Advantage II From Bayer for Cats 5-9 Pounds - Keeping My Little Lady Flea-Free

Last summer we had a problem with fleas like I never had before.  Despite the advice to get an exterminator in, I managed to get it under control without one.  What helped was using flea medication on my indoor cats as well as the dogs who went in and out.  I didn’t need tick and mosquito prevention for the cats, and I hate to over-medicate anyone.  After not getting anywhere with Frontline, I tried Advantage II from Bayer. 

My girl kitty, Lilo, is tiny.  For her, I needed the Advantage II for 5-9 pound cats.  Once a month I applied the contents of the tube on the back of her neck.  I never had a problem with fleas on her that I know of.  The two dogs and one of the cats had the worst issues.  As long as I used the Advantage II, I never had a problem with fleas on her. 

Advantage II advertizes that it will stop biting fleas in less than 5 minutes and 98% of fleas within 12 hours.  It also kills all flea life stages including flea eggs and larvae to prevent infestation.  The active ingredient is imidacloprid which is different from Frontline which contains fipronil.  Imidacloprid works on a flea’s nervous system to cause paralysis and death.  The secondary ingredient, pyriproxyfen, works on the flea eggs to prevent them from hatching. 

Advantage II is designed to control existing infestations of fleas as well as prevent new ones.  This formula level I can’t say for sure that it stopped fleas that were already there.  I know the formula designed for the cats who weigh more did work fine on my other cats.  My cats stay inside and generally don’t get bathed, so the water resistance that’s touted on the box isn’t something I can testify to either.  However, after last year I am taking no chances and already getting ready to order flea prevention for this year.  This product will be what I use on my Lilo. 

If you have indoor cats where you don’t have to worry about ticks but want to make sure they don’t harbor any fleas that might come in from the outside, Advantage IIis a great product just for that.  It’s not cheap, with a four month supply coming in at around $37 from Petco.  However, I found the results from the cheaper products to be a case of getting what you pay for.  At this point, I wouldn’t chance what happened last year by using anything else.