Introduction: Is Bravecto® Flea Treatment for Cats the Best Choice for Your Pet?
Whether you have an indoor or an outdoor cat, chances are high that your favorite feline has been unlucky enough to attract fleas, resulting in a frenzied trip to the vet and a deep-cleaning of your home.
Preventative measures against fleas and ticks are crucial to keeping your cat healthy, happy, and pest-free.
One of the most popular options for pest control is Bravecto® for Cats—but is it really safe? What are the side effects that come with Bravecto® Topical for Cats? Do Bravecto® for Cats reviews show that you can trust this medication to keep your cat healthy?
In our Bravecto® for Cats review, we’ll take a close look this product—including Bravecto for Cat reviews from actual pet owners—to show you whether Bravecto® flea treatment for cats is both safe and reliable to keep your favorite feline pest-free.
Bravecto® for Cats Reviews
See Also: Bravecto® For Dogs (Reviews) | Is it Safe? Dog Deaths & the Truth About Bravecto®
Bravecto® for Cats Review | What is Bravecto® Spot On for Cats?
Before looking at whether Bravecto® is safe for cats, it’s important to know exactly what the Bravecto for Cats medication is.
Bravecto® for Cats is a flea and tick treatment produced by pharmaceutical company Merck Animal Health. Bravecto® Spot On for Cats is a topical solution that is applied to your cat’s skin on the back of their neck. This solution seeps into the tissues located beneath the skin, and when fleas and ticks bite, they ingest the solution and die within 8 hours.
Perhaps the biggest draw towards using Bravecto® Spot On for Cats is the treatment’s long-lasting capabilities. While many flea and tick treatments last between 3-4 weeks, Bravecto® Spot On for Cats is designed to last 12 weeks, resulting in fewer trips to the vet and greater convenience for cat owners.
As an additional benefit, Bravecto® Topical for Cats will also kill American dog ticks for 8 weeks, making it an attractive remedy for cat owners that also have dogs in the home or nearby.
According to the official product website, the Bravecto® for Cats flea and tick treatment is suitable for kittens and cats that are at least 6 months of age and weigh at least 2.6 pounds.
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Bravecto® for Cats Review | Ingredients & Side Effects
According to the Bravecto® Topical for Cats list of ingredients, the active ingredient is fluralaner, an insecticide (to kill fleas) and acaricide (to kill ticks). While effective at killing pests, fluralaner is a controversial component of Bravecto® for Cats.
Although varying doses of insecticides and acaricides are commonly used in the fields of medicine and agriculture, is Bravecto® safe for cats to use?
Part of answering whether Bravecto for Cats is safe means looking at the recorded side effects of this topical treatment. According to the product website, common side effects reported during clinical trials include:
- Vomiting
- Itching
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Decreased appetite
- Lethargy
- Scabs/ulcerated lesions
While the possibility of experiencing a laundry list of side effects is nothing new for human subjects, the possibility of a beloved pet suffering through vomiting, diarrhea, or lesions can certainly be a frightening thought.
Our Bravecto for Cats review found a few additional—and subjectively, more serious—side effects from outside sources that cat owners should be aware of when considering whether this flea and tick treatment is truly safe for their pets.
For example, the Bravecto® Spot On for Cats listing at 1-800-PetMeds warns that “Neurologic abnormalities have been reported in cats using Bravecto,” including cats that did not have a previous medical history of abnormalities.
Additionally, it is undetermined whether Bravecto® is safe for cats that are breeding, pregnant, or lactating.
Whether a cat could become pregnant in the short-term or the long-term—and the impact of Bravecto for Cats’ side effects—is certainly a consideration that cat owners should take before administering Bravecto® Topical for Cats.
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Bravecto® for Cats Review | Do Other Pet Owners Think Bravecto® is Safe for Cats?
While exploring if Bravecto® is safe for your cats, you may want to consider what other cat owners have said about the product. We looked at numerous Bravecto for Cats reviews from actual owners to see if Bravecto for Cats in the UK and the US is safe from their personal experiences, shown below.
Bravecto® for Cats in the UK
Interestingly, Bravecto for Cats in the UK receives consistently high reviews, with hardly any side effects reported at all.
In fact, any “negative” reviews on Bravecto for Cats in the UK seem to come either from the high cost of Bravecto or the actual application process, with some reviewers stating that the product can easily leak out of the tube.
Compared to US-based reviews, testimonials from cat owners on Bravecto for Cats in the UK were difficult to find. This may mean that the product is simply not as popular yet, or that there have not been enough pet owners that have been motivated to take the time to review the product.
Bravecto® for Cats in the US
Bravecto for Cats reviews from owners in the US are similar, with nearly perfect ratings across the board on Allivet and 1-800-PetMeds.
One Bravecto for Cats reviewer on Allivet states that it is “the best flea and tick control around. All the other types had stopped working on our cats, but this stuff works and lasts for 3 months.”
Similarly, Bravecto for Cats reviews on 1-800-PetMeds praise the product for its long-lasting abilities to repel fleas and ticks, particularly for cats that spend their days outdoors.
Bravecto® Flea Treatment for Cats
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Bravecto® for Cats Review | Why Are So Many Cat Owners Worried About Bravecto® Flea Treatment for Cats?
Despite the product’s overall positive online reviews, there are hundreds of concerned cat owners that are wondering whether Bravecto® is safe to use on their cats.
No Bravecto for Cats review would be complete without addressing the product’s recent history with dog owners: since 2015, there have been thousands of complaints about dogs experiencing seizures, paralysis, liver failure, and even death after taking Bravecto.
While now closed, a petition from Change.org called for Bravecto to be removed from the market entirely, gaining nearly 15,000 supporters. The Facebook group “Does Bravecto Kill Dogs?” has over 38,000 members sharing heartbreaking stories, pictures, and videos about the side effects from Bravecto.
Although it’s important to note that these complaints are centered around ill effects experienced by dogs and not cats, the sheer number of serious illnesses and deaths occurring after administering Bravecto for Dogs can certainly give cat owners pause before purchasing Bravecto for Cats.
Read More: Bravecto® Review (Warning) | The Truth About Bravecto
Conclusion—Is Bravecto® Spot On for Cats Safe & Effective?
Is Bravecto for Cats really the safest way to keep your cat healthy and pest-free, or should you look elsewhere?
Based on Bravecto for Cats reviews, it does appear that the Bravecto® Topical for Cats is safe for use. While the potential side effects should certainly be taken into consideration, few reviews from cat owners report any serious side effects.
However, the serious side effects reported from dog owners who have used Bravecto for Dogs does point to a significant concern—and not just when using Bravecto®, but for any pesticide-based treatment. While effective, these ingredients do create an inevitable health risk for humans and pets alike, which includes Bravecto for Cats.
Although Bravecto for Cats reviews report few side effects, cat owners should perform their own research and exercise caution before purchasing Bravecto for Cats.
Our review found that the company has not made much of an effort to address the severe consequences reported by dog owners, ultimately damaging the brand’s reputation and level of consumer trust, earning Bravecto® Spot On for Cats an overall 3-star rating.
If you have any reservations about using pesticide-based flea and tick treatments for your cat, there are plenty of natural alternatives to consider. While ultimately the decision rests in your hands, we also strongly recommend discussing any questions or worries that you may have about pesticide-based or natural-based flea treatment with your veterinarian to ensure that your cat is happy, healthy, and pest-free.
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Image sources:
- https://us.bravecto.com/for-cats
- https://us.bravecto.com/faq
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