Fleas & Ticks For Cats - Upto 15% Off - Animeal

Cat Parasite Treatment: Fleas, Ticks, Ear Mites and Mange

Before anything else on this page: never put a dog flea or tick product on a cat. Not a smaller amount, not half a pipette, not a dog shampoo because it was in the cupboard. Several of the most common dog products cause seizures and death in cats, and it is the single most frequent way a well-meaning owner kills a cat in this category. Everything below assumes you want the cat treated properly, so it starts with what is unsafe, then covers what actually works for fleas, ticks, ear mites and mange.

The Dog Products That Kill Cats

Ingredient	Found in	What it does to a cat
Permethrin	Many dog spot-ons, dog shampoos, dog soaps, household insect sprays	The big one. Cats are more sensitive to pyrethroids than other pets. Causes drooling, twitching, tremors, seizures and death. There is no antidote, only supportive care
Amitraz	Dog mange dips and some tick collars	Not recommended for cats at all. Causes low blood pressure, low body temperature, a slow heart, collapse and convulsions
Deltamethrin and other pyrethroids	Livestock dips and pour-ons, some sprays	Same family as permethrin. Same risk
Organophosphates	Old agricultural dusts and dips	Narrow safety margin, and cats groom off everything you apply
Any dog pipette by size	Anything labelled 10 to 25 kg, 25 to 40 kg, 40 to 60 kg	Even where the drug itself is safe in cats, a dog pipette holds several times a cat's dose

If you have already applied a dog product to your cat, this is an emergency. Do not wait for symptoms. Wash the cat with plain lukewarm water and ordinary dish soap to get the product off, keep it warm, and get to a vet. Bring the packet. Parel is open 24 hours.

Cats in a house where a dog has just been treated can also be affected by grooming the dog or sleeping against it. Keep them apart until the spot has dried, usually a day.

What Is Actually On Your Cat

Parasite	What you see
Fleas	Scratching, black gritty specks at the base of the tail that turn red on wet tissue, and often a bald patch above the tail from overgrooming
Ticks	A grey or brown lump attached to the skin, usually on the head, neck or between the toes
Ear mites	Dark, dry, crumbly discharge like coffee grounds, head shaking, and scratching the ears raw. Very common in kittens and strays, and highly contagious between cats
Notoedric mange, feline scabies	Intense itching, crusting and hair loss that starts at the ear edges and spreads over the face and neck. Very contagious and common in warm climates
Demodex	Patchy hair loss and scaling. Less common in cats, and often a sign of another illness underneath
Cheyletiella, walking dandruff	Large flakes along the back that appear to move. Spreads fast in a group of cats
Lice	Nits glued to the hair shafts. Mostly seen in neglected or very young cats

An itchy cat is not automatically a flea problem. If a proper flea treatment has not worked in a month, stop buying stronger flea products and get the cat looked at. Mites, a food allergy and ringworm all itch too, and ringworm is a fungus that no parasite treatment will touch.

Spot On Flea Treatment and Spot On Flea Control

A spot on is the default for a cat. It goes on the skin at the back of the neck, absorbs, and works for about a month. It beats sprays, powders and collars for cats because there is one small area the cat cannot lick, and because you can dose it accurately by weight.

The three families you will see on this page, all of them safe in cats when the product says cat on it:

• Fipronil, usually with methoprene. Kills adult fleas and ticks, and the methoprene stops the eggs hatching. The workhorse
• Selamectin. Fleas, ear mites, some mites and some worms. Merck lists it as a licensed treatment for both ear mites and feline scabies
• Imidacloprid with moxidectin. Fleas, ear mites, mange mites and some worms. The broadest of the three

How to apply it properly:

1. Weigh the cat and buy the pipette for that weight. Guessing is how cats get underdosed and how owners conclude the product does not work
2. Part the fur at the base of the skull, high enough that the cat cannot turn round and lick it
3. Put it on skin, not fur. Squeeze the whole pipette onto one spot. Product sitting on the coat does nothing
4. Do not bath the cat for 48 hours before or after
5. Keep cats apart for a few hours while it dries, because cats in a household groom each other
6. Repeat monthly. Spot on flea control is a routine, not a one-off. Treating once in a Mumbai monsoon is treating for one third of the problem

Antiparasitic Ear Drops for Cats, and Why a Spot On Often Replaces Them

Ear mites are the most common cause of a black crumbly ear in a cat, and most people go looking for antiparasitic ear drops. Here is what has changed. The licensed treatments for ear mites in cats are now selamectin and moxidectin, and both are spot ons applied to the back of the neck, not drops put into the ear. They reach the mites through the skin.

Ear drops still have a job. A cleaner is used to soften and lift the crusts, which is what actually makes the ear comfortable, and a medicated drop is used when the ear is also infected with bacteria or yeast on top of the mites. That is common and it needs a vet to look, because an eardrum that has been damaged changes what can safely go into the ear. Our ear range is in Eye & Ear Care for Cats.

Three things that catch people out with ear mites:

• Treat every cat in the house, not just the itchy one. Ear mites move between cats easily and an untreated cat reinfects the treated one
• Never poke anything into a cat's ear canal. No cotton buds, no oil, no home remedies. You push the crusts down onto the eardrum
• A head tilt, a loss of balance, or pain when you touch the ear means stop and see a vet. That is deeper than mites

Mange Treatments for Cats

Mange means mites, and in cats it is usually notoedric mange, which is feline scabies. It starts at the edges of the ears, spreads across the face and neck, itches ferociously and is very contagious to other cats. It is more common in warm climates, which includes Mumbai.

What treats it: selamectin and moxidectin spot ons are the licensed options and they are the same products used for ear mites, which is convenient. For feline demodex, newer treatments are used and that is a vet decision.

What must not be used: amitraz, the classic dog mange dip. It is contraindicated in cats. If somebody has recommended a dog dip for your cat's mange, please check with us or your vet before you use it.

Mange is a diagnosis, not a guess. A vet takes a skin scraping and looks at it under a microscope. It takes ten minutes and it tells you which mite you are dealing with, which decides the treatment. Treating a food allergy with a mange product wastes a month, and the cat itches through all of it.

Medicated Bath for Mange: What It Does and Does Not Do

A medicated bath does not cure mange on its own. It removes crusts, calms the skin and reduces the number of mites on the surface, which helps the cat feel better and helps the real treatment work. The cure is the systemic product.

• Lime sulphur dips are the traditional medicated bath for mange in cats and are considered safe and usually effective. They smell strongly of rotten eggs, which is the main reason people avoid them. We do not currently stock one, and we will tell you that rather than sell you a substitute
• Antifungal shampoos, such as ketoconazole, treat ringworm. Ringworm is a fungus and not a mite. If your cat has ringworm this is the right product, and if your cat has mange it is not. See Medicated Shampoo for Cats
• Never use a dog mange shampoo on a cat without checking the ingredients with us first
• Bathing a cat is its own problem. Two people, a non-slip mat, lukewarm water, and stop if the cat is genuinely distressed. A frightened cat that is bathed badly will not let you near it next time

At a Glance

What is here	Cat and kitten spot ons, sprays, powders, soaps and household sprays for fleas, ticks and mites
Main actives	Fipronil with methoprene, selamectin, imidacloprid with moxidectin
Weight bands	Kitten pipettes from 0.4mL, cat pipettes to 7.5kg
Brands	Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis, MSD, Virbac, Intas, Sava Vet, Veko, Petcare, Pazuvet, Vivaldis
Price range	₹132 to ₹1,080
Advice	Free. Call any branch. Parel is open 24 hours

Related: Eye & Ear Care for Cats · Medicated Shampoo for Cats · Dewormers for Cats · Wound & Pain Relief for Cats · Fleas & Ticks for Dogs

Treat the House, Not Just the Cat

The cat carries a small fraction of the problem. The great majority of a flea population is eggs, larvae and pupae sitting in bedding, carpet, sofa seams and floor cracks. This is why people treat the cat, see fleas again a fortnight later, and decide the product failed.

1. Treat every cat and dog in the house on the same day, each with its own species-correct product
2. Wash all bedding at 60 degrees and dry it hot. Yours as well as the cat's, if the cat sleeps on your bed
3. Vacuum every day for two weeks, especially edges, under furniture and along skirting boards. Empty the vacuum outside afterwards
4. Use a household spray on floors, cracks and soft furnishings if the problem is established. Keep the cat out of the room until it has dried
5. Keep going for three months. Pupae can sit dormant for weeks and hatch long after you think it is over

In Mumbai, treat all year. There is no winter that breaks the cycle here, and an indoor-only cat still gets fleas, because they arrive on your shoes and on the dog.

Kittens, Pregnant Cats and Sick Cats

• Kittens have a minimum age and weight for every product, and it differs by brand. Buy the kitten pipette, not a fraction of an adult one. Ask us if the kitten is very small
• Fleas can make a kitten anaemic. A tiny kitten crawling with fleas is a vet visit, not a shopping trip. Pale gums and lethargy are the signs
• Pregnant and nursing cats need a product cleared for that. Tell us and we will check the label with you
• An old or ill cat should be treated on a vet's advice, particularly with kidney or liver problems

What Cat Parasite Medicine Costs

Prices shown are what you pay on the site today.

Type	Roughly
Cat and kitten spot ons, single dose	₹177 to ₹869
Sprays for the cat	₹266 to ₹675
Household and environment sprays	₹1,080
Powders	₹132 to ₹234
Medicated soaps	₹135

A monthly spot on is the cheapest thing on this list once you count the failures. Powders and soaps are cheaper per pack and a cat grooms most of it straight off, so people buy them repeatedly and stay infested. If money is tight, tell us the budget and we will point you at the cheapest thing that actually works rather than the cheapest thing on the shelf.

Buy Cat Parasite Treatment in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai

• Parel, behind KEM Hospital, open 24 hours
• Mahim, behind Kohinoor Square
• Sewri
• Seawoods, Navi Mumbai

Bring the cat's weight. It is the one number that decides which pipette you need. Order online for free delivery above ₹499 in Mumbai and same-day delivery across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

Looking for Something We Do Not Stock?

Ask us and we will arrange it.

• WhatsApp +91 90044 85093 with your cat's weight, age and what you are treating
• Email bark@animeal.in
• Call any branch. Parel is on +91 90041 57093, 24 hours

We will confirm availability and price before you commit. We will not sell you a dog product for a cat, and if what you have been told to buy is unsafe for cats we will say so.

Go to a Vet Now

• A dog flea product has gone on your cat. Do not wait for symptoms. Wash it off with lukewarm water and dish soap, keep the cat warm, bring the packet
• Drooling, twitching, tremors, unsteadiness or a seizure after any parasite product. Emergency
• A kitten with heavy fleas that is pale, cold or floppy. This is blood loss and it kills kittens
• A head tilt, circling, or loss of balance in a cat with ear trouble
• Skin that is raw, weeping, smells bad, or has spreading crusts
• Itching that is unchanged after a month of proper treatment. Not an emergency, but stop buying products and get a diagnosis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best cat parasite treatment?

For most cats, a monthly spot on labelled for cats, chosen by the cat's weight. Fipronil with methoprene covers fleas and ticks. Selamectin and imidacloprid with moxidectin cover fleas plus ear mites and mange mites, which is why they are often the better buy if your cat has ears or skin trouble as well.

Can I use a dog flea treatment on my cat if I use less of it?

No. It is not a dose problem, it is an ingredient problem. Permethrin and amitraz are in many dog products and both are dangerous to cats at any amount. Cats are more sensitive to pyrethroids than other pets and there is no antidote. If you have already done it, wash the cat and go to a vet now.

What are the best antiparasitic ear drops for cats?

For ear mites themselves, the licensed treatments are selamectin and moxidectin, and both are spot ons applied to the back of the neck rather than drops. Ear drops and cleaners still matter for softening crusts and for treating a bacterial or yeast infection on top, but that needs a vet to look in the ear first.

What antiparasitic medication for cats also covers worms?

Selamectin and moxidectin cover some worms as well as fleas and mites, and a few combination spot ons cover tapeworm too. They do not replace a proper dewormer for every worm. Most cats need both, on separate schedules.

What are the mange treatments for cats?

Selamectin and moxidectin spot ons are the licensed treatments for notoedric mange, which is feline scabies and the usual mange in cats. Demodex in cats needs different drugs and a vet's decision. Never use amitraz, the dog mange dip, because it is contraindicated in cats.

Does a medicated bath for mange work?

It helps but it does not cure on its own. It lifts crusts, calms the skin and reduces surface mites while the spot on does the actual work. Lime sulphur dips are the traditional option for cats and are considered safe and usually effective. Antifungal shampoos treat ringworm, which is a fungus and not mange.

How often do I need spot on flea control?

Monthly, all year round in Mumbai. There is no cold season here to break the flea life cycle, and an indoor cat still gets fleas because they arrive on shoes and on the dog.

I treated my cat and the fleas came back. Why?

Because most of the flea population is not on the cat. Eggs, larvae and pupae live in bedding, carpets and floor cracks. Treat every pet in the house on the same day, wash bedding hot, vacuum daily for two weeks, and keep going for three months, because pupae hatch long after you think it is finished.

Can I use a flea powder instead of a spot on?

You can, but cats groom off most of what you put on their coat and swallow it, so powders tend to underperform and get bought again and again. A monthly spot on works out cheaper once you count the treatments that failed.

My cat has a tick. Should I pull it off?

Use a tick hook or fine tweezers, grip right against the skin and pull straight out with steady pressure. No twisting, no burning, no oil, no petrol. If the head stays in, leave it and let it work out rather than digging. Then treat the cat properly, because a tick found is rarely a tick alone.

Can you order a cat parasite medicine you do not stock?

Yes. WhatsApp +91 90044 85093 with your cat's weight, age and what you are treating. We will confirm price and timing before you commit.

Shop More

Eye & Ear Care for Cats · Medicated Shampoo for Cats · Dewormers for Cats · Wound & Pain Relief for Cats · Veterinary Diets for Cats · Fleas & Ticks for Dogs