# Fleas while on Revolution?!



## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

Hi everyone,

A new issue has cropped up in the Saga of Wintressia The CRF And Various Other Health Issues Kitty: Fleas!

Win has been on Revolution for years now, and most of the time, we've had no problems. The last time I applied the Revolution was on August 31st. Her next application was due at the end of this week.

She is an indoor-outdoors cat and is outdoors during the day. She mostly stays in the backyard.

A couple of weeks ago, there were two strays hanging around my house. One, a kitten, was infested with fleas. I did not let the kitten have any direct contact with Win. The other stray, a male, was hostile towards Win, and they mostly avoided each other for a few days until I found his owner and reunited them. I'm not sure if he had fleas or not.

I sometimes let Win into the house for a few hours at night (she stays in the garage at night otherwise.) Last night, I found a sluggish flea on my sleeve. I killed it and didn't really think much about it, basically thinking it was an itinerant flea that had been dosed with the Revolution in my cat's body and was dying.

However, today, my boyfriend told me that he was covered in flea bites. I went out and brushed Win with a flea comb, and found several very active definitely-not-dying fleas. It's been less than 4 weeks since her last Revolution dose, and yet she's infested with very healthy fleas!

I dosed Win with Revolution again last night. I think the problem MAY be Win's fur. She has very thick, soft fur that seems as though it's 100% downy undercoat. It's as if she doesn't have guard hairs at all; her fur is completely dense. I can't see her skin at all if I try to part the fur. Since Revolution needs to be absorbed into the bloodstream and thus applied on the skin, it's possible that I've been borking the application by getting too much of it on her fur and not enough on her skin.

Last night, I shaved a small portion of her neck just in front of her shoulder blades. >_> It was the only way to expose her actual skin. I applied the Revolution directly to the skin patch.

Of course, now I think I've got a flea infestation in my house, since she was indoors for a while before I realized she had fleas. I've already washed all Win's bedding and blankets, and vacuumed several times. I applied Diatomaceous Earth to the nooks and crannies of the living room (the only room Win is allowed into). I don't think I can possibly treat the entire backyard since it's huge, so I'll try to at least treat the areas Win frequents the most. My boyfriend is also pretty upset about the whole situation, since now he's not sure if he "brought" any fleas back to his own house and started an infestation there.

I'm also not sure how to treat the garage. I am hesitant to flea-bomb it, and since I share the home with my family (who barely tolerate my "sick" cat's presence), I can't do anything too extreme - if they find out my cat has fleas, they'll probably suggest I euthanize her. (They do not like my cat.) Any suggestions? :/

Has anyone had any experience with Revolution not working? Is there another treatment out there I should try instead? Is it worth taking her into the vet to get a Capstar tablet as well, just in case?

Thanks for any suggestions :}


----------



## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

I have heard that the widespread use of these chemicals are creating fleas that are immune/tolerant to it. They treated my foster kittens with advantage at the shelter and they still had fleas a week later...
I would not suggest using more than the recommended dosage or giving it more often than once a month. THese are very harsh chemicals and can do a lot of harm to your cat if given in too high of a dosage. You could try switching to a different brand, but I would wait a while before giving her anymore treatments. 

Basically what I am trying to say is DO NOT assume that the chemicals were not absorbed into her skin just because the fleas are not dead.

Sorry I dont have more suggestions as to what does work, I have just seen what happens when cats are poisoned by flea meds and it is not pretty.


----------



## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

They could be resistant to Revolution now. We're still using Advantage II without issue though. I don't think many people use Avantage II or Frontline Plus in the area. I always see people buying the Hartz brand crap.

You might try one of the newer flea medications like spinosad (Comfortis) or spinetoram (Assurity for Cats). I've not tried them and I'm not sure what the rate of adverse effects is. Both are prescription so you would have to discuss it with your veterinarian.


----------



## Leivies_Lavish_Cat_Lounge (Dec 16, 2010)

I am a firm believer in Revolution, I LOVE it and Frontline doesnt even compare with killing fleas let alone all the other stuff Revolution kills. I also believe that monthly flea treatments just cant keep up with indoor/outdoor cats. I mean there out hunting in tall grass and forests where there are lots of other animals and nasty pests. With indoor/outdoor cats you just have to get used to the idea that they are never 100% parasite free. First time they eat a mouse after being dewormed they are probably infected again. *Shrugs* My 4 are completely indoors and I use Revolution 4 times a year (twice back to back) just to make sure the fleas are dead. I never had a problem with fleas until I brought home a new kitten and treated all 4 of them with Frontline (even though the original 3 were flealess). **** Frontline failed! I would hold Wu and pet her while getting bit! Little buggers... Back to Revolution again!


----------

