The 5 Best Tick Treatments for Cats

Best Overall

Revolution Plus Revolution Plus

$81 at Chewy View on 1-800-PetMeds View on PETCO

Revolution Plus is the industry standard for parasite prevention and flea and tick treatment in dogs and cats, and it’s only available by prescription. This topical solution has an alcohol additive that helps it to dry quickly, lowering the chance of the product running down your cat's fur as it dries and potentially being licked up by your cat during bathing. It kills three types of ticks—the black-legged tick, American dog tick, and Gulf Coast tick—as well as fleas, ear mites, hookworms, and roundworms. It’s also a heartworm preventative. However, it does not treat tapeworms (only NexGard offers this).

Revolution Plus is also likely to be less effective against some West Coast tick species, including the common Pacific Coast tick. It also hasn’t been proven effective against the Western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus), which can carry Lyme disease. This online tool can help you find tick, flea, and other parasite treatments, based on which parasites you would like to prevent against.

Revolution’s tick treatment can be used on kittens at least eight weeks old, as long as they weigh at least 2.8 pounds. There are three separate dosing levels based on your cat’s weight, up to 22-pound chonks. One of the two active ingredients has been known to cause neurological side effects in cats, so it’s worth monitoring your cat after application. Revolution Plus is sold in three, six, and 12-dose packages, so you’ll be paying for at least three doses right off the bat.

_{Active Ingredients: Selamectin, sarolaner | Dosing: 3-, 6-, and 12-dose packages | Lifestage: Kittens at least 8 weeks old, adults, seniors; 2.8 to 22 pounds}

Best Non-Prescription Topical

Frontline Flea and Tick Treatment

$40 at Amazon View on PETCO

Frontline Plus is a topical solution that works against fleas and ticks. Unlike most of the recommended products we’ve picked, Frontline Plus does not require a vet prescription, which can make it a convenient treatment and prevention option if time is a factor. It’s also about half as expensive, making it more accessible than pricey prescription options (that also require a vet appointment). Frontline Plus can be used on kittens at least eight weeks old and weighing just 1.5 pounds, making it a solid pick for strays or rescues. It not only works against all life stages of the deer tick, brown dog tick, American dog tick, and lone star tick, but it also breaks the lifecycle of the flea by killing it in the egg and larval stage. The only thing that gives us a pause for thought is that it’s the same dosage no matter the age or size of your cat.

It’s worth noting that Dr. Le Houllier flagged that Frontline Gold works faster than Frontline Plus when it comes to killing fleas (but not ticks), so that is worth considering if you’re itching to get rid of an immediate infestation of fleas.

_{Active Ingredients: Fipronil, (S)-methoprene | Dosing: 3 doses; 1 per month | Lifestage: Kittens eight weeks and older weighing at least 1.5 pounds}

Best Combination

NexGard Combo for Cats

$74 at Chewy View on PETCO

This topical solution stands out as the first and only topical parasiticide treatment that also works to treat and kill tapeworms. This is in addition to its protection and prevention of fleas, ticks (black-legged and lone star), heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms. Unlike Revolution Plus, it does not work on ear mites. After application, NexGard Combo will last for a month before needing to be reapplied. We like that it can be used on kittens as young as eight weeks old, weighing as little as 1.8 pounds, as many treatments have a minimum weight of over two pounds. As with many tick prevention treatments, one of the three active ingredients has been known to cause neurological side effects, like seizures, so be sure to monitor your cat after each dose at the beginning of treatment. You’ll need a prescription for this.

_{Active Ingredients: Esafoxolaner, eprinomectin, praziquantel | Dosing: 1 dose per month | Lifestage: Kittens over 8 weeks, adults; 1.8 to 16.5 pounds}

Best Tablet

Credelio Chewable Tablets for Cats

$20 at Chewy

Credelio chewable tablets are a good option for cats that won’t wear collars or don’t tolerate topical solutions well. This is the first—and only—chewable tablet for cats made to work on treating and preventing flea and tick infestations. We like that it can be used on kittens as young as 8 weeks for flea treatment and on kittens six months and older for black-legged ticks. Note that it only works on one species of tick, so it’s worth finding out if that is a dominant species in your area before grabbing a prescription from your vet. This once-a-month pill must be given with food, and it’s worth watching your cat after the first few doses since the active ingredient can have neurological side effects in some cats.

_{Active Ingredients: Lotilaner | Dosing: 1 pill a month | Lifestage: Six-month-old kittens and older; 2–17 pounds}

Best Tick Remover Tool

TickCheck Premium Tick Remover

$6 at Amazon $6 at Chewy

This tick-pulling tool is easy to keep on hand during adventure walks or in an easy-to-access drawer at home. Roughly the dimensions of a credit card, the patented plastic Tickcheck card is designed to trap, lift, and remove nymph and adult-stage ticks while leaving them intact. We like the ease of the card’s press-and-pull motion, which greatly reduces the amount of struggle and frustration that can come with tick removal. Small nymphs require a bit more concentration.

A built-in 3x magnification area of the tool helps to identify tick characteristics, which can be referenced against the included tick identification booklet (though this can easily be separated from the tool). It can also help you find tricks in hiding spots around your cat’s ears, neck, armpits, and genital area.

When removing a tick at home, Dr. LeHoullier notes that “it may take a minute or two of tension to cause the tick to release,” and you should avoid twisting or jerking the tick—the goal is to get the tick out with its head still attached.

_{Material: Plastic | Dosing: Multiple uses | Lifestage: All}