Cat lovers....I need your advice....

[jus_the_facts]

....I just gave my 3 cats a flea treatment on the back of their necks...I was wondering if you could tell me your experiences with these kinds of flea treatments. They've never had any fleas before and the instructions sorta freaked me out about how dangerous they can be...any and all responses are appreciated. :scared:

[kedrys]

1. Was it Advantage?

We gave the triplets Advantage treatments when they were vanishingly small, and they never had problems. The fleas, however...

[jus_the_facts]

4. Nope...Sergeant's Gold...over the counter....

....The all seem fine for now...I only saw two fleas...one on each o'my girls and none on my boy...but wanted to make sure we didn't get an infestation...I'm really worried about my oldest girl..she's 17 and I think she's havin' an allergic reaction because of an increase in scabs...and flea dirt...been to google and reaize these are her symptoms...we've not had any bites ourselves..nor seen any fleas inside or out. Thanks!! :hi:

[badgerpup]

2. How are they reacting?

The spendy stuff I got at the vets worked as advertised, no problems.
The Hartz Mountain, however... Riktor started acting really agitated and weird...wasn't sure if it was the dosage, since he was right AT 10 lbs, which was where the dosage changed. I finally ended up giving him a bath. That was not a good day for Riktor.

It wasn't till later that I remembered that I was dehydrating some vegetables (stay with me here, this DOES make sense) and Riktor is very sensitive to white noise.
The sound of the dehydrator reallybothers him and he gets FRANTIC to go outside.

[jus_the_facts]

5. they're fine so far...my oldest is sleepin'...the younger two are playin'....

....as I posted above...I only saw one flea on each o'my girls...and we've not had any bites on us...so I hope this will keep them from gettin' any worse!! Thanks for your concern! :hi:

[Generic Brad]

3. The treatment made my cats ill

But if they have fleas, the alternative is worse.

[jus_the_facts]

6. What sort of symptoms did they have....

....and what did you use?! :hi:

[Generic Brad]

9. That was so many years ago

I don't recall the product, but both of my cats immediately developed "digestive" problems.

[Skip Intro]

7. Please, do not use otc flea products on your cat or dog

I have read, and will find links here in a sec, about horrible, deadly effects of otc flea products, especially Hartz, but how much better can Seargent be?

Take your cat(s) to the vet and get the real deal, not some loosely-regulated batch of chemicals that can kill your pet/companion. Please.

[redwitch]

8. Totally agree

They shouldn't be allowed to sell the stuff. Our little kitty Gloria became very ill from Hartz product. We took her to the vet who gave her a bath and kept her for observation. Vet said to never, ever use that stuff again.

[jus_the_facts]

10. My babies almost died from the vet I took them to..to get them fixed...

...they contracted a horrible respiratory infection and I almost lost my baby girl as she was a runt and a skeleton when I found her...that was the ONLY time they were ever sick...my oldest I found livin' on the roof of an adjacent apt. building...we learned after we'd had her for several months that she was over 10 and we've had her for 7 years since and she's never been sick.

I put a few drops on the back of each of their necks..didn't use an entire tube for each of them...since I only saw one flea on two of them...I didn't think a whole dose would be necessary...I think I'll bathe them with a mild shampoo instead of using this pesticide ever again.

[Mz Pip]

14. Bathe them with a

mild shampoo. :rofl: Good luck with that. I'd be dead if I tried to bathe any of my cats.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[KT2000]

21. I agree with that too

I have used Revolution that I get from the vet. They advised me to wait longer than the suggesed 30 days before the next treatment. I only apply it if she has been scratching or a flea jumps off of her. In the summer/fall that is usually at least 6 weeks.

I have heard too many bad things about OTC flea treatments and I would not buy a Hartz product if you paid me. 60 Minutes did a story on their products and business practices years ago.

[crim son]

11. I've always used over-the-counter products on my kitties

and there has never been a problem nor any fleas either. But I imagine a sensitive animal could have a bad reaction, just as a human being might.

[jus_the_facts]

13. Thanks crim son...they're doin' fine so far....

....and I only used a little bit since I only saw one flea on two o'them! :hi:

[jus_the_facts]

12. Here's their pictures...Angel... Brutus and Natasha....

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

Angel...


Brutus...


Natasha...


Brutus..Natasha and Daddy...


Angel strikin' a POSE...


Brutus bein' BRUTAL to his lil'sissa...

[crim son]

15. Angel looks a lot like my favorite cat, Etheldread.

We called her Edie. She was the finest pet... loving, intelligent and she played fetch with anything she could sink her teeth in to.

Your three babies are dear!

[jus_the_facts]

16. Aww thanks again cs...my boy will fetch 'til he drops...Angel used to too...

...bottle tops were her favorite to chase and bring back...Brutus will fetch anything you throw...his favorite toy is FEATHERS though...he drags them across my feet to let me know it's TIME TO PLAY Momma!!! :D

We all thank You for the complement!!! :hug:

[astral]

17. I love your kittypics

While I'm not sure what to do AFTER your cats have fleas, I know giving them bulk brewers yeast sprinkled on top their food every day is supposed to prevent fleas --- fleas will not like the smell / taste of the cat. It is also very good for them in other ways (good for you too, if you're not allergic to it!) and they should love the taste of it. I used to have a cat that would sneeze because he'd inhale it when he was about to eat his food, but my present kitty has no such issues.

The brewers yeast should be a lifetime habit for the cats. I just sprinkle it on the dry food, but no reason you couldn't just sprinkle it on wet food too. It's got minerals, including zinc, iron, B-vitamins in the right combination, and will help with their temperament too.

Do get the bulk kind rather than the canned kind, though, as the canned stuff is rather raunchy tasting / smelling.

[jus_the_facts]

18. Thanks so much...I will try that....

....they aren't too finiky either...so it shouldn't be a problem!! :hi:

[blogslut]

22. I do brewer's yeast for my cats

I also add a bit of vinegar to their water.

[China_cat]

19. We used to fight fleas on a constant basis

being in an area beseiged by sand fleas. It was horrible. With the advent of Frontline and Advantage we haven't had a problem in years. It's been wonderful.

But Hartz products DO have a very bad history of killing the animals they are supposed to protect. Before we found out about this and before Frontline and Advantage we tried to use a Hartz product but the cat jumped, got none on her but a little on me. Even though I washed with soap and water immediately, I was sick for almost 48 hours from just that little on my skin.

[jus_the_facts]

20. Thanks C-c....

....haven't had any problems until now..and have only seen one on two of them so far and we haven't been bitten by any...hopefully this will get rid of the ones they have and I'm gonna try the brewer's yeast in hopes that it will prevent any more!! :hi: