Advocate for cats, Revolution, Advantage, Frontline, Bravecto, Nugard – the options for parasite protection for our pets is seemingly endless. With so many different brand names to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know that you’re selecting the right one for your pet.
While we always recommend discussing parasite protection with your vet, we believe it’s important that pet owners feel confident in their own knowledge as well. After all, not every product requires a prescription, and the over-the-counter options are growing rapidly.
So, if you’re eager to learn how to choose the best parasite protection for your favourite feline and save money in the process, let’s get started!
Personalised Prevention
Every cat is purrfectly unique which means that parasite protection should be personalised to a few individual factors to ensure its safe and effective. These include your cat’s age, lifestyle, weight and treatment type.
Age
Protecting your cat from parasites is one of the best ways to keep them healthy and thriving through every stage of their life. The important takeaway is that many of the diseases caused by parasites are preventable with regular treatment from an early age.
Your cat’s age will determine which product you choose and the frequency of treatment. The key difference between flea and worm treatments formulated for cats and kittens is whether your feline is under six months of age or over six months and entering adulthood.
Lifestyle
Your cat’s daily lifestyle may expose them to additional risks, such as tapeworm if they eat raw meat and ticks if they are free to roam outdoors. Different parasites lurk in different environments, so you need to consider which parasites should be treated.
Broad parasite protection is recommended to cover as many common parasites as possible, including fleas, intestinal worms, heart worm, lung worm and ear mites. Even if your cat is kept strictly indoors, it’s important to consider all potential parasite threats.
Weight
It’s dangerous to give your cat or kitten any form of parasite treatment without carefully checking their current weight. Before administering any treatment, weigh your cat on accurate scales to determine the correct dosage they need.
Both overdosing and underdosing your cat pose serious risks to their health. On one hand, parasite treatment is wasted if your pet doesn’t receive the full dosage and an overdose can lead to life-threatening consequences without immediate veterinary intervention.
Treatment Type
Parasite treatments range from spot-ons, tablets and pastes, to collars, shampoos and sprays. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, and your preference will depend on what works best for you and what your cat is willing to tolerate.
The reality is that no single parasite treatment protects against every parasite in cats, so you’ll likely need to pair two products if you want to cover all bases in regard to fleas, ticks and worms. But there are two products available that come close!
Advocate for Cats vs Nugard
Now that we’ve covered the four key factors to personalising prevention to your fluffy friend, let’s take a closer look at the difference between brand name and generic, and if one truly outperforms the other in terms of efficacy and cost.
When you walk into a pharmacy today, it’s common for the pharmacist to ask you this question: “would you prefer brand name or generic?” For many of us, we’ve become comfortable with the idea that lower cost doesn’t mean lower quality.
Thankfully, new parasite treatments are emerging that offer the same benefits to our pets! One example of a powerful parasite prevention is Nugard, which is an Australian Owned generic Advocate for cats. It packs the same punch in terms of active ingredients for a cheaper price.
Both products protect against a wide spectrum of parasites in cats, including fleas and flea larvae, heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, lungworms and ear mites. Additionally, both products comply with the same strict standards enforced by the APVMA.
What this means is that you have the freedom to choose a parasite treatment that offers the same protection to your cat at a more affordable price. If you’re interested in learning more about brand name versus generic, you can read our blog on the topic here.
Protect your cat with our vet recommended generic Advocate for cats, Nugard! Our Nugard range includes Nugard for Kittens and Small Cats up to 4kg and Nugard for Large Cats over 4kg. Your search for the better alternative is over with Nugard. Shop the range now!
