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My cat has fleas. Which is better: Advantage or Frontline?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 3 years and 7 months old | 9 lbs

My cat has fleas. Whats better advantage or frontline?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 15, 2018

They are both equally as good for controlling fleas. Some people prefer one versus the other, but as far as the evidence goes they both work well to kill fleas. Frontline has the advantage that it also kills ticks. The advantage II also has this capability though. You may consider getting them both and seeing if you see a difference form month to month.

Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the cats and environment for fleas:

https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/

I hope that helps and all is well with Luci.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Published on February 25, 2018
Frontline Plus is meant to be used as a single dose applicator for an individual animal. It is not recommended to split doses since it is exceedingly easy to over or under dose animals. If you are looking to use Frontline in a more cost-effective manner for multiple animals, I would instead consider using a Frontline spray ( https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15694 ). That said, I do not find Frontline to be among the more effective flea preventatives on the market currently, and I generally recommend using Advantage, Comforts (prescription-based), Bravecto (prescription-based), or Revolution (prescription-based) instead. I hope this helps and that all goes well!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on October 10, 2017
Yes that sounds like you cat might be having fleas so no harm at all if you want to start the treatment with appropriate dosage of one of the two.
I would suggest to go for Advantage though as Frontline seems not working so well at the moment.

Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on July 3, 2018
Poor kitty! It does sound like the Advantage may be causing some skin irritation when it's applied, so I agree that it would be a good idea to try something different next month to see if he tolerates this better.

It's true that Frontline does not work well in my experience, so I would recommend trying Revolution or Bravecto instead - you can get these from your veterinarian, and both are very safe and effective.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

My cat still has fleas after Advantage. What flea treatment can I use?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, you may in about 5-6 days. However, I would highly recommend you use a stronger and likely more efficacious product. There are plenty of flea products in the market and a lot of them are very effective. I prefer Bravecto and Frontline plus. You can pick one of those products. The nice thing about Bravecto is that it is very effective and it is only applied once every 3 months. You can also use a product called Capstar along with one of the previously mentioned products which can help kill a lot of fleas at once. Remember to vacuum all the surfaces that have contact with your pup regularly. This is very likely going to work well. Good luck and have a great day!

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

Cat losing fur, itching, and fleas. Is Advantage or Bravecto better?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thankfully, you have a few options here. I recommend you consider using a product called Capstar which is to kill a lot of fleas at once to complement a flea preventative product like Advantage. You can go ahead and give another dose of Advantage now as well. I would not give up on Advantage just yet. Continue to use it for now as this flea may be was a one time occurrence and the Advantage was still being effective. Another option is switching to Bravecto now though again Advantage may still be effective so it may be best to exhaust its use. Good luck and have a great day!

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

Cat still has fleas after Frontline. How long to wait for Advantage?

Wait at least one more week. Be sure to apply the liquid directly to the skin, not on the fur. If Cricket has been bathed, or will be bathed, wait at least 2-3 days before or after a bath. These topicals use the oils in the the skin to spread. A bath removes the oils which can affect the treatment. Use the appropriate size for her weight. Don't forget to treat the environment, since most fleas live off of the pet. Vacuum everywhere and dispose of the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately after. Wash all bedding in the hottest water allowable by fabric and dry in the dryer. Use a cat safe area treatment to prevent reinfestation.

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog's Frontline Plus isn't working. Should I switch to Advantix?

The difference is that Advantix kills and repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, kills lice and also repels biting flies. In comparison, Frontline kills but does not repel fleas, ticks or lice and has no effect on mosquitoes or biting flies. Now, that being said, I've also had many cases where Advantix treated dogs still came in with ticks on them and dogs with Frontline had less occurrence of this happening. The spray is for spot treating and is different than using the monthly preventive. Either preventive is fine to use. If you notice ticks still or fleas, then switch to a different product would be my recommendation. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23, 2025

My cat still has fleas after Frontline/Advantage. Are Capstar & lufenuron safe?

I'm sorry you are having such problems with fleas on Kitten! Please keep in mind that when you are treating for fleas, the environment itself has to be treated in order to successfully get rid of them. If you haven't treated your home, then that might by why you are still seeing fleas on Kitten. You can try the lufenuron along with the Capstar, but you will need to disinfect your home. I can give you the flea treatment program I always recommend to see if that helps you. First, I would give the Capstar, and then follow up with either Advantage, Revolution, or the lufenuron. To disinfect the home, wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Good luck!

Updated on September 23, 2025

My cat's flea treatment isn't working. Can I switch brands safely?

I would not use the Advantage so close to applying another treatment. Wait at least 3 weeks since previous treatment. It may still be killing the fleas on the cat, but if fleas are still in the environment, new ones are jumping onto the cats. I would recommend treating the environment to help get rid of fleas more effectively. It will take at least 4 months to get rid of fleas if you are treating ONLY the pets. Make sure all pets are treated as well. Here are some articles for more info. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

Updated on September 23, 2025

Health & Wellness

My cat has flea allergies. What treatments are safe with Advantage?

Advantage treatment is a good start. If your kitty has flea allergies it is necessary to keep fleas from biting her. So: Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment: 1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian (Advantage is fine) and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust. Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas.

Updated on September 23, 2025

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