Flea and tick treatment satisfaction, preference, and adherence reported by cat owners in the US, UK, or France who treated their cats with transdermal fluralaner

BACKGROUND: Fluralaner (Bravecto(®)) is an isoxazoline class compound that is the only topically applied systemic ectoparasiticide approved for dosing at up to 12-week intervals for flea and tick control in cats. AIM: To describe veterinarian recommendations for ectoparasiticide medications used in the UK and France along with veterinary recommendations previously reported from the US, as well as to assess cat owners’ experience with a commercial transdermal spot-on fluralaner formulation administered to cats in the US and similarly describe the experiences of cat owners from the UK or France who administered fluralaner for feline flea and tick prevention. METHODS: Clients of participating veterinary practices in the US, UK, or France who were visiting the clinic for a routine wellness visit, were currently treating their cat with fluralaner (Bravecto(®)), and had purchased at least two doses were asked to complete a short two-page survey about their experience with flea and tick medications including fluralaner and other products they may have been administered. RESULTS: Owners in the US (451 cats), UK (512 cats), and France (520 cats) completed surveys. Most cat owners (66%–75%) had previously administered other flea and tick products. More than 94% of cat owners surveyed in each country were satisfied or very satisfied with fluralaner. The most frequently reported benefit of using fluralaner was the 12-week dosing interval, selected by 76% of respondents in the US, 82% in the UK, and 70% in France. 79%–88% of cat owners (depending on the country) thought that dosing with extended duration fluralaner was more convenient than dosing with monthly flea and tick products and 86%–89% of cat owners that had used other flea and tick products preferred fluralaner over the other flea and tick products. CONCLUSION: Veterinarians in the US, UK, and France recommended 12 months of flea protection and 9–11 months of tick protection per year, even though, in this study, cat owners usually purchased 1–3 months of protection per year. A longer flea and tick dosing interval, as seen with fluralaner, correlates with higher user satisfaction and preference among cat owners. Owners identified the 12-week dosing interval and single dose efficacy as the top reasons for selecting the fluralaner product for their cat. In all three countries, most cat owners indicated that they were more likely to deliver doses of extended duration fluralaner on time, compared to flea and tick products dosed monthly.