Cheap Flea Medicine May Kill Your Cat.
We have had three or four serious cases, one of them fatal, of cats suffering from toxicity due to "Over The Counter" flea products. There are flea control products out there that are both safe and effective, but if you shop for the lowest price you may waste your money or even kill your cat. There are safe alternatives.
Several years ago, three new products were introduced - Advantage, Frontline and Revolution are the brand names. They are all applied the same way - the contents of a tiny disposable sort of "squeeze-bottle" are applied to the skin by parting the hairs over the back of the cat's neck or between his shoulder blades. It is easy, safe and effective and protection lasts for a month.
These were all initially available only through veterinarians by prescription and companies that sell products through pet stores were quick to respond to this new competition. They reformulated or began serious marketing of some of the old flea insecticides with packaging and application instructions just like the "expensive stuff" at veterinary clinics. Many pet owners assumed the medication was similar. But the active ingredients - synthetic pyrethrins (like permethrin and phenothrin), organophosphates (chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachorvinphos, diazinon, and malathion) and carbamates (carbaryl and propoxur) - are not safe. Some cats tolerate them, but some get sick with vomiting and salivation, rapid breathing, constricted pupils, and tremors or seizures. Some cats die.
These may also be toxic to people, especially children, if they ingest or chew on the packages, or are exposed by licking their hands or fingers after petting a dog or cat treated with these products.
They were the mainstay of flea treatment, even in veterinary hospitals, for many years. They were not very effective back then either. If your cats and dogs got fleas, it could take a lot of work and expense to get rid of them. We would not only treat the pet with shampoos or dips, but also the house, with toxic sprays or "bombs" and sometimes the yard as well. Most veterinary clinics sold flea collars impregnated with organophosphates, carbamates or pyrethrins. They were toxic and not very effective. We don't sell flea collars and I don't recommend them for dogs or cats.
With the new safer flea medications, separate treatment of the house and yard is usually not required. A few drops are squeezed onto the animal's skin once a month. (Your veterinarian may recommend the first dose be repeated within 3 weeks with severe flea problems.) The medication does not repel fleas so any fleas that are in the house or yard will happily jump on the pet and die before they reproduce.
Advantage is a little cheaper but is only effective against fleas. Frontline is effective against fleas and ticks. Both of these are now available without a prescription. Revolution is effective against fleas, ticks, and some internal parasites, and is also approved for heartworm prevention. It costs about the same as Frontline but a prescription is required. To provide a prescription, veterinarians are required by state law to have personally examined the patient within the preceding year.
Fleas can be hard to find, especially on cats, and there are many other things that can make a cat or dog itch and scratch. Depending on your location and your pet's lifestyle, you may not need flea prevention at all. A visit to your veterinarian will help you make sure flea medication is what you need, and will help you choose the safest and most effective flea treatment for your pet in your particular situation.