When our cat first started acting erratic, we weren’t sure what was going wrong. She seemed restless, chewing and scratching at herself repeatedly. But after a short time, we realized what the issue was — fleas.
Naturally, this started us on a journey to find the best flea medications for cats. Since we needed something that would work immediately to kill the fleas and continue to work at keeping them away, we decided to try a shampoo.
Unfortunately, the first shampoo we tried was ineffective, which led us to begin our search for the best flea shampoo for cats available. If you’re frustrated with flea products that just don’t seem to subdue the infestation, then hopefully the following 8 reviews will help you find the right shampoo to eradicate your flea problem once and for all.
A Quick Comparison of the Winners in 2023
Image
Product
Details
Best Overall
Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo
Kills flea eggs and larvae
Up to 28 days of protection against flea re-infestation
When testing flea shampoos for cats, only one question drives us — does it eliminate fleas? After trying out many of them, one product stood out as the harbinger of death for the fleas infesting our poor cat, the Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo. Once we started lathering up our feline, the fleas started dropping off almost immediately, a major relief for us!
One of the best things about the Adams Plus shampoo is that it doesn’t just kill the fleas on your cat, it prevents future outbreaks for up to 28 days. It accomplishes this by using an insect growth regulator. Plus, it’s one of the only products that also kills flea eggs and larvae, helping to halt re-infestation in its tracks.
Most of our testers thought the fresh scent of this shampoo was pleasing, or at least acceptable. However, a few were put off by the smell, so individuals who are very sensitive to smell might not like it. But you should appreciate the nourishing extracts added to this shampoo to help condition your cat’s coat. Coconut extract, moisturizing oatmeal, and aloe all leave your cat’s coat feeling and looking amazing and free of pesky fleas.
To conclude, we think this is the overall best flea shampoo for cats this year.
Pros
Kills flea eggs and larvae
Up to 28 days of protection against flea re-infestation
Can be used on any cat 12 weeks or older
Enriched to help condition skin and coat
Cons
The scent isn’t pleasing to everyone
2. Veterinary Formula Flea and Tick Shampoo – Best Value
Looking for the most cost-effective solution to your cat’s flea problem? Well, this shampoo from Veterinary Formula Clinical Care might just be the best flea shampoo for cats for the money. It comes in a large 16-ounce bottle for a cheaper price than most of the similar products we’ve seen. Of course, that wouldn’t mean very much if this shampoo weren’t effective.
Luckily, it’s one of the shampoos we had great luck with. It did an excellent job of curbing the first wave of fleas after a single application. We were also happy with the odor it left behind, which was pleasant and light. Even better, our cat stopped itching almost immediately. Though her skin was red and torn from scratching, it healed very quickly thanks to the aloe and lanolin in this shampoo.
But there was one big problem. Soon, the fleas came back. It took about a week for us to notice our cat scratching again, and we soon found the offending pests. You can use this product every seven days, so we reapplied it with similar results. After carefully reading the bottle, we realized that it doesn’t kill eggs and larvae to end the infestation for good.
Pros
Cheaper than other products
Soothes skin that’s irritated from flea and tick bites
Advantage Flea & Tick Treatment Shampoo is a popular choice, albeit an expensive one. You only get eight ounces in a bottle that costs more than you’d pay for twice the amount of other products. Still, if it’s effective, then we’re willing to pay a premium for it. Thankfully, this product worked well, killing fleas and nearly wiping out the initial infestation.
The Advantage shampoo is a great choice for those with a sensitive nose because it’s completely unscented. A little of the cat-specific shampoo goes a long way, so even though the bottle is small, it should last for a good while. But it’s thin and watery when you first pour it from the bottle, so be careful not to pour out too much and let it go to waste.
As soon as we started lathering this shampoo in our cat’s fur, we could see the fleas start falling off. They continued to die for a couple of hours after the bath, requiring a second rinsing to remove them all. It was a good experience overall, though we’d like to see a bit more product for the price.
We love affordable products, and the Zodiac Flea & Tick Shampoo is one of the most affordable flea shampoos for cats we’ve found. That wouldn’t mean much if it didn’t work, but we had good luck with this product. For the low price, you get a 12-ounce bottle that kills ticks as well as fleas. It also helps to nourish your cat’s coat with infused coconut conditioners.
The first time we used this product, we were disappointed by the lackluster results. But we revisited the directions and realized we hadn’t followed them as accurately as we could have. So, we started again, this time following the directions to the letter. Our results were considerably improved over the first attempt, with most of the fleas dying off in a single wash.
Scents are always an iffy subject because smell is completely subjective. But most of us found this shampoo’s scent to be pleasant, and no one seemed to take offense to it.
In the end, the Zodia Flea & Tick Shampoo was an effective product, but we preferred the Veterinary Formula Flea and Tick Shampoo in our second position which worked better and was priced similarly.
Pros
Affordably priced
Kills ticks as well as fleas
Uses coconut conditioners for a healthy coat
Pleasant scent
Cons
Doesn’t work if you don’t follow the directions carefully
5. Natural Chemistry Flea Shampoo for Kittens & Cats
Many people are attracted to naturally formulated products such as the Natural Chemistry Natural Flea Shampoo. It’s made with plant-based ingredients like cloves, cedar oil, and cinnamon. It’s so safe for cats that it’s the only flea shampoo product we’ve seen that can be applied to any age cat or kitten, even little ones under 12 weeks. While we like this concept, it made us wonder about this product’s effectiveness.
When first washing our cat, we noticed that this shampoo doesn’t lather well. No matter how we worked it, we couldn’t get it to foam up nicely. After the first wash, we noticed a major reduction in the number of fleas on our cat, but they weren’t eradicated. Luckily, this product plays nice with spot-on treatments, so we were able to use another treatment to help kill the remaining fleas.
More than just annoying fleas, the Natural Chemistry Natural Flea Shampoo will also help fight black flies and mosquitos. We’re not sure how well it does against these insects but it’s pretty good at fighting fleas, though far from the most effective we’ve found.
Pros
Made with natural, plant-based ingredients
Also fights black flies and mosquitos
Safe for any age kitten
Safe to use in conjunction with spot-on treatments
Cons
More expensive than other options
Doesn’t lather well
6. Sentry PurrScriptions Plus Tick & Flea Bath for Cats
One big problem with many of the flea shampoos we tried is that they only kill adult fleas. The Sentry PurrScriptions Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo, on the other hand, claims to kill adults, larvae, and eggs. Moreover, it claims to prevent re-infestation after use for as long as 30 days. Of course, if it made good on these claims, it would probably rank higher on our list.
To be fair, this shampoo did kill a lot of fleas right off the bat. But they came back within the first week, so we got nowhere near 30 days of protection. Worse, it left our cat’s skin irritated. After reading the bottle a second time, we saw that this is a common side effect, as well as eye irritation.
We did like how clean and fresh our cat was after bathing in this flea shampoo for cats. But the harsh chemicals are too irritating for a cat’s skin, especially considering the average-at-best results.
Like many pet owners, we don’t love the idea of inundating our cats with chemicals, so the NaturVet Herbal Flea Cat Shampoo that uses natural ingredients was attractive to us. It’s so safe that it can be used on cats and kittens of all ages, even ones under 12 weeks. This made us feel confident that it was certainly safe for our adult cats.
But safety is only part of the equation — effectiveness also matters. Unfortunately, the NaturVet shampoo fell short in this category. It did seem to reduce the number of fleas we were dealing with initially. However, they returned in short order, and in several days, the problem was just as bad as before we had washed. This shampoo appears to repel the fleas rather than kill them. We’re looking for a solution that can hopefully eradicate the flea issue, so the NaturVet shampoo won’t earn a very high rating.
If price were an indicator of quality, then the Sergeant’s Gold Flea & Tick Cat Shampoo would be at the top of our list because it’s one of the most expensive flea shampoos for cats that we’ve seen. We’d be willing to pay the extra cost if this flea shampoo for cats were effective, but the Sergeant’s shampoo didn’t do much to impress us.
It’s supposed to kill both fleas and eggs, as well as protect against re-infestation. When we used it, there were still active fleas remaining after a wash. Some had died, but far from all of them. Within a few days, they were back as if we’d never put a dent in their numbers. A second attempt with the Seargen’ts shampoo yielded similar results.
Pros
Kills fleas and eggs
Provides protection against re-infestation
Cons
Much more expensive than competing products
Only killed some of the active fleas
Fleas returned in a few days
Conclusion
The last thing anyone wants is a flea infestation in their home. So, if you see your cat starting to scratch and get restless, then it might be time to enlist the help of one of the best flea shampoos for cats we’ve just covered in our reviews. To eradicate the infestation as efficiently as possible, we’re going to recommend to you the three products that we had the best luck with during our testing.
Overall, the product we recommend most highly is Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo. In one wash, it managed to completely kill off all of the offending fleas on our cat. But the best is that it also kills the eggs and larvae, offering 28 days of protection against re-infestation and helping to stop the problem in its tracks.
For a value solution, we suggest the Veterinary Formula Flea and Tick Shampoo. This affordable product effectively eliminates fleas, leaving behind a pleasant odor in its wake. It also soothes your cat’s skin, helping to alleviate irritation from bites and scratches.
The Advantage Flea & Tick Treatment Shampoo is our premium recommendation. You can actually watch the dead fleas fall off as you wash with this cat-specific shampoo.
Featured Image Credit: PublicDomainPictures, Pixabay
Christian is the Editor-in-Chief of Excited Cats and one of its original and primary contributors. A lifelong cat lover, now based in South East Asia, Christian and his wife are the proud parents of an 11-year-old son and four rescue cats: Trixie, Chloe, Sparky, and Chopper.
