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How are your cats getting fleas? o_O We have 4 and none of them have ever had fleas.
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My art: featherdust.comHere, they get brought in from walking/playing on the lawn and they end up in the house:-/ We’ve had many freezing overnights though, so no worrying about them or dosing the cats until spring.
YEEK! 😯 Oh Koishii, what a scare. I’m glad to hear that the cats seem to be doing OK. I will keep my fingers crossed. Keep an eye on their appetites and activity levels: if somebody isn’t feeling well, it tends to show up here.
I can deeply commiserate with your frustration regarding the product, and I know exactly how it got onto the market. It’s because there are very few FDA controls over “natural” products like plant oils. Same thing for plant-derived homeopathics that are on the shelf for humans. A company can slap any plant product into a bottle and market it for whatever purpose they want to claim, and the FDA has a heck of a time stopping them. If somebody has a real, documented bad experience from using the product, they can report the manufacturer; enough reports will get the product canned, but in the meantime folks are still buying it without knowing what they’re getting.
The truly frightening thing about pet homeopathics is the fact that cats are far more sensitive to plant toxins than humans or dogs. We used to joke that cats and horses must be related, because they react badly to so many of the same plants. And while plants are a wonderful source of many medical substances, there’s a catch: a plant only produces a potent chemical if it can benefit from it, and generally that means that the chemical is meant to poison some animal that wants to eat it. Strong-smelling oils, like mint and clove, definitely qualify. But almost nobody knows this! It’s not part of our regular schooling. And the homeopathic companies sure aren’t going to tell you this on the label, either. It makes me crazy. 👿 My granddad’s third wife has nearly killed herself twice because she believes strongly in her homeopathics, BUT she also believes that if one pill is good, ten are much better!
Regarding safe flea control: Go with Advantage or Frontline. Revolution is good too; less effective against fleas in my experience, though, and some hospitals will want your cats to have a heartworm test first. And don’t kick yourself too badly over this: if everyone pulls through OK, then it was just one of those things and now you know. 🙁 Good luck!
Griffiness wrote:My Cats know the sound of frountline being opened i hate putting it on them because the hate me for the whole day!
Give them a treat afterwards. I do not have a flea problem at present and I’m glad for that. I used to use Advantage but have not needed anything in a VERY long time. I was also told that Diatomacious Earth help kills fleas and it’s all nautral. I’m not sure how you use it though??
You sprinkle diatomacious earth on your lawn.
And Koshii, I really don’t know how Hartz and the rest get away with selling those products. They keep selling them, people keep buying them. I don’t know if there’s a class action lawsuit going on or what, but it all goes back to ‘buyer beware’.
Jennifer wrote:How are your cats getting fleas? o_O We have 4 and none of them have ever had fleas.
I belive it is this area. In alaska i do not EVER remember my cat having fleas.
It is a lot warmer here, AND a lot more busy, meaning people are constantly coming in from every where and bringing what ever parasites they cary…and as long as there is a new fresh warm body to host they will thrive.
I thought of going to the store and showing them the info i found. It is Target though, and like you siad pc, they may not have controle over what they get sent(or just not care)
Get this. the box claims FDA aproved….
and when one person called the buisness, and talked to thier so-called poison specialist…she was told that the skin of the cat will/does not obsorb things, so the oils can not enter into the bloodstream!!!!
WHAT BS!Diatomacious Earth is very very fine, so it does not hurt animals or humans, but on a microscopic level it has razer sharp edges that can cut through the exoskeleton of bugs. this dehydrates them and they die.
you can rub the earth in the pets fur too(just lightly). it is just like them having a dirt bath…and my cat’s are ALLWAYS rolling in the dirt. It has not properties that are harmful to them eather if they groom themselve.
We do not have a bad infestation, so I think it may work in keeping the fleas off the cats.you know, when pet food started killing pets… there was such an uprore…..but nothing at all is being siad about the pets dieing from these flea medicines..
so far all kitties are normal. I am watching to see who is eating and that they are acting playful and energetic.
Rusti wrote:Sergeants, Hartz, Biospot etc are all very dangerous and better not used on your cats. They can cause seizures, skin problems and even death. And they don’t work. Clove oil is also really dangerous if ingested.
As long as they’re ok now, go ahead and wait the month for the spot on stuff to run its course, go to the Vet and get Frontline, Advantage or Revolution for your cats. You don’t need a doctor’s appointment, they can just sell it to you without an exam.
These products are effective, safe and have a guarantee. They may be more expensive but they won’t kill your babies. I have far too many horror stories from seeing what happened when those OTC products are applied.
I’m with you, Rusti. I’ve actually had the misfortune to witness the loss of one lady’s three cats because she put Defend on them. We struggled for over a week to save them, Doc pulled out all the stops, and still all three died. It was horrible, and the lady was devastated. Well meaning, but I really feel that the Defend makers really need to put that “Do not put on cats!” notice on the package in larger print, in bright neon color.
Koshi, I know you want to holistic, but truly, Frontline is your best choice, and if you get the fleas off all your pets at the same time, it also slowly works on their environment, as they shed hair, so within about 6 months your home and pets will be flea free, and you can get by with only spot applications when flea season starts.
I haven’t had to put anything on my pets for over a year. I just keep an eye out and if fleas show up, which they haven’t, then I treat everyone.
If you have several animals, I’d suggest getting the spray, it will let you cover more animals versus the drops, and is safe for dogs, cats and ferrets.
I’m glad your kitties are okay.
Kyrin
KoishiiKitty wrote:I thought of going to the store and showing them the info i found. It is Target though, and like you siad pc, they may not have controle over what they get sent(or just not care)
I think you should contact the head office. Send all of your information on the product. They might not do anything about it but, if there is a conscience behind the buyer than they’ll listen.
The store probably wouldn’t do anything about it. You’ll get the standard “I’m sorry”.
Barrdwing wrote:YEEK! It’s because there are very few FDA controls over “natural” products like plant oils. Same thing for plant-derived homeopathics that are on the shelf for humans.
It is funny you mention it. I have had several patients who were giving homepathic teething tablets to infants…one momma called me at 2 am while I was on call, she sounded frantic…she had been giving the child teething tablets and the child would cry worse with each tablet.
I had her come to the ofice in the morning and the tablets are OTC Homeopathic remedy with caffiene and belladonna..whew, that is like giving an upper and a downer. No wonder the kid was screaming.
Since then, I strongly warn my patients about homeopathic treatments. Some are wonderful, but they are NOT required to abide by the standards that the FDA puts on medications.
Be careful what you put in or on your body and fully research ingredients and ask lots of questions of your doctor or your vet!
keschete wrote:Barrdwing wrote:YEEK! It’s because there are very few FDA controls over “natural” products like plant oils. Same thing for plant-derived homeopathics that are on the shelf for humans.
It is funny you mention it. I have had several patients who were giving homepathic teething tablets to infants…one momma called me at 2 am while I was on call, she sounded frantic…she had been giving the child teething tablets and the child would cry worse with each tablet.
I had her come to the ofice in the morning and the tablets are OTC Homeopathic remedy with caffiene and belladonna..whew, that is like giving an upper and a downer. No wonder the kid was screaming.
Since then, I strongly warn my patients about homeopathic treatments. Some are wonderful, but they are NOT required to abide by the standards that the FDA puts on medications.
Be careful what you put in or on your body and fully research ingredients and ask lots of questions of your doctor or your vet!
I really hate pre-packaged homeophathy. see in alaska, we would get these old books about herbs and plants and they explained what part of the plant did what and how you could use it…so we baugh our own herbs and did that. that is what I associate homeopathy with. I forget that there is a whole market out there that abuse natural substances under the label homeopathy.
I hate making more laws…but these homeopathic meds should certainly be regulated like regular medication.
They look like regular medications and packages are very deceptive. There is no one making sure they are actually putting in the bottles what is listed on the outside. They may say its black cohash and it might be ground up cat turds….
It is frustrating, but this kind of stuff happens all the time.
KoishiiKitty wrote:advantage/frontline makes a spray?
I know Frontline does, I have some, it’s about $25 and will cover all your pets, it is a heck of a lot cheaper way to go than the drops, and seems to be just as effective in my experience.
I’ve had my bottle for 3 years, and it is still 3/4 full.
Kyrin
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