# Best flea treatment and...is it cruel to have only one cat?



## Nellie's Mom (Dec 26, 2009)

Hello everyone! :cat
I've been using Frontline on Nellie and it's not working very well. Even though she doesn't go outside, she is allowed to go onto the screened-in porch. I'm guessing that the fleas are coming in through the screening. I flea comb her every day and I'm finding quite a few fleas on her. 
I've tried Advantage in the past with about the same results so I'm looking for something different. Any advice or preferences??

I also wanted to touch on something. Is it cruel to have only one cat? She is (like I said) an indoor only cat so her only intereaction is with us. She gets lots of attention from us but I wonder if she is missing interactions with her own species? I don't really want another cat to be honest...not only do we spoil her but she has spoiled us because she is so well behaved (like she never gets up on the countertops or tables)....what do you think?

Thanks!!! :blackcat


----------



## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

No, it's not cruel to only have one cat. As long as she's getting attention, she should be fine. It depends on the cat's personality too. I have 2 cats now but my prior 2 (in succession) were only cats. 

I don't really know about the fleas.


----------



## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

It's not cruel for you to refrain from getting another cat. Although some cats would do better with company or alone, most cats can be happy in a single-cat home or with another cat. It sounds like Nellie is quite content on her own, given that you're giving her lots of attention and she's not getting into all sorts of mischief. So, if you don't want another cat, then I'd just stick with Nellie. 

I don't know much about flea treatments, so I can't help you there.


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Single cats are just fine. She sounds very content.

I would get some cat-safe flea spray and spray your porch thoroughly, keeping Nellie inside for a couple days so they can die off. Maybe that would help.


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

MowMow is an only cat. I don't think he suffers at all, however I do. 

Since I seem to be his only playmate he's always bugging me to play, cuddle, snuzzle, and nap with him. He talks to other cats out the window when he sees them but when I've cat sat for friends he always seems happy to see them go away again.


----------



## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

One of my cats would prefer to be an only cat, her little step sister is too energetic for her.

There are probably fleas and flea eggs in your carpet and thought your house. I used "fleabusters" to get them out of my house.


----------



## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

Yup, I second what everyone else says about one vs. two cats. It totally depends on the cat. Some would likely prefer to be an only cat. 

My cat indicated his need for a play buddy by being destructive, always getting into trouble, jumping on counters, etc. which all stopped as soon as we got another cat, but the fact that yours sounds quite content and well-behaved makes me think she's just fine with only human company.


----------



## Nellie's Mom (Dec 26, 2009)

Thanks everybody for your replies! It's good to know that Nellie will be fine as an only cat! I do want to make sure she is happy, you know? As her servant I do believe it's part of my job :cool

I never thought of spraying the porch duh!! Not only will I spray that but I will put something down around the outside area too...that should cut back on the fleas!

Thanks!!!


----------



## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

I'll pretty much second what everyone said here. I've never dealt with cat fleas, but my dog had them once...just make sure you clean everything thoroughly (cat beds, blankies, even toys) so you get all the eggs, and Marie's suggestion of spraying the porch down is a good idea...keep the fleas out for good! 

Don't stress about a second cat. It's all dependent on your cat's individual personality. Some cats like the company, others just want all the love for themselves. Even if your cat does get along with other kitties, don't feel badly about only having one...if Nellie (*love *that name!!) is happy being a single cat, and you have the ability to give her more than enough love, attention, and play-time that she needs, then I think thats absolutely more than enough.  In my experience with my girls, my first kitty Samantha *needed *a friend because she's so social, so we got Rochelle. That was something we could tell within the first week of bringing her home. Rochelle, on the other hand, could very well be an only cat because she has the tendency to be skittish, but she's so in love with her little buddy Alice, that I think she'd be sad without her friends.


----------



## tigressbythetail (Dec 1, 2010)

I guess what works must be a regional thing or something. I have multiple indoor/outdoor cats and I use Frontline Plus, usually every other month, sometimes less. I accidently ordered Frontline Top Spot one time, not realizing that there was a difference between it and Frontline Plus. If it's not the Plus, then it only kills mature fleas and does not have a growth inhibitor that kills flea eggs and larvae. With Topspot, I continued to see fleas on the bratz. With Plus, I might see an occasional flea but it will die and that will be that. No eggs and larvae to infest the house.


----------



## tigressbythetail (Dec 1, 2010)

PS Sometimes I desperately wish I had an only cat. I think many of mine wish it too.


----------

