Monday, September 28, 2009

Mewsings on Monday



Sometimes something happens that reminds me once again that "A Happy Cat has an Educated Servant" and so today our post is about flea control products.

Last night, a Furrydance cat owner was in the ER with her cat with a fever and lethargy (it turned out to be a raging urinary tract infection) and a couple brought in a cat that they had put dog Hartz Spot On on and it was seizuring and vocalizing and it died shortly after it arrived.

People often assume just because a product says "Don't Use on Cats" that doesn't mean because it will kill it. One person even commented that they thought it was a ploy to sell more product. People think that 1 drop of a topical product made for dogs would be fine for a small cat. People often don't read the fine print, don't keep the box the product came in or have multiple pets and pick up the wrong medication in error.

But much of it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to put more visible, stronger warnings on their products also. Prescription flea control products ARE expensive, but they are also much safer. People buy OTC inexpensive products without researching the pros and cons of each product. (I think they spend more time researching on which phone to get or what car to buy).

So if my post today helps prevents harm or death of one pet, then it will be a good post!

http://www.hartzvictims.org/

12 comments:

  1. If only people would listen to (and ask!) their vets rather than to the advertising!

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  2. So, so heartbreaking. We have to be very careful with Harley because of his immune system disorder. Luckily, we have a really conscientious vet (he says Harley should not even have any vaccines, either).

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  3. That stuff is so scary (and all the ignorant pet owners out there keep shocking me).

    Ane

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  4. I am so sad to hear about that. I find it very frustrating that people don't understand that something for dogs is not necessarily safe for cats.

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  5. Thats really good advice. Thanks, Teri!

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  6. Hiya! We saw you at Aoise's blog and came to visit! We don't use flea/tick stuff as we're indoor kitties and have yet to even get one flea or tick! But, the post is surely a wake up call, especially those dumb people that DON'T read the fine print! The video made us and mom sad. Poor, sweet Oliver! May he rest in peace! Please come and visit us anytime!!!

    Sniffs & Scratches~
    The Kool~Kittie~Krew
    aka...Skeeter, King, and Pandora

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  7. That video is so sad - and I'm really sorry to hear about the cat in the vet's too. Thanks for helping spread the word.

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  8. Oh sad, yes they need to word that more strongly for sure.

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  9. It seems that people tend to believe that vets and MD's are trying to hold back quick fixes and cheap treatments from pets and people.
    I'm always amazed to see people self medicate with concoctions of dubious merit from equally dubious sources.
    As demonstrated by the unnecessary death of this poor animal, we see that the ultimate cost to the cat and the owners wallet is far greater than a trip to the vet.

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  10. That's really sad. I hope someone who didn't know this before comes across it on your blog...

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  11. That's so sad.Thank you for this post and the info.

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  12. A very good post indeed. Thank hyou.

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