Kitten flea prevention

The fleas you see on your kitten can account for as little as 5% of the total flea population that may be hidden in their fur! Cats do not pick up fleas from other cats, but from the environment. If your kitten has fleas, this will need to be managed with a flea treatment and environmental clean.

Paralysis ticks

Paralysis ticks are most prevalent along the east coast of Australia in bush land and can occur up to 20km inland from the coast. Female paralysis ticks release toxins from their saliva into the bloodstream of the cat, causing paralysis. Symptoms in cats include incoordination, an altered voice and excessive drooling. If left untreated, respiratory paralysis will occur, which is life threatening. Treatment involves removing the identified tick and providing tick antiserum. Treatment cannot reverse the paralysis, so intensive care is needed to support your cat through their long recovery. Prevention is best.

Flea prevention

There are many options to prevent fleas and ticks. For flea prevention, we recommend Advantage for Cats (can be given monthly from 2-weeks old) or Advocate for Cats (can be given monthly from 9-weeks old). For fleas and paralysis tick, we recommend Bravecto Plus for Cats (can be given every 2-months from 9-weeks old).

Prevention products

There are many products out there to protect your cat against parasites. Some are multi-coverage (meaning they protect against both internal and external parasites), while others may be focused on one or the other. To make your decision, consider what you want to protect against, how often you want to treat your cat, how you want to treat your cat (e.g. topical vs. oral treatment) and the cost of the available products.

You should never use dog flea or tick preventatives on cats!