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June 8, 2009

Popular Flea Products Can Hurt Your Cat

Popular Flea Products Can Hurt Your Cat

In light of recent government scrutiny of flea and tick products, the ASPCA is cautioning pet parents to use care when applying any over-the-counter or prescription flea and tick solutions. Spot-on products—topical insecticides applied to the skin—generally kill fleas and ticks by targeting their nervous systems. But if misapplied, these products can have devastating consequences for our furry friends.

According to new data from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, when cats are treated properly and according to label directions, fewer than 2% experience major illness, while nearly 20% suffer major problems when the solution is used incorrectly.

“Cats especially are extremely sensitive to insecticides,” says Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA Veterinary Toxicologist and Senior Vice President of Animal Health Services. “Just a few drops of concentrated permethrin, present in many spot-on treatments designed for dogs, can be lethal to cats.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates topical pet treatments, says the number of reported incidents from spot-on flea and tick treatments increased more than 50% in 2008. As a result of the increase, the EPA announced last month that it’s evaluating all spot-on products.

Here’s some advice for keeping your pet safe from fleas and insecticides this summer:

  • Confirm your pet has fleas by identifying common signs such as scabs, excessive scratching and droppings (known as “flea dirt”) in your pet’s coat.
  • Talk to your vet about choosing the right, species-specific flea treatment for your pet and never use products made for dogs on cats, and vice versa.
  • Avoid applying flea powders and sprays in addition to a spot-on treatment—the chemicals in different products can have adverse reactions with each other.
  • Clean your house, including rugs, bedding and upholstery, and discard any used vacuum bags. Since fleas love long, unkempt grass, remember to treat and maintain your yard as carefully as your home.

If you suspect your pet is having a reaction from a flea infestation or topical flea and tick product, please contact your veterinarian immediately. For more information about flea prevention this summer, please visit our pet care pages online.

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  • Submitted by bonnie at:March 21, 2013 09:38 AM

    I put advantage on my cat that is 17 years of age and this is not the 1st time! Well we put it on him friday night and now its Thursday and my cat has not moved since Sat. Night :( I know he is old, but he was fine until we put the advantage on him and now I believe he is dying from this product!!! He will drink water from a syringe and we just started giving him deluded baby food to try and help him, but he is lying there hopelessly breathing! :( I will never put this products on an older cat ever again! Thank u for reading my story!

  • Submitted by Oleg at:February 8, 2013 09:42 AM

    If your dogs have fleas, then they are not just outside. They are most lilkey inside your house now too! A year ago I had the same problem. But it got so bad by the time we figured it out that we could actually see them in the carpet if we looked. You will need to get a special shampoo for your carpet and any cloth furniture that may have been in contact with your dogs. Clean any area that the dogs have been in and any adjacent rooms too.Also, my vet suggested this aerosal can that had flea killer in it. They sold it right there at the vet's office. You just spray it on the carpet, let it soak in for 1/2 hr, and then vacuum it up. And KEEP THE DOGS OUT for a few hrs. It worked VERY well.But for as to keep the fleas out of the yard, I do not know. I would say just to keep the grass regularly cut and keep any flowers and shrubs from getting out of hand. Most small insects like the thick grassy areas like as in a meadow. Other than that, maybe try a natural pesticide or something. I've heard soapy water keeps certain bugs off of flowers, so maybe that would work every now and then on the lawn, but I'm not entirely sure how true that may be. And as always use the preventative medicine for your dogs like advantage.

  • Submitted by jessie at:February 5, 2013 07:58 AM

    Fleas are extremely unsafe in the animals like cats and dogs. We should take essential concern to grow our cats and dogs as flea control cats and dogs.

  • Submitted by RobertSmith at:February 1, 2013 07:20 AM

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  • Submitted by stargeo at:January 22, 2013 07:08 AM

    This article for flea control cats is very nice. Fleas are very dangerous in the animals like cats and dogs. We should take necessary care to control the fleas in your pets.

  • Submitted by peterkenneth at:January 18, 2013 03:34 AM

    I think it is very important for pet owners to understand that their pets can get allergic to these flea products. so use them carefully!!

  • Submitted by peterkenneth at:January 18, 2013 03:33 AM

    I think it is very important for pet owners to understand that their pets can get allergic to these flea products. so use them carefully!!

  • Submitted by tylerjones at:December 28, 2012 06:11 AM

    Great post. Very helpful especially for cat owners like me!

  • Submitted by Duda at:October 16, 2012 02:15 PM

    Not the local made pussy-cat flea sprays, or the flea coralls for moggies, not the flea and tick water proof' pussy drops and also not the cat powders, which kept fluffing up in my face! So ultimately I recommended we import a USA kind of Flea Sprays. I actually have no idea what they put in it! But ultimately one day the solution came! One evening, an old college mate of mine, from twenty-nine years back, approached me again! After plenty of chatting and hours on the telephone, he mentioned that he also had a kitty now and after enlightening him about the issues we where having, he let us know that he used this one type of flea and tick control he lately found out about, and actually liked, now what was it's name? Ah, yes, Frontline And Flea and Tick Control for Cats.'He further said he had just got a pussy-cat for his darling fiance, but he'd been new to the cat-thing and did not know where to turn for a moggy flea and tick protection! When their Pussy-cat had come back home with fleas his girl had gone nuts and needed to throw the kitty right out again! And he'd been desperate to get a flea and tick control to stop all his pussies fleas and ticks from living and biting him and his squeeze! When he had looked online, he announced he had found masses of flea and tick controls for cats that all said they'd do the miracle of murdering all of the fleas within just a few hours or thereabouts but which of them truly worked? He announced that his head hurt from every one of them! He did not want to have to spend 1 or 2 thousand bucks trying them all out until he found a right one! He asked his fiance, if there had been any good site online where he find out where to buy the right flea and tick control for moggies, that would not just be selling him on some flea control that failed to even work! She claimed there likely was and directed him to to read online about it.

  • Submitted by ASulli at:August 12, 2012 08:18 AM

    I just learned about Hurts and how bad these products are for Animals, PLEASE PLEASE do a story and post on your site warning people not to use this product! It makes me upset that this item can be found all over the place. Walmart, CVS, ect. its not right. If it was hurting Humans this item would be off the market with lawsuits going on. ( Thats Discrimination. ) Animals can talk so we are there voices and we need your help please! Attention all pet owners! Do not use hartz or sergeants brand flea/tick mediation on your animals! It has been causing major issues and even death of pets! http://tippedearclan.wordpress.com/2007/01/21/beware-hartz-tick-and-flea-control-products/ http://www.hartzvictims.org http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151955933380109&set=a.10150415956285109.618840.247066480108&type=1&relevant_count=1

  • Submitted by Mike at:October 24, 2011 12:25 PM

    I just wanted to say that there are some good Flea control products on the market today that are safe for pets, including cats. Not that people still don't have to be careful, I'm just saying that there are safe solutions...

  • Submitted by MariaMiller at:September 4, 2011 05:37 AM

    Before purchasing a topical flea treatment for your cat, decide what you want the product to do in terms of killing the fleas. Most prescription topical products, such as Promeris, Frontline, Fiproguard, Revolution and Advantage, start to kill adult fleas immediately upon application to your cat's skin. For severe infestations, you must kill the adult fleas feeding on your cat as quickly as possible, so these products work well for that purpose. Products such as Advantage II and Frontline Plus kill both adult fleas and work to prevent a new infestation by inhibiting the development of flea eggs and larvae into adult fleas. Obtain these prescription products from a veterinarian. Carpenter Bee Control

  • Submitted by Tony at:September 16, 2010 12:00 AM

    @Mary...These products are dangerous to animals, even when used right. How do you know your cat won't have a reaction? Is it worth the risk? Alot of the spot-on treatment are using different names for the poisonsso you think they are safe! There are plenty of natural, safe things you can do to get rid of fleas!

  • Submitted by Art at:February 22, 2010 12:00 AM

    When applying Flea and tick control I had some run down my cat's side. She is now licking it. I have tried to clean what I could but of course couldn't get it all. Will this hurt my cat?

  • Submitted by Nick Jolls at:November 10, 2009 12:00 AM

    Yo man!!! i dont know wat you guys do...but my animal almost got killed by a homless dude the other day... you guys should make consequences more strict!! But you guys are still doing good.

  • Submitted by judyc at:September 13, 2009 12:00 AM

    I used Sentry Natural Defens Fleas spray on my cats and it does not work. 1. We still had fleas and it left their coast very oily. 2. Know my 7 babies aged 6 months to 16 years old are loosing their hair they now have bald spots on their bodies. DO NOT USE if you love your babies

  • Submitted by Mary/Flushing at:July 14, 2009 12:00 AM

    Your title is misleading and implies that these products are a danger to animals. These products, if applied properly to health cats and dogs, protect them and theirr own vet toxicologist, Dr. Stevens, is on the record telling pet owners NOT to avoid the products but to use them with care and caution. The EPA's Q&A database states that "The safety of a pesticide depends on how it is used." The responsibility for protecting our pets is shared 50/50 by manufacturers and consumers. I'm disappointed that the ASPCA here, instead of being helpful and instructive to pet owners (as Dr. Hansen is), has fallen into the same trap as hysterical so-called journalists who scare consumers with inaccurate reporting. Treat us like intelligent beings and be straightforward and practical, treat us with the same respect you accord animals.

  • Submitted by Dave at:June 26, 2009 12:00 AM

    The statement "if misapplied, these products can have devastating consequences" could use a little clarification. Does "if misapplied" refer to application in such a way the the pet ingests the chemical, reapplication too soon or mixed with other products? I walk my cat so she does get outside to get exercise & keep her hunting skills up. We therefore use a topical flea & tick preventative. Reapplication is carefully monitored by using a 30 day audible/visual alarm. Is it wrong to use a flea & tick preventative before there are signs of fleas? The article is a little vague about that and eludes to the use of treatment only when fleas are suspected. Could you please clarify this? Thank you.

  • Submitted by amanda c. at:June 12, 2009 12:00 AM

    i use cat shampoo to help kill fleas as well as a flea calor and by reading this it got me to thinking are they also a harm to my cats becuse i dont think i read anything about these products unless i dont understand what there taking about

  • Submitted by Antney at:June 10, 2009 12:00 AM

    To say "These peole could care less about animals" implies that you know they DO care about animals. (By the way, it is spelled "people") So YOU chose to take care of the dog but you are mad that an organization that does so much for so many (and with so little to work with) did not conveniently match YOUR schedule? It isn't all about YOU, Chris. I certainly appreciate you helping the dog but using a public forum to condemn the organization for having an established schedule is ridiculous! Please be sure you have had all your shots before taking in any more strays- stupidity is contagious.

  • Submitted by Ginny at:June 9, 2009 12:00 AM

    It's better than nothing! Do you have any idea how hard it is to run a profiting organization, let alone a non-profit one? Especially one whose work is never done and never will be done as long as people keep abusing and neglecting their animal counterparts. They're trying, which is more than I can say for just about everyone else. So you had to wait a couple of days and take care of the dog, you already have animals what difference did it make? Can't you just be happy that you got the chance to help? Nobody takes in my baby pigeons when I find them and you will never hear me complain, except that it's a shame other people who don't know how to or can't care for them don't have a place to bring them. I just consider myself lucky to have the chance to help.

  • Submitted by Chris rinehart at:June 8, 2009 12:00 AM

    I found a dog in NYV yesterday. I have two gods and two cats already. I called the ASPCA yesterday but they do not take animals on the weekend. I give her a bath, feed her and arrange for them to pick her up today. I'm still waiting on the phone, it has been 20 minutes. These peole could care less about animals.

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