why don't flea collars work?

Question

heh, you try giving him a bath...

by the way, if you have a thumbsdown rating, you may have gotten it from me. i honestly can't believe the vapid morons that spend their time wasting space.

Answer 1

The old kind (pre-1980s) worked. It was a thick black medallian (with holes) that hung from the cat's collar. Inside the medallian was a massive amount of anti-flea guard. I used them on my cats, and there was never a flea on them.

People couldn't stand them because the cat always had a terrible stink from the flea guard, and because the black medallians were really ugly. So they were discontinued and replaced with the ones on the market now.

Answer 2

Hi there...flea collars are not as effective because some of the insecticides don't kill the fleas rather avert them to jump away from the cat onto the floor which only returns once the collar loses it's potency. Unfortunately, many of the over the counter flea products ...collars included are very toxic causing bad burns, seizures or worse fatalities. Several companies are embroiled in class action suits because of these incidences. (Please see the following website about one lawsuit against Hartz: http://www.hartzvictims.org/index.php

One of the more effective flea repellants are either Frontline or Advantage...place the drops behind the shoulder blades once a month, which is absorbed into the bloodstream rather than surface only like a collar.

Answer 3

They usually do work but only on a small area of the animal where the collar is. If you're having problems giving him a flea bath, you should try one of these:
Advantage
Frontline
Revolution
All are very effective and you only have to apply once a month(just a couple of drops between the shoulder blades). Talk to your vet and they can help you choose the best one for your cat.

Answer 4

Because all they appear to do is send the fleas down the other end of the animal where there is less chemical. Personally, they don't work, try cutting the collars up and put some in the vacuum bag, one or two pieces under the sofa, and maybe some where the animal/s sleep?
If you add some crushed garlic to your animals food, this will keep the number of fleas at bay. Luck to you all.

Answer 5

Treat the environment, NOT the cat!!!

If fleas are in the environment, or your cat goes outside, then the fleas are going to keep hopping onto him. The flea collar pesticides need time to work.

Flea collars can be LETHAL to your cat because most do not come with safety breakaways, so your cat can get stuck and strangled by them. Cats can have irritations and allergic reactions to them as well.

To get rid of fleas in your house, vacuum all baseboards, carpets and upholstery, then bring the vacuum bag to the OUTSIDE trash, so the fleas don't crawl back out. Hot-water-wash all sheets, blankets, clothing, bedding, cat beds, and other soft goods with a strong soap. Treat all surfaces including furniture and mattresses with flea spray or powder -- the kind safe to use on cats, not household pesticides!

Give your cat a flea bath and comb him out thoroughly with a flea comb, drowning any critter-ites in a dish of soapy water. Treat the back of his neck with Advantage or Frontline. Consult your vet for treatment against tapeworms, which come from fleas.

Keep your cat inside so he doesn't bring in more fleas so you have to keep doing this!

Answer 6

Wow you really got some weird ones answering your questions tonight. Must be a full moon or the relationship questions are boring. So sorry about that. I just brought home a stray and put a flea collar on her until I could take her to the Vets. He said the chemicals on the flea collars contain really bad chemicals. I think someone wrote about it a few answers above me. Check it out. Bad like when they like themselves or something. Good luck

Answer 7

Well mainly because there just around the neck so the fleas will just head to other parts of your pet the best thing to do is since your pet is a cat it can't be dipped so buy a flea shampoo preferably Adams tick and flea bath him and then wait two weeks and use one of the flea and tick medicines that you put between their shoulder blades.

Answer 8

Well I think its because they only work in a small area. I notice that my dad's pets have the fleas most around there tail area because its away from the collar

Answer 9

That would be like you putting insect repellent only on your neck, and expecting that to protect the rest of your body from bites.

Answer 10

2 points