Are flea meds safe?

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lenistar

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I'm afraid my kitty may have fleas (though am not 100% sure -- the vet didn't find anything, but I saw what may be flea dirt, and he seems to be itching). I'm so nervous about flea medications, but I also certainly don't want him to be uncomfortable or stressed if he does have fleas. Any recommendations? What if I put it on him and he accidentally licks it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
I use flea meds on my boy who is diabetic I was worried at first but I checked with the vet and he said it was ok. I just did this month and my boy licked it. I changed the spot cause I didn't want it on his neck where I inject. So I put it lower and he reached it . All he did was spit everywhere and refused to eat for rest of day made him nauseous so I just syringe fed him cause he had to eat.
 
The only flea treatment I'm okay with is the Seresto collar. All of the liquid ones always made my one cat's hair fall out or if they lick it they both get sick (used both revolution and advantage before). The Seresto collar is very effective and lasts 8 months.
 
There’s also a pill, Comfortis, that works well. It’s kinda large though and although it’s chewable my cats wouldn’t eat it. I ended up breaking it in a couple pieces and pilling them. It’s the only flea treatment so far that has helped my one cat with skin allergies, seems to have wiped the fleas out and no skin irritation. I can use topicals on all the others with no problem
 
The dog got fleas, so now the cat has fleas :arghh: :( :mad:

FrontLine/FrontLine Plus have been very good to us over the years, so I put FrontLine Plus for Dogs 45-88 pounds on the dog. Since her tongue can apparently reach every part of her body :banghead: she licked it and drooled massive amounts for about 15 minutes. Next time I'll put a cone on her to prevent ingestion :p She's scratching a lot less anyway :D

I checked with Banfield and was told feline flea preparations like FrontLine Plus and Advantage II were safe on cats (including diabetics). The PetSmart Manager recommended FrontLine Plus, Cat MD (same ingredients as FrontLine Plus), and Advantage II as being the most effective of what they had on-hand, and said Sentry didn't seem to work as well. Since Advantage II had caused a chemically smell on a previous dog in the past, that was not an option for the cat. I used FrontLine Plus on the cat. He did not lick it and neither the application nor the chemicals bothered him. He hasn't been scratching very much, but I know the fleas/larvae/eggs will be gone/dead quickly :)

I also flea bombed the car (definitely not IAW with the directions on the can :rolleyes:) and will flea bomb the apartment when I move out :) I used the Advantage flea bomb, but I'll be looking for something else to keep on-hand after we move, as I don't like the smell. At least it didn't leave a sticky residue :) I remember a flea bomb from years ago that actually smelled good... kind of lime-y... maybe it had liomene in it?

I've read several articles lately warning not to use Hartz, Top Spot, etc. flea preparations as they are hazardous/lethal to pets. Past experience has taught me Adams is about the harshest/nastiest thing out there, but it worked when absolutely nothing else did (I did not have access to Sevin Dust at that moment, which is an old product, very effective, very messy, but hazardous/deadly to endangered butterflies--I no longer use it). Adams left an absolutely horrible chemical smell on the dog that got all over everything and persisted for over a month and made me sick. Even the dog didn't like how she smelled. But the FrontLine-resistant fleas that she got at a truck stop were DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! Ha ha ha! :D :D :D

There are some botanical/herbal/organic products out there, but I don't know how well they work. At least one is only to repel and does not kill fleas.

Important: some flea preparations that are considered safe for cats and dogs are hazardous/deadly/tetragenic/etc. nursing/pregnant/unborn cats and dogs.
 
I use the Seresto collar on Bama. Beware, it is pricey [around $50] but it lasts 8 months and you can find it at Walmart or order it from Amazon. Don't buy it from your vet. The markup will send you into convulsions.
 
I wasn't aware of the fact that my cat has a lower than normal seizure level because he had never had any seizures. After using Advantage II he started grand mal seizures and had to be put on seizure meds for 6 months. He did not lick the flea med but once the med got into his system through the skin it effected his nervous system. I know the majority of cats are fine with these meds but the thought of using a pesticide on a cat to kill fleas makes me nervous. The feline neurologist said I can never use any of these meds again on my cat so it is hard now to keep him free of fleas. Regular organic baths and keeping the house clear of fleas is all I can do at this point.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Do NOT buy any flea med made by Hartz. I would ask your vet what's recommended. The Hartz flea meds have killed cats.
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I couldn't agree more about Hartz. It is the devil. I gave it to my two boys (one of which is Jerry, my diabetic cat...George passed away) last year, and George had several episodes of his hind legs giving out on him for a few seconds. It scared me to death. Of course, it could have been that he had a tumor near his lungs/heart that I couldn't have known about, which ultimately took his sweet little life. Anyway, I wouldn't give Hartz to any animal EVER again! It was too coincidental that the leg incident happened right after and a few days after giving it to him. I use Revolution on Jerry, and he hasn't had any problems that I know of. I hate having to give it to him, but it is kind of a necessity, as we had a bad flea infestation last year, and can't afford to deal with that again, PLUS his diabetes now. If you must give flea medicine, I would recommend Revoltion.
 
Lillie said:
I wasn't aware of the fact that my cat has a lower than normal seizure level because he had never had any seizures. After using Advantage II he started grand mal seizures and had to be put on seizure meds for 6 months. He did not lick the flea med but once the med got into his system through the skin it effected his nervous system. I know the majority of cats are fine with these meds but the thought of using a pesticide on a cat to kill fleas makes me nervous. The feline neurologist said I can never use any of these meds again on my cat so it is hard now to keep him free of fleas. Regular organic baths and keeping the house clear of fleas is all I can do at this point.
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There are a couple of organic flea REPELLANTS that contain herbs and essential oils that may be OK for your cat... One of them, Alzoo, contains geraniol.
 
Believe me, I absolutely hate using Revolution. But I feel like I have to, or the fleas will return. Then I think, if I don't, and his body has been accustomed to it for over a year now, he might have a negative reaction from NOT having it. He has been diabetic for 3.5 months, now, and has had 3 vials of it with no problems, thank God....that is, no problems THAT I KNOW OF. Everything worries me now that he is diabetic. I tried Wondercide, which is all natural. It did absolutely nothing, except give my cats and the fleas a bath. I sure wanted it to work.
 
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