Help! Desperate and worried!

Today I discovered fleas embedded into both of my cats coats. They are indoor cats, so I recently opted out of their monthly one spot treatment for fleas. Probably a year now. In a panic, I ran out to my local grocery store (I know.. awful) because I remembered seeing a similar product for sale and it was the only outlet available to me at the time.

I bought Hartz brand flea collars and one-spot treatment. I have been brushing them with the furminator all night but I keep coming across these crawling buggers in their fur, unscathed. Now I read that Hartz is USELESS and could even KILL some cats. I don't know what to do.

I know now that Frontline and Advantage are the only two that really do the trick. But is it too late for my kitties now? By trying to nip the problem in the bud have I put them in danger? Will I be able to use the proper brand so soon after using the knock off? I don't know what to do and I can't sleep because of it. I'm so scared! Please help.

Caitlin

Unfortunately yes, Hartz can be dangerous... Do not use the collars... wash the spots as soon as you can... Call your vet and ask how long to wait before you can apply an appropriate flea control medicine.
Before that, you can use FOOD GRADE (very important to be food grade!) diatomaceous earth, you can put it on their coats, and on the carpet too... Sprinkle a layer on the carpet, wait some time and then vacuum. DE is not toxic, and it will kill the fleas.

Thanks for your speedy reply! What exactly is food grade? I am so furious that Hartz is allowed to be sold if it is known to be so dangerous. I should have known better. Have you ever used Capstar? It is in tablet form, so I am hoping I will be able to administer is as an alternative to another topical treatment.

Your best bet is to get any flea treatment from your vet. This way you are covered to some extent should something go wrong. Remove the flea collar and give you kitty a thorough bath in Dawn dishwashing lotion and warm water. 24 hours after he is dry you can apply spot on treatment that I hope you will get from your vet.

If you get landscape grade diahcotomus it can cut your kitty. Getting food grade cuts the fleas tough outer shell. Honestly, you are better off with frontline or advantage though- works faster and longer.

Capstar is an excellent product and can be used safely on any cat over 2 pounds. It kills adult fleas for 24 hours.

Call your vet and ask for captsar tablets for your cats, and ask how long you must wait before you can safely use Frontline plus or advantage.

Yes it is terrible this hartz stuff and the sergent stuff (and others) are still sold. I wonder how the makers of hartz etc can sleep at night. I wonder how the owners of the stores who market the stuff can sleep at night too,

Frontline and Advantage are the best, but fleas are building up an immunity to them. I used both (separately) on my cats, and they killed ALMOST all the fleas... and then they just came back. The vet prescribed me Revolutions which still works really well (not as well as Frontline specifically for fleas). The fleas were eliminated.

Also, to get them out of your house, Eucalyptus oil works very well to make fleas leave, they hate the smell. I put a small amount in a water bottle and sprayed my bed almost every night and they eventually left (or died from the Revolutions). Vacuuming and borax powder also was a daily ritual for me at that point. And, once your house is clean, you can spray wintergreen oil (with water) and it will kill any flea eggs left over. That only needs to be done once a month though because it is so strong.

Originally Posted by laurahsaur

Frontline and Advantage are the best, but fleas are building up an immunity to them. I used both (separately) on my cats, and they killed ALMOST all the fleas... and then they just came back. The vet prescribed me Revolutions which still works really well (not as well as Frontline specifically for fleas). The fleas were eliminated.

Also, to get them out of your house, Eucalyptus oil works very well to make fleas leave, they hate the smell. I put a small amount in a water bottle and sprayed my bed almost every night and they eventually left (or died from the Revolutions). Vacuuming and borax powder also was a daily ritual for me at that point. And, once your house is clean, you can spray wintergreen oil (with water) and it will kill any flea eggs left over. That only needs to be done once a month though because it is so strong.

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Eucalyptus oil and Wintergreen oil are both toxic to cats and I would not recommend using these, or any essential oils, anywhere cats are present.

If the Advantage or Frontline were purchased anywhere but the vet there is a chance the products were not what they were labeled as and that may be why they had limited success.

These products are now legitimately available OTC, but that is only recently, up until April or so, if you purchased them anywhere but the vet they could be bootleg or counterfeit.

If you did get them at the vet, maybe you're right and the fleas developed an immunity. I've heard both sides of this, some say it's impossible, some say it's inevitable.