The best flea and tick collars for cats

Collar from blood-sucking insects - the easiest and most effective method of combating parasites. All companies specializing in the release of pet care products produce their own models. But sometimes a cat flea collar does not help. Let's try to understand why this happens and how to choose the right remedy so that it is not just an accessory.Consider how a flea collar works.

The principle of the protective agent

Flea collars for cats work according to the principle used to create shampoo, drops and sprays from blood-sucking insects. In a flexible polyvinyl chloride base, microcapsules are enclosed containing insecticides and repellents that kill adult insects that parasitize the animal’s body and scare away alien ones. It is necessary to stretch the collar several times before using it, as a white coating appears on its surface. This insecticide is partially released from the capsules and the cat flea collar is activated.

Flea collars

The insecticides that are collardied against fleas for cats are organophosphates (tetrachlorinphos, diazinon), peritroids (cyphenothrin, deltamethrin, imidacloprid and flumetrin) amitraz, fipronil and carbamate pesticides. But the principle of their action is the same: upon contact with an insecticide in an insect, the transmission of a nerve impulse through the presynaptic gap of neurons is blocked. The muscle fibers innervated by them are spasticly reduced and cease to function. The paralyzed insect perishes.

Used insecticides are substances of contact-intestinal action. The preparations have a low (3-4) toxicity class and, subject to the safety rules, cannot lead to serious poisoning of the cat.

Important!

Be sure to follow the safety rules. Even though insecticide poisoning occurs very rarely, it is necessary to eliminate the licking and chewing of the collar. To do this, you need to properly adjust the product to the size, the extra strip is cut off. Keep a collar for cats against fleas need to be sealed so that the active substances are not destroyed by air or light.

Some developers add S-methoprene to the capsules, which damages the juvenile hormone involved in the formation of chitin. As a result, an insect at the larva and egg stage develops abnormally and dies.

Reppelents - natural substances from essential oils, plant extracts that scare away cat fleas its smell. The active substances “stick” to the surface of the coat, spread in the lipid layer of the skin as the animal moves, penetrate the hair follicle and the cavity of the sebaceous glands, providing a prolonged insecticidal acaricidal effect.

Criterias of choice

Flea collars

On the shelves of pet shops there is a wide range of protective accessories for four-legged friends. Therefore, the pet owner, confused among the variety of models, asks the question: "how to choose the best?" The collar must fit the neck volume of the animal. They produce products with a length of 35-40 cm. There is a retainer on the tape with which it can be fixed by adjusting by volume. There should be a space of several centimeters between the collar and the cat's neck, so as not to squeeze the neck and bring discomfort to the pet.

Many collars have a peculiar smell, but there are products without smell. Which flea collar is better for cats can be solved only by trying to apply several types. On the package there is a detailed instruction, composition, how the agent acts on the parasites, especially the application. The collars are made of moisture resistant material and the insecticide is not washed off with plain water. Even if the coating was broken, it recovers after a week.

The collar from fleas for cats, the instruction for which recommends the rules of treatment and safety, is a therapeutic and prophylactic agent.But in order to increase efficiency, it is better to wear it on a pet after bathing with a special insecticidal shampoo or other external treatment against blood-sucking insects. How much a flea collar for cats works depends on the number of microcapsules and the type of active ingredient. The standard period of validity is 1-2 months, but there are manufacturers that guarantee the effectiveness of a flea medicine for six months.

Important!

How much to wear a collar, determines the owner of the animal, exploring the cat's fur. But if a pet has an allergic reaction after several days, then the product must be removed and replaced with another model or other means used in external disinsection. If you plan to use the collar for protection from parasites kittenthen you should choose a special model.

Flea collars

The owners of furry pets should ask the seller or the consultant how long the protective accessory begins to work. Some types of insecticides have a delayed, but prolonged action. If you put on a cat such a collar, then it starts to work only after 3-8 hours. During this time, infection may occur.This is especially dangerous when infected with Ixodes. Having stuck into the cat's skin, they will not leave it even after the product is activated.

How to wear a flea collar on a cat - described in the instructions.

Advantages and disadvantages of the tool

Flea collar for a cat has its advantages:

• easy to use;
• can be used if the animal is afraid of water;
• special models are used to protect kittens and pregnant cats;
• insecticide detrimental effect on mites, allowing the animal to shake off the parasite;
• the presence of a collar ensures the safety of the cat when catching homeless animals;
• with constant wear, the animal is protected from blood-sucking insects for a period of 2 to 7 months.

Whether a flea collar helps a cat can only be established after careful observation for several days. There are other disadvantages to this remedy:

• durability may be reduced due to constant wetting;
• a hyperactive animal runs the risk of injury by being caught in a collar;
• whether the collar is effective against fleas depends on the microclimatic conditions, the individual characteristics of the animal, the level of immunity;
• When buying counterfeit cat intoxication is possible with insecticides.

Will the flea collar help if there are already fleas? Judging by the assurances of manufacturers and customer reviews, if the animal will wear it all the time, it will be possible to get rid of the imago in a period of 2-3 days, and then you just have to wait until the larvae hatch from the eggs.

The owner of the pet can decide whether the collar is harmful to his pet. With proper selection and compliance with the recommendations of the instructions for use of the product safely and effectively. A harm can deliver a poor-quality product, or if you put it on when the animal is sick, when the pet is weak. In other cases, the protective accessory will not affect the health of the pussy.

Top Collars Review

Flea collars

On the pet market there are many domestic and foreign, cheap and expensive collars. Here are some models that, according to reviews, received the highest rating:

1. Leopard (AVZ) - the active ingredient fipronil is active against fleas, ticks , lice, mosquitoes. Manufacturer "Agrovetzashchita" (Moscow). Owners of animals say that this collar for cats from fleas and ticks is not inferior in performance to expensive foreign funds,but much cheaper. Has a shelf life of 120 days. Can be used to protect cats aged 2 months. Water resistant.
2. Doctor zoo - manufacturer Zooclub (Russia), contains diazinon, safe and effective, but has a relatively short period of validity - 2 months. Dr. Zoo flea collar does not cause allergic reactions and is inexpensive, so the reviews about it are good.
3. Beaphar - Products of the same name company, which is engaged in the production of homeopathic preparations for animals. The active ingredient is a natural extract of neem. There are products for kittens from 1.5 months and pregnant cats. Almost odorless, does not cause allergies and irritation.
4. Bolfo - prestigious, expensive flea cat collar. Produces "Bayer Animal Health GmbH", Germany. Excellent quality, has several options with different dosages of the active substance, depending on the weight of the cat. Differs in short duration of action - from ticks 2-3 months, the duration of protection against fleas is 120 days.
5. Celandine. It contains permethrin - the active substance, coniferous fragrance, additional components. They accumulate in the hairline and sebaceous glands of the animal, exerting a devastating effect on parasitic insects.
   
   

   Flea collars
6. Hartz- products exist in several versions, have a different color, are effective in combating blood-sucking insects. Hartz 2 in 1 is valid for 5 months and contains tetrachlorinphos. Hartz Control includes not only an insecticide, but also methoprene, therefore, within 5 months it effectively destroys all forms of flea development - eggs, larvae, pupae, and imago. The Long Life modification works only for 90 days, therefore it is recommended to apply it in the months with the most active ticks. It has a reflective strip.

Many options for a flea collar allow you to choose the one that is best suited to a cat, taking into account all the individual characteristics and age. It is impossible to say which of the flea and tick collars listed and existing today for cats is considered the best.

If the owner does not want for any reason to use commercially available flea collars to the cat, then they are not difficult to make yourself. There are many ways to make a flea collar for a cat with your own hands. But there is a simple and natural remedy - tea tree oil, lavender, pine. It is necessary to saturate them with tape from flannel or any hygroscopic material and dry them in air - the collar is ready.

Any flea and tick collar for cats has very different reviews, so it’s best to focus on proven brands or consult a veterinarian. Products have contraindications for use. So the advice of a specialist would be superfluous.