Flea medication for my cat... I'm worried

[KimberSly]

We put some flea stuff on Felix yesterday, between his shoulder blades so that he couldn't lick it off. Well, he's been going crazy ever since. His eyes are all wide, he's breathing really fast, his heartrate is fast ... And he's running around the house as though he's going crazy. He keeps trying to lick and scratch it off, and when he can't, he'll do that running around thing again and it's starting to worry me.

We tried to wash some of it off with a wet rag, a few times; then we dried it off with a towel. Every time he sat there like a good kitty and seemed to really like it... but It's not working. I don't know what to do.

Any suggestions? Please help! :)

[EponaCapaill]

Is he still doing it? He is probably having a reaction to the flea med. If he is still breathing fast and seems to have an increased heart rate, try to look at his tongue, is it pink? Or is a purple or blue? If its pink he is getting enough oxygen, if its purple or blue, he's not. If he is still having a problem, especially if he is not getting enough oxygen, he needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible.

[Tea Leaf]

It sounds like your cat is allergic to the medicine. Talk to your vet see if you can get a different brand (it may just be the brand). If you have not put the medicine back on for a while you can try an antibiotic like Polysporin (there is also a brand special for pets that tastes bad so they wont lick it off, but you will have to go to a pet supply shop or vet clinic for it) or a spray first aid like Bactine an antiseptic that should stop the itch.

I hope you cat feels better soon.

[KimberSly]

Even though he's being way more affectionate than usual, he tries to scratch me when I try to open his mouth, and he clamps his jaw tight. He meows though, so maybe I'll be able to catch a glimps. His breathing isn't as rapid anymore, but still faster than I remember it.

[KimberSly]

There, we got his mouth open and his tongue is anything but blue. It looks really healthy. :) whew! He's still acting weird though... increased "need" for attention, he's meowing a lot more... And I don't remember seeing him eat today. He hasn't slept at all, which is NOT normal for him. He seems really irritable too.

I don't know what to do. It doesn't seem serious enough to take him to a vet... but then again, if he had one more symptom I'd be more worried.

I'm going to see what I can find on the net.

[Brónach Druid]

Just curious, what med did you use on him?
We made a horrible mistake last year by putting bio-spot on our cat. He had a severe reaction to it. Started out acting funny and racing around, then over the next few days, his skin started to blister. He ended with a lot of bald spots, bleeding. He was a mess! Then he had a few mild seizures and ended up slightly lame in his back legs. He never fully recovered, but is basically fine now. After this I found out it was a common occurrence. I personally will never trust any flea meds that don't come directly from my vet again. Anyway, hope your kitty is ok, best of luck.

[KimberSly]

I just joined a cat forum and they gave us some good advice :)

We have since bathed him using a gentle hand soap (Dawn), and we know now NOT to use Hartz medication anymore because it can be fatal to your kitties! They suggested using Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution... or whatever your vet recommends.

I'm going to be staying up tonight, for Felix's sake (to keep an eye on him, incase something happens), and hopefully he'll be okay.

Bronach, I'm sorry to hear about your kitty, but I'm glad that he's alive! :)

[Isil Darkmoon]

Whew. Glad you got to the cat forum--they caught you before I did.

You're correct--only vet-prescribed flea meds are safe. I use Advantage myself, but have used Frontline in the past with excellent results. Most of the over the counter flea meds have a compound in them that's basically a pesticide related to nerve gas, hence the nervous system reactions.

You did the right thing with the dish soap. For some reason it breaks up the nasty crap better than anything else.

I'm really glad you got lucky with a "mild" case. I've spent too much time on pet forums and have met people that actually lost their animals due to this horrible stuff, so just hearing the words "flea control" and "i'm worried" together makes me nervous. I am really glad your little guy is going to be OK now though. Give him an extra scritchy behind the ears for me.

The good news here is soon Hartz won't be poisoning any more pets. They lost a class-action lawsuit. Among the results are a) having to lable current medications as having "death" as a possible side effect and b) stop producing flea drops COMPLETELY by 2006.

[Pol]

(Felix is my cat also)
He seems to be doing alright. He nods off to sleep, but jumps awake and starts licking.
Also, his right ear seems to be bothering him - though I might have just got some water in it when washing him (it was my first time as well as his :D).

[LadyAutumnCat]

Isil said it for me! This isn't the first time this has happened to a cat. I recommend that no one tries flea medications on their cats without first getting their vets approval. It's just too risky, too many cats have died.

Just a tip to everyone - if you can't afford the vet you can always just call him/her for advice or contact your local animal welfare society.

Please note, if you would go to the E.R. if you were experiencing what your pet is, then your pet should go too. I'm just saying this because the other day we (the shelter I volunteer at) got a call from a person saying that they THOUGHT their cat might need to go to the vet. When asked why, she said that the cat had been vomiting blood for 2 days! GRRRR, HELLO!!!! That's an emergency!

[spooky]

pol, kimber, is your kitty ok now?


how can those manufacturers conscience selling a product like that???
i think there are kitty treats available with greens in them, the chlorophyll sucks up toxins.
lol- of course I would tell a cat to eat more greens.

[Pol]

He's doing great now, as far as we can tell. :)
From reading other victim stories, I think he had it pretty good. I think it was more just agrivating him, though he did show some signs of poisoning (twitching, shaking his ears a lot, tremors now and again).
I stayed up all night watching him and now he's doing great.

[KimberSly]

Yeah. Thank goodness. He gave us a scare, but after bathing him he just got so much better. :) He's our regular Felie-man again. I'm so glad! :smile:

[Arcane Kitty]

Glad he's doing better!

[winterrosewaitin]

I'm glad your cat is doing better. I had a bad experience with bio spot. I have used frontline on all of my dogs and cats and I have never had a problem with it. I also never buy anything from Hartz. Asking a vet is always wise, they will tell you over the phone what to avoid and what they use.