Update-- Is there a safe and effective flea collar available yet?

Last time I investigated this was about 2003; when I realized how dangerous
the Hartz and Bansect collars were.

We've been using Advantage for years with satisfactory results, but now
we've got 5 cats that go inside and outside throughout the day. Thus,
Advantage has now become too costly.

If there no satisfactory collars, then are there more cost effective drops
than Advantage that have comparable safety?

On Apr 12, 2:52*pm, "Zy" wrote:
Last time I investigated this was about 2003; when I realized how dangerous
the Hartz and Bansect collars were.

We've been using Advantage for years with satisfactory results, but now
we've got 5 cats that go inside and outside throughout the day. Thus,
Advantage has now become too costly.

If there no satisfactory collars, then are there more cost effective drops
than Advantage that have comparable safety?

I use borax in the rugs. 2-3 times per year is enough to keep us flea
free. We have 5 indoor only cats and 2 dogs going in and out. I'm in
Washington state. Some areas probably would need more treatments per
year due to climate.

We sprinkle a light amount onto the rug, sweep it into the rug, and
wait a few days before vacuuming. We also treat the cat trees, under
the cushions in chairs and couches, and a few other places that might
be more prone to bugs.

Borax works by absorbing moisture, thus drying out small bugs. We keep
the cats out of the room while applying the powder so that they don't
get the dust while it is in the air. And they may have a little
dryness in their feet for a couple days. But that's about it. We've
been using it now for over 15 years, and it works great. A box of
borax lasts more than a year for the whole house and costs less than
one treatment of Advantage. And we don't have to apply chemicals to
the cats every month.

On Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:52:02 -0400, "Zy"
wrote:

Last time I investigated this was about 2003; when I realized how dangerous
the Hartz and Bansect collars were.

We've been using Advantage for years with satisfactory results, but now
we've got 5 cats that go inside and outside throughout the day. Thus,
Advantage has now become too costly.

If there no satisfactory collars, then are there more cost effective drops
than Advantage that have comparable safety?

You apply advantage monthly or just when fleas appear?
I only apply when I see a flea and for my one cat it lasts about 12
months between doses
I tried (AFAIK) every type of flea "gazzo" before and only Advantage
worked effectively.
I'm in Australia and there are some reputable brand competition
appearing shop around (Ebay is good)
A product called "Revolution" is/was being trailed in Australia (not
sure if it's available worldwide) by Pfizer and they have a comparison
charge of the main 4 competitors, any of these brands should be good
so use it also for price comparisons (forget the "hype" if you kill
fleas it also kills/prevents the others on "list") All should be as
good as each other
http://www.revolutionpet.com.au/PetO...ChartCats.html
or http://tinyurl.com/y73vvhl
Often drug companies trail new products in small markets like
Australia first in case something goes wrong (litigation)
--
Petzl
Battle Hymn of the Republic
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=JCqZ-9-lDEo
http://tinyurl.com/8vqqxd

"Zy" zymatikNOSPAM yahoo.com wrote:

We've been using Advantage for years with satisfactory results,
but now we've got 5 cats that go inside and outside throughout
the day.

Hopefully all neutered.

Thus, Advantage has now become too costly.

Sorry I cannot opine on flea collars, but...

You can buy the biggest bottle, like for large dogs, and apply one
drop per pound on your cats. The cost difference is huge. Last
time I checked, the ingredients were precisely the same and were
the exact same percentages, for both cats and dogs. Of course you
should use the regular Advantage, not the K9 Advantage that is
strictly for dogs. Store any unused bottle well sealed in a fresh
zipper plastic bag and in a cool dry place.