Need safe flea medication for senior Cat.

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I use Capstar. I give it one day, say on a Friday, and repeat in three days, so on the following Monday, and I do this three or four times in a row. The fleas have usually died off by then. I repeat when necessary.
Be sure you get the one designed for small dogs and cats, if you buy it.
Purchased cheaply from the Animal Lovers House LLC or I find them on Ebay
Animal Lovers House LLC https://animallovershousellc.com/products/nitenpyram-12mg-for-small-dogscats-2-25-lbs/
 
manxcat419 said:
I'm going to have to jump in here. Inhalation of DE is harmful, even with food grade. It leads to changes within the lungs. Most are reversible given time, but when we treat regularly for fleas, the chance is never there for the changes to be reversed. The recommendation we have is to use it for environmental control only...and preferably on the outside perimeter of the house only. The issues with applying it directly to cats are two-fold. Firstly it can cause skin irritation and dryness. Which may not be a major health concern, but is certainly uncomfortable for our kitties. It can also irritate their eyes. The second, and more concerning issue, is that because cats groom themselves (and usually immediately after you apply something like this where they feel that their fur has been "messed up"), they are going to be inhaling it from the grooming process no matter how careful we are to avoid inhalation during application. Also important to note is that even food grade DE will contain a small percentage of the crystallized form of DE - necessarily because you don't find one without the other. For food grade, the crystallized portion has to be below a certain percentage, but that doesn't mean there is none...just that there isn't much. There are a couple of studies that I've linked here (there are more available), but personally, I don't find the idea of chronic inflammation due to regular use, granuloma formation or potentially even emphysema harmless in the least. And the study that found that was conducted using synthetic amorphous silica only...where the DE that we can buy also contains a small amount of crystallized silica which is known to be more problematic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11876495

https://pets.stackexchange.com/ques...th-using-diatomaceous-earth-as-an-insecticide
Click to expand...

Thank you April for your information.
When I did my research on this I only saw positive opinions.
DE can be used internally just like clay for various cleansing protocols so I did not think ingesting it (cats licking themselves) would be harmful.
With regards to inhaling, one has to be careful not to expose kitty to a lot of dust while applying DE and there are ways of doing it. Yes, it can dry the skin out but I never have this problem as I only need to apply DE to Rocky once or twice a year which is enough to stop the fleas (at least for us).
It is working very well for me but, as you said it might have some side effects if used incorrectly or excessively and one has to consider their particular situation. Every individual has to decide whether they want to use it or not but at least your post provided everybody with more comprehensive information so thank you for your input.
 
If it's working for you, then that's great @Marlena - I would always stick with something that you know is working well for you. I just really wanted a caution to be out there because it seems that it does require very careful use, which you're clearly already doing.
 
Marlena said:
Mary,
I apologise for not replying straight away as I did not check the thread, I was busy.
Rocky is a very easy cat when it comes to doing anything to him so I just dust him all over with DE using a soft plastic bottle with a narrow tip so when you squeeze the bottle the powder comes out and I spray it onto his skin and fur. It is important to try to avoid inhaling the dust but it is not harmful really.
The only tip I would have for you if your kitty is not very easy and relaxed is try to coax him with great tasting treats. Be slow and relax, give him lots of strokes and use calming voice.
You might want to do one area at a time coming back to it a bit later.
Good luck, I hope it goes well and maybe other members would have better ideas. I'm just so lucky that Rocky is extremely placid and trusts me so I don't really have experience of dealing with difficult kitties.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much Marlena for taking the time to reply.
 
Cherryl said:
I use Capstar. I give it one day, say on a Friday, and repeat in three days, so on the following Monday, and I do this three or four times in a row. The fleas have usually died off by then. I repeat when necessary.
Be sure you get the one designed for small dogs and cats, if you buy it.
Purchased cheaply from the Animal Lovers House LLC or I find them on Ebay
Animal Lovers House LLC https://animallovershousellc.com/products/nitenpyram-12mg-for-small-dogscats-2-25-lbs/
Click to expand...
Thank you Cherryl. I have used Capstar in the past and didn't have good results. I'll try it again and give it
Like you do and see if it works for me.
 
manxcat419 said:
I'm going to have to jump in here. Inhalation of DE is harmful, even with food grade. It leads to changes within the lungs. Most are reversible given time, but when we treat regularly for fleas, the chance is never there for the changes to be reversed. The recommendation we have is to use it for environmental control only...and preferably on the outside perimeter of the house only. The issues with applying it directly to cats are two-fold. Firstly it can cause skin irritation and dryness. Which may not be a major health concern, but is certainly uncomfortable for our kitties. It can also irritate their eyes. The second, and more concerning issue, is that because cats groom themselves (and usually immediately after you apply something like this where they feel that their fur has been "messed up"), they are going to be inhaling it from the grooming process no matter how careful we are to avoid inhalation during application. Also important to note is that even food grade DE will contain a small percentage of the crystallized form of DE - necessarily because you don't find one without the other. For food grade, the crystallized portion has to be below a certain percentage, but that doesn't mean there is none...just that there isn't much. There are a couple of studies that I've linked here (there are more available), but personally, I don't find the idea of chronic inflammation due to regular use, granuloma formation or potentially even emphysema harmless in the least. And the study that found that was conducted using synthetic amorphous silica only...where the DE that we can buy also contains a small amount of crystallized silica which is known to be more problematic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11876495

https://pets.stackexchange.com/ques...th-using-diatomaceous-earth-as-an-insecticide
Click to expand...

QUOTE="manxcat419, post: 1966583, member: 11903"]I'm going to have to jump in here. Inhalation of DE is harmful, even with food grade. It leads to changes within the lungs. Most are reversible given time, but when we treat regularly for fleas, the chance is never there for the changes to be reversed. The recommendation we have is to use it for environmental control only...and preferably on the outside perimeter of the house only. The issues with applying it directly to cats are two-fold. Firstly it can cause skin irritation and dryness. Which may not be a major health concern, but is certainly uncomfortable for our kitties. It can also irritate their eyes. The second, and more concerning issue, is that because cats groom themselves (and usually immediately after you apply something like this where they feel that their fur has been "messed up"), they are going to be inhaling it from the grooming process no matter how careful we are to avoid inhalation during application. Also important to note is that even food grade DE will contain a small percentage of the crystallized form of DE - necessarily because you don't find one without the other. For food grade, the crystallized portion has to be below a certain percentage, but that doesn't mean there is none...just that there isn't much. There are a couple of studies that I've linked here (there are more available), but personally, I don't find the idea of chronic inflammation due to regular use, granuloma formation or potentially even emphysema harmless in the least. And the study that found that was conducted using synthetic amorphous silica only...where the DE that we can buy also contains a small amount of crystallized silica which is known to be more problematic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11876495

https://pets.stackexchange.com/ques...th-using-diatomaceous-earth-as-an-insecticide[/QUOTE]
Thank you April for this information.
 
maryjoandsmokie said:
Thank you Cherryl. I have used Capstar in the past and didn't have good results. I'll try it again and give it
Like you do and see if it works for me.
Click to expand...

I hope it works for you. I have seen people say it did not work for them but I dont know how they used it and it could be maybe some kitties it doesnt work for???? I dont know. I have been lucky here and I am glad, so far it works for me. I only have to use them in February and March - due to flea break out after winter - and then again in November, we will have a flea break out and I will have to use them November and December. I guess fleas like the first part of winter getting over with and the first part of fall :D
I am in central Florida.
 
Cherryl said:
I hope it works for you. I have seen people say it did not work for them but I dont know how they used it and it could be maybe some kitties it doesnt work for???? I dont know. I have been lucky here and I am glad, so far it works for me. I only have to use them in February and March - due to flea break out after winter - and then again in November, we will have a flea break out and I will have to use them November and December. I guess fleas like the first part of winter getting over with and the first part of fall :D
I am in central Florida.
Click to expand...
I am trying it again Cherryl. Hope it works!
 
New to the world of FD - so thankful for this forum!
First post...(I'm sure it shows!)
I'm to follow up on this thread to ask if anyone in the past year has an update on the safety and/or efficacy of Capstar for cats?
Mr. Black & White will be 15 in Sept. so I am very nervous about oral (and topical) flea killers/preventives b/c of his age. Last month our vet brought over & applied Revolution 6% (no problems or fleas)
But now it is a whole new world (FD) & I am afraid of everything:nailbiting:
We are in day 5 of Lantus 2 units 2xday since Mr. B&W dx(421). (we home test 3-4x day ranging L301-H399)
It is time to re-apply the Revolution...but his flea dermatitis gets very bad, I thought I might give him a capstar (IF safe!) prior to the topical...I am still unnerved about all flea killers.
He is an indoor fella as the peripheral neuropathy slowed his walking, gave him a wobbly gait, & he eats on his hocks. We lost his brother Mr. Orange, my sweet angel, on April 23 cat_wings>o(acute kidney failure etc...total heartbreak like I've never known) So, now Mr. B&W is our only kitty (slightly lowers flea risk, but still...) Plus, when it comes to wretched fleas, they are a year-round scourge in Los Angeles (especially beach cities). Summer is a nightmare of fleas/mosquitos & deadly heat. So if Revolution remains a safe pick then that is great.
Or, perhaps someone who reads this may have an opinion on whether his numbers should be lower/ more stable prior to flea treatments? My husband & I so thankful for all of the valuable information on this forum! Thank you so much :}
 
Welcome! It should be fine to use Revolution. I don’t know about Capstar as I’ve never used it.
 
Wow. I hate to add to this already long thread, but my sister told me about a product that works great here. I have several cats and some have special needs. My vet suggested not using a topical flea med on the animals with skin allergies.

The 2 in 1 flea med from petsneedmeds.com is a capsule that can be opened and mixed with food or given whole. I showed my vet and she approved. It has two meds..one is the med commonly called Capstar that kills fleas right away. The other med is what my vet said was called Program. It works for 30 days.

I had a bad flea problem last year, and it is resolved now. As a bonus, it is VERY inexpensive.

It's probably always good to let your vet review, but I've been happy.
 
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