This post is sponsored by Bayer / Seresto and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Seresto product, but Mom Knows It All only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Bayer / Seresto is not responsible for the content of this article.
If you’ve been on my Twitter profile or my Facebook page then you’ve probably noticed my avatar picture, the one you see just above. Those are two Himalayan cats that I rescued many, many years ago. It didn’t take long to fall madly in love with them. It also didn’t take long to discover that they had fleas. And when I say they had fleas, I mean they had them bad. I was willing to treat them myself but knew they needed to be clean before doing so. The older of the two had been timid since the day we got him and frightened easily. He was not a fan of baths in the sink, as I discovered. So I decided to take him to a nearby groomer that has been around for years that we knew to do a great job.
It was a Saturday morning. I put the cat in the carrier, set off flea foggers in the house and made my way to the groomer. After dropping him off I ran some errands, since the house was still being fogged. In the middle of my errands my phone rang. It was the groomer, totally distraught. She was calling to tell me that my cat had passed away. She felt that he’d been so nervous about the grooming that he’d probably had a heart attack. She was beside herself and was sobbing, explaining to me that she’d even tried mouth to mouth and kitty cpr and just couldn’t get him back. My heart broke. I went and picked him up so I could say goodbye. That’s when I learned how badly fleas can hurt. They can bite and make you itch. They can make your pets sick with flea anemia (which we learned the other cat had), amongst other conditions. And unfortunately, they can kill and they can break your heart.
I don’t want to have to deal with the fallout of another death that happened too soon. Last time it was just me. This time I have kids, and they’re just as attached to Dobby and Jules as I am. So I try very hard now to be sure that we don’t get fleas in the house. Ticks are also an issue now that we have Dobby, because he does go out in the yard, which has trees. So, the ideal flea and tick prevention product would prevent and fight fleas and ticks, and be easy to use. I’d say that a collar fit that description.
Seresto is a collar that provides your dog or cat with flea and tick protection for eight months. That’s pretty straightforward, right? Seresto for dogs won the Better Homes and Gardens New Product Award. That particular award is voted on by readers of Better Homes and Gardens out of a pool of various products. So that’s real people like you and I voting on what works. I don’t know about you but I like trying products that the regular public has voted on, because I know they’re like me – regular people. We’re currently testing the Seresto collar on Dobby to see for ourselves how it works. Be sure to check back to see how it went.
Do you have a family member that’s a pet? That’s how it works, we fall in love with our pets and they’re family. You know I’m right. Well, if you’re looking for a great resource to find a pet community and answers to your questions then be sure to check out PetParents.com.
Do you have pets? How do you handle flea and tick prevention?
We have two dogs and luckily we have never had an issue with ticks or fleas in either of them. We have been taking preventative measures since they were both puppies and it’s always paid off!
When I was little I can remember our cat getting fleas and it was an awful experience. The cat was miserable, we were miserable, and my poor mother had to essentially give the house a bath and sanitize everything. It was not good. Protecting pets from fleas and ticks is a GREAT idea – no a MUST!
It is so important to take care of our fur babies. Great info in your post.
We live in a wooded area and I truly do worry about my dog, Milo, getting ticks. So far so good and I want to keep it that way!
I don’t have any pets, but one apartment we rented was full of fleas. I guess the previous tenants must have had animals. We treated it and then the problem was over, but it was a nightmare.
I have 2 dogs and a cat. My flea and tick prevention is handled by my vet. I get the drops for them. I buy in bulk so I get a rebate.
My dog caught leas recently and tit is a pain to get rid of. I have given him baths everyday to get rid of that nasty stuff
Fleas not leas 🙂
We check my mom’s dog often for ticks. And she gets a monthly flea medicine. Our cat is an indoor cat, and luckily has never had a problem with fleas. (We’ve also never had to bathe her. We’re fairly lucky.)
We just found a tick on our dog, which is how we discovered his flea and tick drops had worn off. We usually buy our pet supplies at PetsMart.
Both my dogs and also my cat have the flea and tick collars and we also use a drop solution on them and also check them for ticks often.
8 months is a wonderfully long time for it to work, hurrah for Seresto. And I can see easily why you fell in love with your two pretty cats. Yep, I can! 🙂
Flea protection is a must! Can’t even let one of those little buggers in or you will have a huge problem in no time!
We adopted our Husky Bella from the shelter right before Christmas this past year, I have always heard stories about fleas and ticks and she LOVES being outside so I keep her on a monthly regimen to keep the nasty buggers at bay!
That’s so sad, I’m sorry about your kitty. Staying on top of flea prevention and treatment is so important, and it’s not hard to do. Thank you for helping spread this message!
That is so sad. We think this is what happened to one of our cats. We use a medication on him, but it wasn’t enough.
We need to do a better job about protecting. Thanks for sharing this product and reminding me.
No pets…but I have heard horror stories about ticks being an issue. Look the word ticks make me itch…so anything that can give a solution is a good idea!
Is that photo of the two adorable or what?? I do keep my pets flea and tick free.
How adorable is that photo of both of them?? I do keep my pets tick and flea free!
How adorable is that photo of both of them?? I do keep my pets tick and flea free!
I’m sorry about your kitty. I have two dogs and live in a wooded area, so flea and tick prevention is really important to me.
The photo of the two of them together is just precious. Flea and tic protection is vital!
Your babies look so cute. This collar sounds great.
We do a variety of things to get meds for our dogs. Sometimes the vet and sometimes 1-800-Pet-Meds. It’s very important to keep these pesky pests off our furry friends. In fact, this post is reminding me it’s about time to order some new meds.
Ticks are really bad in our area and I’m so worried about our dog. What a sad story about our cat 🙁 It’s so hard when we love our pets so much and something happens to them!
Baths, colors, and/or medication
I am so sorry you lost your kitty. I have four dogs and two cats and I am very diligent when it comes to fleas and ticks. I use Advantage on my furbabies and it works fabulously. No fleas on anyone!
Ticks are scary. We have noticed a few on our pets recently. Thanks for the tips!
Aww, poor kitty 🙁 That makes me sad 🙁 I didn’t realize fleas could be that bad. That’s just awful.
That is so sad! I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. It is so important to do everything you can to prevent unnecessary pet illnesses.
I love the photo of your cat and dog together. We do not have any pets, but think flea and tick prevention is very important.
I’m so sorry for your loss, as a pet owner I can imagine how much it hurt to loose a pet that way. I didn’t realize that fleas could be that bad.
It’s tough to think of our pets getting so sick from pesky bugs! Prevention is key to a healthy best friend!
I’m so sorry for your loss. How sad, my heart would break too. Our inside cat got fleas for the first time and it was terrible. I felt so bad for the little guy. I’m glad we caught it early after hearing your story.
We don’t have pets, but yours are adorable. Sorry to hear about your loss and thanks for sharing.
I am so sorry for the loss of your cat Valerie. I have two dogs and quite honestly I was shocked to read that they could potentially die from fleas and ticks! They are mainly house dogs but we do go to the park and take them with us upstate every now and again. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It has made me more aware. And, again my condolences. {{Hugs}}