Double flea control?

It's becoming a bad summer for cat fleas, as both my cats are indoor/outdoor types. I just bought the Hartz Ultra Guard flea collar and also the Ultra Guard topical stuff you apply at the base of the neck. From past experience, flea collars are not very effective and the goop is better, but not by much.

My question is, can you use both at the same time? After getting a magnifying glass to read all the fine print, neither package says anything about using both products at once. My assumption is that since the manufacturer doesn't address this, it's ok.

 

Good question: Before I would "double-up", I'd definitely call the manufacturer. Beyond the health aspects of using both, my concern would be that they may be working against each other. Typically, and in my experience though I'm retired now, the flea collars are of a repellent nature, while the gels/topicals are non-repellent. We want the fleas to bite the host. The gels require that the fleas feed on the host and they then soon die. The pet actually becomes a control agent. Flea collars and their repellency will keep the fleas away from the treated pet. The collars don't repel immediately. Flea collars, installed after fleas exist on the pet and/or inside the house, can cause flea infestations inside the house as the fleas will go to the humans (and stay away from the pets) to be their host.

Our cat is indoor/outdoor, closely monitored outdoors, and we use Sentry Fiproguard, found on Amazon, maybe elsewhere. Very happy with results and safety of this product. Same active ingredient as Frontline.

 

Thank you for that, I thought they were both repellents.....and I simply bought what was available at my local grocer, not surprised that efficacy often takes a back seat to marketing and price. Of course now there's 5 billion eggs strewn around the house, what's the gestation/life cycle of theses eggs?

On the same subject, I have a flea comb, but it's not too effective either, many of these fleas are simply too small to be caught on it. (Living overseas, as a kid, I remember using a comb on our dog; as soon as the flea became visible, the trick was to immobilize it with a dab of Vaseline before it could jump, then sadistically crushing it between thumbnails. Seems like those were larger fleas than what I'm dealing with now, maybe these are small because they're still young).

Thanks for you input!

 

You can actually buy the prescription type at the grocery pharmacy. Not sure I'd use Hartz brand.
I wouldn't use a flea collar at all. A Hartz flea collar gave my cat cancer. It was years ago, but not sure they're any safer today.

 

Stick with using the topical gel, no flea collar. If the flea problem appears to be getting ahead of you, quickly get with your vet for a better flea med, at least for now until you get it under control.

Meanwhile, vacuum thoroughly. Empty vacuum every time. I've known of people to put a piece of flea collar inside the vacuum canister/bag and that appears to work.
Flea larvae crawl to darkness. Adult fleas do not. Clean where cat sleeps including bedding and underneath pillows, cushions, furniture. Where ever the cat jumps from and onto, the shock of landing will cause flea eggs to fall off. No sticky on the eggs. Clean stairways/treads thoroughly. Clean under throw/area rugs, at least a one foot perimeter underneath. Clean out closet floors as it's dark in there. Any accumulation of pet hair is a big attractant to flea larvae as they eat pet dander, fecal blood from adult fleas, etc. Check floor vents well. Under all furniture. Remove all cushions, open sleeper couches, etc. Flea treatments are a lot of physical work.

If you wish to treat the exposed furniture and underneath, get a flea aerosol that can be sprayed upside down. Treat lightly. Read the square footage rate and you'll get a feel how to dispense the aero. Even after thorough cleaning and treating (if desired), the flea cocoons that are in inaccessible places will continue to hatch, for a least several weeks. That is not a failure, but that's how it works. The newly hatched adults will go to your cat that has been properly treated. Let that happen. After several weeks, re-assess and see what you think. Don't be late in the cats next dose. Keep us posted.

 

Thank you PAbugman, I figured it wouldn't take long before someone suggested the clean, clean, clean, routine.....I agree that getting ahead of the life cycle means ridding the eggs before they hatch. I plead guilty for not having the time to clean a very cluttered house, (tho I'll soon be retiring, that'll free up some time). I suspect like most folks, I'm going for the quickest solution for the least time spent. Oh well, I'll be content if I can just reduce the problem.
Never had a problem with my now 13 year old indoor only female, until I allowed a very gentile domesticated female street cat inside last winter, to escape freezing temps....(and now, summer heat). I had her spayed at the city (they call them "Community Cats" spay/neuter and release), and she's gradually being accepted by my resident cat. But of course, like kids, she wants in and out all the time, and each trip in can bring more fleas. Probably long term solution is to simply keep her inside, and try to get ahead of the cycle.

 

If the house infestation proves to be resistant, I'd suggest contacting the folks at:
https://www.domyown.com/
When my previous studio got invaded by saw-toothed grain beetles, they were instrumental in deciding what insecticides to use and when to deploy each one. According to various forums, these critters are nearly as impossible to evict as bedbugs, yet I managed to get it done in six months, thanks to the above site.