survive and emerge as adults, regardless of the control methods employed. Upon emerging, these new adults seek a host. But if the pets are treated, the new adults should die within a few hours, before they have a chance to mate and lay eggs.
The immature stages living in the environment when treatment is initiated should be the last generation. However, this last generation may takes months to fully eradicate. This is because cocooned adults can elect to enter into a quiescent state for up to 5 months before emerging.
If you feel that the PetAction Plus (Frontline Plus) isn’t working, you may want to consider switching to Advantage II. They are similar products, but use different ingredients. Here is a list of cheaper generic alternatives to Advantage II. It may also be a good idea to ask your vet what products they recommend.
While most flea drops are labeled as water-proof, regular water submersion can reduce the efficacy of the treatments. It’s at least something to think about in regards to giving your cat baths.
Please see our page on how to get rid of fleas for more control information. It may be a good idea to spray the environment with an insect growth regulator (IGR). This pages will go into detail on that.
I hope this helps!
Adam
S barker answered 5 years ago
We had a visiting dog stay overnight that was constantly scratching but when asked, the owner said they regularly treat with frontline … our dogs started scratching straight after visit and our vet said frontline not very effective now so used advantage … took ages to rid of problem … cant understand why they still sell frontline!!
Helen Feddema answered 5 years ago
I never used to see fleas on my three cats — but for the last year they have had fleas despite monthly treatment, and I have even gotten fleabites on my ankles! Frontline definitely doesn’t work as well as it used to. I am going to try Advantage, and see if it works better.
Rose
replied 5 years ago I’ve had the worst time with Frontline plus then my vet says Frontline gold which made it a little better but still here a flea there a flea. Finally switched to advantage 2 and within 12 hrs the fleas were gone!!! I’m never going back to frontline
