Vet-found flea eggs in your cat? What to use

Good news that your vet caught this early — flea eggs found during a routine exam means you're ahead of a full infestation, but you do need to act promptly. Before anything else, it's worth flagging something critical about cat flea treatment: permethrin and certain other insecticides that are completely safe for dogs are toxic to cats, and using the wrong product — including some spot-ons labelled for dogs — can be fatal. So it's really important to use something formulated specifically for cats. Can you tell me how old and how heavy your Abyssinian is, whether you've seen any live fleas on them or just the eggs the vet found, and have you treated your home yet?

Perfect — that weight puts her comfortably in the standard adult cat range, so dosing is straightforward. At 4.5kg and with only eggs found so far, you're in a good position: the infestation hasn't taken hold yet. I'd recommend Advantage 80 for cats — it's the correct formulation for cats over 4kg, contains imidacloprid rather than permethrin so it's completely safe for cats, and it kills adult fleas within 24 hours and disrupts the larvae cycle too. It's a Bayer product, widely trusted, and your vet will recognise it immediately. One spot-on applied to the back of her neck now, and then monthly going forward. What I would also say: roughly 95% of a flea infestation lives in the home rather than on the cat — in bedding, carpet, and soft furnishings. Given the eggs the vet found, treating the home in parallel is important.

Everywhere she goes, really — not just her bed. Fleas lay eggs on the cat, but those eggs fall off onto carpets, sofas, and floorboards throughout the house. For the home I'd use Indorex Defence Household Flea Spray — it's the one most vets and nurses reach for. It contains permethrin and pyriproxyfen: the permethrin knocks down adult fleas, and the pyriproxyfen is an insect growth regulator that stops eggs and larvae developing for up to 12 months. One can treats up to 100 square metres. The key rule: keep your cat out of treated rooms until the spray has fully dried, usually a couple of hours. Once it's dry, it's safe for her.

Yes, Advantage 80 is available over the counter — no prescription needed. You can buy it on Amazon UK or from most pet retailers. Just make sure you're selecting Advantage 80 for Large Cats (over 4kg) rather than the Advantage 40 version, which is for smaller cats. The packaging is similar so it's worth double-checking before you order. One pipette per month, and you should start seeing results within a day of the first application.