Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: pandora on April 17, 2008, 14:44:19 PM

Title: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: pandora on April 17, 2008, 14:44:19 PM
For five years now (since i first  got cats) I have been under the impression that flea collars are bad for cats. I think the vet first told me and gave me frontline spot on instead.  I now had to switch to Stronghold because Frontline seems to be less effective.

Today I saw a woman buying flea collars in batches and mad me (!) I asked her if she was aware that it is bad for cats.  I wish i hadn't bothered because she looked at me as if I were mad.

My question now though is: Am I right in thinking the collars are bad?  Ii is a far cheaper way of teating for fleas than how I am doing it.  What about the other spot on treatments out there?  Any good?
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Bazsmum on April 17, 2008, 14:52:06 PM
You are right in thinking the collars are bad!  ;D

They dont work and the frontline or stronghold are much safer, actually work and much cheaper in the long run!  ;)
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Ela on April 17, 2008, 14:53:25 PM
You are quite right, they are almost as much use mas a chocolate teapot.
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: melysion on April 17, 2008, 15:21:07 PM
Toby has frontline but my mothers cat has had flea collars for years. No side effects and no fleas.  ;)
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: koscha (Ruth M) on April 17, 2008, 15:35:01 PM
I don't use flea collars as I find they don't work as effectively as Frontline or Stronghold. Flea collars might work if you have a slight :shocked: :Crazy: flea problem, but as i'm allergic to flea bites (and the little sods love to bite me) The spot on products get my vote everytime!  ;D


Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Mark on April 17, 2008, 17:24:03 PM
I know how you feel as I spoke to a woman last year buying bob martin spot-on. She said she always used frontline but she was going on holiday the next day and didn't have time to go to the vet and they were due for treatment. I said a week over won't harm and to make a vet appointment for the day after she got back. She seemed to accept it but I did feel like a busybody  :evillaugh:
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: blackcat on April 17, 2008, 18:22:05 PM
Flea collars can cause a severe, local reaction because they carry a high quantity of flea killer in a small area. They are of extremely limited effect also. I used to use them before better options became available, but I do recall a cat coming into my vet with what was obviously a severe reaction to the flea collar. The vet (a locum) He also got terribly stroppy with me because I suggested (out of eashot of the client) what I felt the problem might be, and it offended his sense of self-importance, but that is another story) , he misdiagnosed the problem, having discounted the collar because it was no longer there, and prescribed meds that did not deal with the problem. Fortunately next time the cat came in it was properly diagnosed. They are not something I would use whilever there are more appropriate treatments available, like Frontline and Advantage.
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Michelle (furbabystar) on April 17, 2008, 20:45:08 PM
All flea collars will do is keep the fleas away from the neck (if that)
and i dont like collars in any shape, none of my 11 have ever worm them
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on April 17, 2008, 20:53:37 PM
The only benefit of flea collars is to be cut up and put in your vaccuum cleaner. Rosie came with a flea collar, she has a lovely bare ring, and the first thing the vet said was 'she had a flea collar'. I did hear a couple of years ago that they arne't as strong now due to EU regs, so even more useless.
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on April 17, 2008, 22:17:59 PM
Before I knew how bad collars were I tried one on Kocka , about 10nyrs ago and it caused all sorts of probs with her neck and did zilch for fleas.

I ended up wiyh an epidemic of fleas in the house before I discovered the spot on treatments and house spray from the vets.

Stronghold all the way for ages now.
Title: Re: Flea Collars- Am I wrong?
Post by: MrsR on April 18, 2008, 09:59:24 AM
Ive had that when I have told someone in a supermarket about flea collars and the Bob Martin flea product thinking Im helping and they looked at me as if I'd grown two heads also!