While topical flea drops are very effective at providing flea control for a month or more they simply are not always necessary. This is when choosing a daily cat flea treatment may be the wiser and more cost efficient option.
At first, when we are used to continual flea protection the thought of a daily flea medicine may seem a little odd. But there are several reasons why some owners may actually be better off choosing a daily cat flea treatment.
Low Local Flea Population
Some cats just do not encounter that many fleas on a regular basis. Some of these will be pets who mostly stay indoors, but not exclusively so. Many areas are now home to huge numbers of fleas because they are also home to huge concentrations of cats and dogs. But there are also vast swathes of populated land where the pet population and subsequently the flea population is spread very thinly. In these areas it may be a complete waste to use a continually active cat flea product.
Save Money
If the cat flea treatment offers thirty days of continual flea destroying power you know you are paying for it. Why not opt for a daily cat flea medicine such as Capstar, so you only pay for the days you actually need that power. There is no problem using such a daily method of flea control. The active ingredient gets into your cat's bloodstream so quickly by swallowing the tasty treat that fleas actually start to die 20 minutes after administering. Within six hours 98% of adult fleas will already have been destroyed. Plus during the 24 hours following ingestion any new fleas which meet your furry friend will have been killed.
Visits to Flea Populated Places
Your cat may be one of those who just don't encounter fleas. Maybe they stay indoors or there just aren't that many fleas in your locality. However, there may be occasional days when your cat will encounter fleas. By giving a daily cat flea medicine half an hour before leaving the house you can be sure your cat will not bring any fleas home no matter how many he or she comes into contact with. Occasions when this is particularly useful are visits to the vet, shows or boarding kennels.
Pregnant & Nursing Cats
Many effective methods of controlling fleas are not suitable for use on pregnant or nursing cats. Capstar, however is proven to be completely safe used on such animals. Even if given in much larger volumes than specified there was no long term side effect on kittens born too or feeding from mothers treated with this daily flea medicine.
Concerns with Spot On Treatments
While many cat owners worldwide report no side effects from using the topical flea medications there are occasional cases of cats showing an allergic reaction. Usually these are very minor skin irritations or temporary hair-loss at the site where the treatment was administered. Now, there is no reason to stop using such treatments unless your pet has shown an allergic reaction unless we hear definitive evidence of a problem. But, that does not prevent many pet owners, understandably worrying about using such products on their pets.
If you are concerned enough to stop using a topical treatment daily orals could be a good alternative. After all, with fleas bringing disease and infections, all pet owners should have some form of efficient flea control on hand in case of an infestation. The tablets are so safe they may be given every day to provide the same continual flea prevention as a topical product.
Large Flea Numbers
Occasionally a pet will encounter such large numbers of fleas that whether using another method of flea control or not, more immediate flea killing power will be called for. The most common cases are when taking care of rescue animals or a pet with a serious flea allergy.
If an animal is showing serious skin problems or anemia due to the flea load an immediate eradication of the pests is called for. At these times using a daily cat flea treatment such as Capstar is the only sensible option. This is because it is able to destroy the adult fleas who are biting and causing so much distress much more quickly than any other method of flea control. While you may chose to use a longer term method of control, the use of Capstar will ensure all the active fleas are wiped out on Day One.
For more information about oral flea tablets and the other forms of cat flea treatment available visit the Dog and Cat Flea Medicine site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lec_Watkins
