Is it safe to use a cat flea shampoo 3 days after applying frontline?

I applied frontline to my cats but they are still scratching. Is it safe to use a shampoo as well to kill the fleas?

  • Vetinfo

    By: Erika Raines El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    It is completely safe to use a flea shampoo following Frontline application, but this is not recommended. After applying a topical flea control product you should only wash your cats with soap-free, gentle shampoos or you will end up washing all of the product off of their skin. Most flea shampoos are relatively harsh and will remove any topical flea products that were applied. You can bathe with a gentle shampoo that is labeled as "soap-free" and use the bath plus a flea combing to help remove any fleas that are left, or you can talk to your veterinarian about an oral product known as Capstar that will kill all of the fleas within minutes leaving the Fronline to repel additional fleas.

More Questions on Flea and Ticks

  • What's the best cat flea treatment?

  • My cats's neck has a bump on it.

    My dad and I can't afford to bring my cat to a vet.There's this bubble like bump on the right side of my cat's neck and it is gradually getting bigger. Now, my dads no vet but he thinks that a tick had bit my cat and when she went to scratch it off, its head got stuck in her skin and got infected. He plans to drain it and treat it with an antiseptic (alcohol possibly). Now me, I expect the worst and think since he's not a vet he could make it worse or it's a worse prob. please help. Drain it? Or no?

  • My cat has fleas that are killing him, I've tried Frontline to lemon

    hi i have a 17 month old tabby, he is an indoor outdoor kitty, hes getting skinny in his hine quarters just forward and up of his hine legs. about a month ago he ingested some poison almost died we got him antibiotics since then he hasnt been the same, he has this look in his eyes i cant explain it and hes not as feisty as he was. i have not gotten him the outside shot needed. the fleas are killing him ive tried everything from frontline to lemon juice. i love my kitty can u help thanks denicev

  • How do you get rid of fleas off of kittens

    we rescued a baby kitten from the woods and now he has terrible fleas we want know how we should treat them without spending a lot of money?

  • Home remedies for kittens with fleas?

    4 week kittens have fleas, as well as the mother. Any home remedies I can use? I read that olive oil, baby powder or baby bath soap helps?

  • See all questions in Flea and Ticks

Please do not use our site to attempt to diagnose or treat your pet. Your veterinarian is the best source of health advice for an individual pet.

Please do use our site to become better informed about the medical problems your pet may have. We will do our best to ensure that information presented is accurate and up-to-date. The most current information will be at the top of each page. Remember that veterinarians often disagree about the best treatments for pets. There are often several perfectly acceptable ways to treat the same condition. Just ask a lot of questions!

For all emergency situations, please contact your local Emergency Pet Clinic or on-call Veterinarian. Answers are not provided in real time. We can not guarantee an answer to every question, nor can we provide timely responses to urgent questions in many instances.