Are you sure it's fleas? Scratching isn't always fleas. It could be dry skin, allergies or other possibilities. Don't treat for fleas unless you know that's the problem. Especially chemicals on the animal.

I had an electronic flea collar for my Llasa Apso and never had trouble with fleas, but it could be I just didn't have fleas around so it's impossible to say if it worked. But I sure preferred that to putting the chemicals into the animal's bloodstream.

I'm assuming it is fleas. The vet did say she had fleas when I took her in to the office (about 4 months ago), he recommended the Advantage for her scratching. It did work... I'm just looking for something more 'natural' and safe.

Thanks for the electronic flea collar suggestion... maybe someone else will chime in with more info on them?

Don't use Hartz Mountain collars. They don't work and are very irritating to cats' skin. I tried one years ago and my cat got an awful infection that never really cleared up, she was bald around her neck the rest of her life!

I don't have a cat, so can't help there, Lydia.

But I can tell you that NONE of the flea collars for dogs which are sold at PetSmart, work. NONE of THEM.

Noooooo....don't use a flee collar. I use Advantage Multi and order from canadapharmacy.com. Use the correct weight formula. It is messy and I separate both cats so they don't lick each other. Put it at the base of the neck where a collar would go, they can't lick it off themselves.

Heartworm Disease: A Growing Risk

For years, families that keep their cats indoors have assumed that there was little risk of them getting heartworm. But lately, veterinarians have realized that heartworm disease is more common than they previously thought, even among indoor cats. In one recent study, 28 percent of the cats diagnosed with heartworm were inside-only cats.

Indoor cats are at risk because mosquitoes, which carry the microscopic heartworm larvae that cause the disease, can get into homes fairly easilythrough a door thatÂs open for just a moment, an open window, or a hole in a screen. (Also, many "indoor" cats do occasionally go outside, on a balcony or porch.) And it only takes one mosquito to infect a cat.

One of the most important things for cat owners to know about heartworm disease in cats is that there is no treatment. Therefore, prevention is absolutely critical.

Fortunately, heartworm disease is easy to prevent. A few tips:

Give your cat a heartworm preventive every month, from April through November. Cat Hospital offers several medications and can help you decide which is best for your cat depending on the risk of exposure to multiple parasites, how easy it is to administer and other factors.
Never give your cat medication for dogs; canine heartworm preventives can be toxic to cats.
Take your cat for regular check-ups.
Learn the basics on heartworm diseaseÂsee the Know Heartworms Web siteÂand watch for symptoms in your cat.

What causes heartworm disease in cats?
Heartworm disease is transmitted to cats by mosquito bite, which can put the heartworm larvae directly into a catÂs bloodstream. As heartworm larvae mature, they settle into the catÂs heart and lungs and then release their offspring into the bloodstream.

Heartworms, especially when they die, cause inflammation in the heart, lungs and arteries; the inflammation can eventually become severe enough to cause congestive heart failure, leading to death.

Despite its name, heartworm disease in cats generally causes more problems with the lungs than in the heart. Even worm larvae that never develop into mature worms can cause significant damage to the lungs. The problems can be difficult to diagnose because worms can live undetected inside a catÂs body for several years.

Know the symptoms
In many cases, the inflammation from the adult worms or the immature larvae leads to a respiratory disease called heartworm associated respiratory disease (HARD), which can cause the following symptoms:

Difficult breathing
Heavy or fast breathing
Coughing or gagging
Lethargy
Weight loss
Collapsing
Seizures
Loss of coordination
Rapid heartbeat
Diarrhea or vomiting
Blindness

HARD can be difficult to diagnose because many cats do not show symptoms and because it imitates conditions like asthma. Unlike with dogs, there are no straightforward tests that reliably diagnose the disease in affected cats, so veterinarians typically use one or more of the following tests (and sometimes conduct tests more than once) to detect HARD:

Physical examination
X-ray
Angiocardiography (X-ray of the heart with injected contrast fluid)
Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart)
Complete blood count
Serologic (antigen and antibody) testing
Microfilaria testing

Treating heartworm disease
Some cats recover on their own from HARD, but there are no approved treatments for feline heartworms. (There is a treatment for heartworm disease in dogs, but the medication is highly toxic for cats.) For cats who do contract heartworm disease, veterinarians recommend regular monitoringÂonce or twice a yearÂto help prevent sudden death when the worms die.

If a cat exhibits severe symptoms, the veterinarian can administer intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy, bronchodilators (which expand the air passages of the lungs), cardiovascular drugs or antibiotics. If heartworms are seen through ultrasound or X-ray, surgery to remove the worms may be required.

Keep your cat safe
With spring on its way, mosquitoes will soon be flying around Chicago again. The time to make sure your cat is safe from heartworm disease is now. Call Cat Hospital of Chicago today (773-539-9080) to make sure your cat is guarded against this dangerous threat.

Donna

I wouldn't put a flea collar on my cat. Collars are dangerous. For one thing, I once had a cat get his lower jaw caught on a flea collar and he nearly strangled.

I use Frontline on all of my cats. It keeps fleas and ticks off beautifully.

Flea collars should be banned. Donna has given good advice.

If you used the Advantage only once you did not get the all eggs. Also the flea larvae live in carpets and bedding. You have to treat the house the same time you treat the pets.

I think collars on cats are very dangerous if the cat is inquisitive like mine. Charlie has been a house cat yea these many years but he still likes to hunt and he covers every nook and cranny of our house looking for prey...LOL he is funny to watch but I wouldn't put a collar on him for fear he would hang himself or get caught somewhere and not be able to get loose. He is an indoor cat but he occasionally does manage to get out and I would never put a collar on him.

For the advantage, where are you putting it on your cat?

You are to put it on the neck and they can't reach it there to wash it off.

We use advantage, for our dog and it keeps the fleas, they still would get some, actually found out when they were younger, they were picking it up from this dog that my mom would take them out with it and her friend. I had to check each time for the fleas and sure enough there would be one or two of them.

Cats you can buy a flea comb and comb them each day. That sure works alot, the fleas love to go where its thick fur, like the neck area.

Flea collars I would not put on at all.

We only got one problem of fleas when we all first moved here and one of the dogs brought it inside in my bedroom and lay on the spare rug beside bed and one night I saw something leaping around and found out fleas.

That is when we started using stuff for the dogs to stop that and the cats the flea combs daily were combed.

Then they came out with advantage with the cats so you put it on their neck so they can't lick it off.

Mine is an indoor cat except for a screened in porch but two free loaders show up for the buffett everyday. last winter she had a bad case of scratching and what looked like mange. Vet said it was a flea and put some Revoution (I think it was) on her neck area. And I trimmed back her long hair and it is ok now,'

None of my cats could ever tolerate the collors I have bought a couple and stretched them and put them around where they sleep

I use Advantage or Frontline on our cats. I've seen cats whose fur fell out around their necks from flea collar use and I didn't feel flea collars worked all that well back in the dark ages before Frontline.
You're supposed to part the fur right at the nape (lower back) of the neck and apply the Advantage to the skin so that cat can't possibly reach it to lick it off.

Thanks everyone. I guess I will nix the idea of the flea collar and just stick with the Advantage.

I do know how to apply the advantage, it is just that Winston has very short hair and it is hard to part it to apply the medicine... plus he is a very agile cat. lol I think I will just take him to the vet and let the vet apply it this time.

I think the Advantage and Frontline products are just wonderful and not hard to apply at all. Takes just a few seconds, and they cannot lick it if properly applied. The products will help keep your animal happy and comfortable and also keep flea infestations out of the house.

We've had our indoor kitty 4 years, and she has had fleas only once. I applied Advantage once, washed all her bedding, vacuumed well, and the problem was gone. I was willing to re-apply the next month, but it was not necessary. I know vets will probably tell you to go ahead and apply regularly, but I'm not going to do it if I don't see fleas. I have it on hand if we have another infestation this summer.

I would not think of putting a flea collar on her.

If Winston has very short hair that should make it easier. Just hold the tip of the vial to the back of his neck and push it toward the neck; don't bother to part the fur as, since it's so short, should automatically part when you push. One quick squirt of the vial will do it. The whole thing should take about 5 seconds. If he runs, see if someone can hold him for you.

I have 3 indoor cats and they never get fleas. Jake, my dog, gets the Advantage applied during flea season and I guess he doesn't bring fleas in. When I had indoor/outdoor cats, I always used Advantage on them.

I wouldn't put a collar on a cat either.

I've used Frontline on mine for years, and he absolutely hates it, so I hate putting it on him. Though I only use it on him once a month, 6 months out of the year, he remembers it every single day, even in the winter when I don't use it on him, and he flinches whenever I come near him.

For that reason, I hate using Frontline, but it works for fleas.

I dread having to put it on him.

Mine also hate getting the Frontline but I use it anyway. The dog gets Sentinel and frontline. I need to order it soon. Cats never leave the house but the dog must bring them in since I have fleas every summer.