Pet owners are inadvertently killing their cats by using flea treatments designed for dogs.
Pet owners inadvertently killing cats by using dog flea treatment
The animal lovers do not realise many products for dogs contain permethrin, an insecticide that can be fatal to cats. Felines can die merely by coming into contact with a dog being treated with the chemical, a charity says.
The problem relates to spot-on flea treatments, which are applied to the skin on the animal’s neck.
‘These deaths are totally preventable,’ said Claire Bessant, chief executive of the International Cat Care charity. ‘Pet owners mix up cat and dog products or are simply unaware that you can’t use a dog treatment on a cat.’
The exact number of cat deaths is not known but hundreds are thought to have been killed or put down.
Donna Palmer, of Brightlingsea in Essex, lost cats Fifi and Whitney after treating them with a dog product.
‘I learnt the lesson the hard way how sad it was,’ she said.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure that you de-flea your cats. This little kitten was one of a litter of 6 and she is the only survivor. They were in a house with several cats that had not been de-flead and so all the kittens were crawling with fleas. This caused flea anaemia and her 5 other brothers and sisters all died. The fleas drink the kittens blood and when they are so tiny they don’t have that much blood in their system so become anaemic. Flea anemia is a condition which requires immediate medical treatment. If you even suspect that your cat may be suffering from anemia of any kind, contact your veterinarian at once.
If fleas are the cause, remember to treat not only your cat, but your home as well. Controlling and then preventing fleas is the only way to insure that your beloved feline companion does not fall victim to any of the flea-related diseases and disorders, including serious conditions such as anemia. Julie at TAG is hand rearing her and she is making great progress but the others have all died needlessly.