IF YOU HAVE A CAT YOU LOVE PLEASE READ THIS NOW!

POSTED BY: Caite
UPDATED: Sunday, April 10, 2005 18:25
VIEWED: 9762
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CAITE

Saturday, March 5, 2005 5:42 PM

If you have a cat please do not use HARTZ FLEA AND TICK TREATMENT FOR CATS AND KITTENS!!!! I just found out that it causes major problems (seizures) and sometimes death in many cats. My cat Angel almost died last night after I applied the treatment in the afternoon. He started having seizures and had to be taken to a 24 hour vet at midnight. When I called them to ask what I should do, and mentioned that I had just given him a flea treatment they said "It wasn't Hartz, was it?" I just about died. He should be okay, but now I have a huge vet bill to pay and I'm a very poor college student.

Please, don't let this happen to you!

HELIA

Saturday, March 5, 2005 10:20 PM

What an awful thing to have happen. Best wishes for your kitty's speedy recovery.

SGTGUMP

Sunday, March 6, 2005 4:08 AM

That sucks. I hope you cat gets better, and thanks for the heads-up.

CAITE

Sunday, March 6, 2005 4:25 AM

Thanks for the support. Little Angel came home tonight and the pronosis is very good :)

NEEDLESEYE

Sunday, March 6, 2005 4:33 AM

I've heard of this problem with Hartz and with a few other flea products.
Just want to say that should you choose another flea product, I have never ever had a problem with Advantage. I've used it on around 15 animals (cats/kittens/dogs/pups) my family and I have, without a single reaction. It's excellent. Not to say that some animal out there might not be allergic.
Anyway, I get it from www.jefferspet.com . You don't net a vet prescription and it's packaged dosage based on animal's weight. It may cost a little more, but I have found it so reliable to be worth it.

I hope your kitty is better soon. He's lucky to have a caring human like you! :D

Keeper of Jayne's goggles. 8)

MAI

Sunday, March 6, 2005 5:00 AM

Thanks so much for the information. I hope Angel is doing better.

CAITE

Sunday, March 6, 2005 5:28 AM

Once again, thank you to everyone for their support. This is why I love fff.net. Everyone is so caring about one another. I am truly touched, and it has helped me to get through this tough time. Angel has been home for a few hours now and seems to be back to normal! He's grooming, walking around like normal, and eating. It looks like a horrible event was averted.

I know that the animals lovers out there realize how much love their is between an owner and their pet, and I don't believe there's much worse than losing a cherished pet. My little one has helped me through some hard times when I was down and feeling lonely, and I'm glad that finally I got to return the favor by getting him the care he needed.

Thanks again, and please spread the word about the dangers of Hartz products, okay? I wouldn't want anyone to go through the emotional and financial hardship that I went through.

FREMDFIRMA

Sunday, March 6, 2005 12:44 PM

I love my kitties, and use only anti-flea products containing Pyrethin, which is based off a natural 'pesticide' created by daisies.

Quite effective for all that, low risk of reaction to it, and it fits the natural order of things better than dangerous formulated chems.

Nice cat story for ya folks in the meantime, since this thread seems most appropriate and I have a few minutes.....

My girls' cousin is a vet's assistant, and their office wound up with this tiny little mangled half dead cat prettymuch dumped on their doorstep in a horrible downpour... she'd gotten really badly mauled somehow and had wedged herself under a rock and nearly drowned.

Being the decent human beings they are, her office patched up and saved the poor lil critter, but were unable to save it's right-rear leg, which had to alas, be amputated.

Now, because there are so many unwanted kittens, and people are as a rule... jerks, most of the time a "defective" animal is simply put down, but no one in her office could even suggest it, as this lil kitten was the sweetest, most loving, energetic and friendly critter they'd seen in a long while.. so they got to thinkin about who they knew who would take and love the kitty.

Then it occured to my girl's cousin who would.. you see, I lost my lower right leg in a near fatal accident over ten years ago, I know *exactly* what it's like... ironically, basically the same leg this one was missing (oh and ain't we a pair hoppin to the kitchen for some food?)

And thus, now we have five cats, the others have adapted well, since our house is large enough that territorial disputes are few, and food/water and litter is quite sufficient (they're Soooo spoiled!) for five or more cats.

Sorry for the mild threadjack, but this tale is so sweet I couldn't help sharing it with fellow Felidae fans.

Now if I can just teach the adoring lil monster not to slam her head into my face when I'm asleep cause she's booooored...

-F

DTUCK

Sunday, March 6, 2005 5:26 PM

We decided not to use Hartz when, last year, it sent 2 of our 5 kittens into seizures 5 minutes after we applied it to their backs. We contacted the vet, and he also said it was the Hartz.

Luckily, the seizures only lasted about a half-hour, but it was one of the strangest 30 minutes I've ever experienced. They just lay down and shook. Didn't make a sound at all.

Every so often, they would stop, but then it would start up again a minute later, not quite as severe, until they stopped shaking completely, and just seemed exhausted.

The odd thing is, we've had lots of cats, and it was only those two who responded badly to Hartz.

__________________________________

The best way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

BROWNCOAT1

Monday, March 7, 2005 4:02 PM

Caite, thanks for the warning about Hartz. I am glad to hear your cat is home and doing better. I know how upsetting those close calls w/ our furry friends can be when they happen.

My wife and I use Advantage products on our cats and dog. They are a bit more expensive, but we have found the results to be better than other products and Advantage is recommended by vets.

I had never heard about the problem w/ Hartz, but I will pass the word along to everyone I know.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Meet Up:
http://firefly.meetup.com/9/boards/

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