When it comes to flea & tick meds I never use anything other than what my vet recommends, I'm afraid of using anything off the store shelf, thats just me. I'm sure others will have better advice for you. The forum is a little slow on the weekends so hang in there.
Christine

One summer I watched as my neighbor tried one "natural" non-toxic cure after another...all ineffective, and her dog suffered all summer with fleas. she spent as much in oils, Brewer's yeast, diatomaceous earth as she would have for something from her vet that actually worked.

Go to your vet and get the real deal. Yes,the pharmaceutical company makes money. So do the salesmen pitching natural cures that do nothing.

I'll just add here (as someone who practices natural medicine and avoids toxicity whenever possible) that you can use Frontline and that sort of thing on an "as needed" basis, even though they'll try their darnedest o sell it to you as a monthly thing you have to do.

Dont know where you are, but here it's really only 1 or 2 months this time of year when it can really get bad (and then some years arent as bad as others) so thats when I might use it on my cats. Another part of that strategy is frequent thorough vacuuming throughout the year, bordering on OCD - esp iafter you dose the cats, its important to get the nasty buggers and their eggs entirely out of your house. GOOD LUCK!!!

To add to Kasha's post:

After you vacuum, seal the bag in plastic and throw it out, or store it in the freezer for your next use. Fleas are remarkable in that the pupae (last stage before the adult flea emerges) can sit dormant for a couple years waiting tor the right temperature and humidity to emerge. Eggs can hatch in a couple days or a few weeks. Vacuuming doesn't kill them, though, so it's important not to just leave that bag on your vacuum.

Once your house is flea-free, if you keep your cat indoors, you may never have to deal with them again.

This post was edited by evaf555 on Sat, Aug 31, 13 at 9:52

A trick I used for the vacuum when we had a bout of fleas a few years back... I cut a cheap flea collar into 2 inch strips & inserted that into my vacuum bag or canister. That will kill hatching eggs.

I also bought a flea powder that we used on the carpet - not a pesticide but maybe it was Boric acid that desiccates hatching fleas.

Good luck!