Seresto flea collar side effects?

I am wondering if anyone has experienced bad side effects or sickness from using a seresto flea collar? 

Since I put the collar on I have noticed that he is couching and sometimes breathes funny when he wakes up. Since then he had an eye infection in his left eye with a yellow discharge, which has since healed. I took him to the vet and she said that besides his one swollen gland, everything was fine and that the couching and heaving was probably hair balls (which I have never had a problem with or even noticed).

However, he has since been vomiting and so I have taken the collar off in case it is the collar. The collar was not tight and didn't seem to bother him. 

He is one year old, neutered, and has had all his vaccinations because he is an outdoor cat but I'm slightly worried.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this or is it probably something else unrelated to the collar??

I checked for reviews of this flea collar, and on Amazon, several people said their cats has severe reactions, though none that I read were similar to what your little one is experiencing.  Most cats experienced what sounded like chemical burns where the collar touched their necks.  One cat actually died though, and another almost did

In your case, I guess I would see how he does now that you have removed it   If he seems to improve, I guess you have your answer.

I'm sorry your kitty is feeling so poorly. Hopefully, removing the collar will make him feel better.

Bayer, the maker of Soresto, gives this warning about their own product:

"Keep out of the reach and sight of children. Keep the collar in the outer packaging until use. As with any veterinary medicinal product, do not allow small children to play with the collar, or to put it into their mouths. Pets wearing the collar should not be allowed to sleep in the same bed as their owners, especially children. People with known sensitivity to the ingredients of the collar should avoid contact with the collar. Immediately dispose of any remnants or cut-offs of the collar. Wash hands with cold water after fitting the collar.”

That sounds pretty scary and very toxic, especially since kids are a lot bigger than cats. Flea collars in general seem like a bad idea to me when you think about what exactly they are: a thick ring of insecticide wrapped around your pet's neck, right next to their face, with enough chemicals to last several months.

You may want to bathe his neck with warm water and Dawn dish soap, followed by a very thorough rinse. This is often recommended for bad reactions to flea products. Please keep us updated on how he is doing!

And this is just one. There are thousands more.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/warning-seresto-flea-collar.269136/

Hi, I have just returned from taking my sweet cat to the Vet.
She has had a cough develop over the last 4 to 5 months that was getting worse. She has been breathing quickly and shallow, is easily out of breath, has been resting a lot longer and is less active than what is usual for her. Mouseing this last week was simply too hard for her to enjoy. The cough was sounding very wet and congested and this last week she also had sneezing, teary eyes, snuffling and grunting, is having difficulty eating and has vomited several times in the last 4 to 5 months. Jumping down from the bed or off a low window bench has been sending her into coughing fits that sounded like she could hardly breathe. If she bumped her chest jumping through the cat door she would be crouched on the floor coughing hard for minutes at a time. This last week she has been visibly unwell.

The Vet and I were considering taking chest x-rays. I asked if I needed to remove her ID collar and flea collar for the x-ray. He had just taken her temperature which was normal, indicating no infection.
As soon as the Vet saw the flea collar he began asking about it... the length of time the collar works for, if it came in a tin, how long the collar had been on and said it needed to be removed immediately. He was sure it was a Seresto collar and said he is highly suspicious the collar is the source of the coughing problem.
He has seen 3 other cats with severe breathing difficulties and other side effects... one was his own cat. He returned all the Seresto collars he had in stock and wrote to the Manufacturer and distributor and somewhere else warning of the danger the collar posed to the cats. He told me that 1 reaction in 100 cats wearing that flea collar was bad enough, but to have seen 3 was unacceptable. It looks as though my cat is number 4 for him.
The vet asked how my cat reacted soon after having the collar fitted... she was sleepy and less active than normal and a few questions later the picture was... the cough began soon after the collar was fitted. Thinking back it was probably 2 to 3 weeks after fitting the collar... long enough to not associate the collar with the developing cough.

My other cat is sensitive to flea bites and seemed to be ok with the collar, though he started coughing last week as well... which is very unusual for him.
Both cats were fitted with the Seresto collars on the same day. Both shall have their collars removed... today.
The Vet told me it will take till after the weekend to show improvements. It is Tuesday today. I have the collar's tin beside me... it is Seresto, 8 months protection, made by Bayer.

Thanks for the link in the above post. I shall be reading it.

We have a horse barn and have two cats official barn cats. Both cats are spoiled, well taken care of and are up to date on all vaccinations. I put a Seresto flea collar on one of them (Misty) who is eight years old, three weeks ago, at the advice of a veterinarian, due to the fact she was suffering an allergic reaction from flea bites. Misty became lethargic a week ago but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it because it's summer, we've experienced high temperatures, and she has long hair. Because I was concerned about the temperature fans were places on all of the horses as well as a fan in the center aisle for the cats. This seemed to help Misty and she continued to eat and drink normally. Yesterday morning when I went out to the barn to do chores, Misty struggled to walk to me, collapsed, and one and a half hours later on our way to the vet, died. I have no proof that it was the collar, it could be a coincidence, but I'm concerned. I've owned cats for many years and I've never experienced any thing like this.

I'm sorry to hear of your cat's death. If you still have the collar, send it to the Bayer address on the back of the tin and have them check it over. Also notify them of your cat's death within a short time of fitting the collar and the symptoms she displayed. The more people who report in will give the company's Safety Vets a better picture

I am currently in the middle of an investigation with my vet and the Bayer Vet regarding my cat's reaction. Thankfully she is recovering since the collar has been removed. The matter is being taken seriously.

As a human who is highly reactive to scents and chemicals (as in I get random rashes from brushing up against things with my bare skin) I can tell you not all reactions are instant and sometimes your system hits a tipping point where it becomes too much and you have a major reaction. It wouldn't surprise me if the problems mentioned are from the collars. They are likely highly concentrated and active chemicals for them to be effective for that long. My heart goes out to everyone who has had a bad experience.

Cat won't stop licking her flea collar

flea collars

My cat Kamo Kitty is 3 years old and very healthy, experienced a very bad side effect from the Seresto flea collar. I bought her the Seresto collar in June of 2017 and it worked extremely well. In less than 24 hours she was completely flea free and it seemed to get rid of the fleas on my other cats as well even though Kamo was the only cat wearing the collar. In late june, I noticed Kamo having a pretty serious balance issue and every time she shook her head she would fall over. She had 1 seizure as well. I thought she had an ear infection but she got a little better and I thought she was ok. By late August 2017 she could not keep her balance at all or walk straight. She seemed to be drunk. Then it got to where if she shook her head she would have a seizure. She had ALOT of seizures, about 4 or 5 a day lasting as long as 2 or 3 minutes. I took her to the vet and they checked her for an ear infection and have me antibiotics but she continued to get worse. I took her back to the vet and she suggested taking her Seresto collar off of her as that could be the cause. She also did several other tests on her to see if something else was wrong. All of her tests came back good and the vet said she did not have any other illnesses. The very next day after taking the Seresto collar off of her she immediately started getting better. She did not have another seizure after I took the collar off of her. She is regaining her balance and as of today is feeling much better. We're not 100% sure the Seresto collar caused this but it is very likely it did. I will say again the Seresto collar worked extremely well and is worth the money as it did get rid of the fleas, however it is not worth watching my cat go thru what she's been thru. I would advise anyone purchasing this collar to check out other forms of flea prevention first. Kamo Kitty is doing much better without the collar and again has not had another seizure since I took it off of her

RDR said:

We have a horse barn and have two cats official barn cats. Both cats are spoiled, well taken care of and are up to date on all vaccinations. I put a Seresto flea collar on one of them (Misty) who is eight years old, three weeks ago, at the advice of a veterinarian, due to the fact she was suffering an allergic reaction from flea bites. Misty became lethargic a week ago but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it because it's summer, we've experienced high temperatures, and she has long hair. Because I was concerned about the temperature fans were places on all of the horses as well as a fan in the center aisle for the cats. This seemed to help Misty and she continued to eat and drink normally. Yesterday morning when I went out to the barn to do chores, Misty struggled to walk to me, collapsed, and one and a half hours later on our way to the vet, died. I have no proof that it was the collar, it could be a coincidence, but I'm concerned. I've owned cats for many years and I've never experienced any thing like this.

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My cat started having balance problems and then seizures after wearing the Seresto collar. Her seizures were very serious and she had about 4 or 5 a day lasting up to 2 or 3 minutes. I took her to the vet and after testing her for other possible issues, the vet suggested to take the Seresto collar off of her and see if the problems stopped. The very next day she was better. She has not had another seizure since I removed that collar and she is not having balance problems any more either. I, like you, have no proof it was the collar but she immediately got better once it was gone.

http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2677&Itemid=2994

The above website was found while researching my cat's reaction... I am convinced she was poisoned by the Seresto collar's active ingredient Flumethrin. The Bayer Vet does not accept my conclusion entirely, but had the cost of both collars refunded.
A sure way of finding out is to refit a new collar under controlled conditions where no other chemicals were present and monitor her 24/7 for a return of symptoms. BUT to do this is both unacceptable and UNETHICAL. And I would not put my cat through the experience again. The next time she may not survive.
The Lethal Dose 50 of Flumethrin for rats (LD50 where 50% of rats die) is four times what is in the Seresto cat collar. But a rat is a rat and a cat is a cat. A dose of Flumethrin that makes cattle cough will kill a dog. The safe dose for a dog will kill a cat. A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat. Cats are especially vulnerable because...

Cat's lack the necessary enzymes to break the chemical Flumethrin down and the release from the collar continues to build up to a level that makes them sick. Flumethrin is a pyrethroid, a man made copy of pyrethrin which comes from the Pyrethrum daisy. Pyrethrin is a naturally occurring neurotoxin affecting the nervous system of insects and in higher doses, animals.

My sweet cat Chantelle took a month to recover. The collar was removed on the 25th July. The last coughing episode was on the 23rd of August. She is back to her old self again but tires easily still.
Both my cats are back to Revolution spot on flea treatment. It contains Selamectin, a totally different class of chemical, one that cats can handle.

As I said to the previous person who lost their poor cat soon after fitting the collar, contact the Bayer company, let them know what happened to your cat and sent the collar back, ask for a refund. The more folk that take an active role in reporting their pet getting sick will give them a better view of what is happening.

PS. Check the spelling of the collars mentioned in your post. It is a little confusing to read.

hisangel1971 said:

My cat Kamo Kitty is 3 years old and very healthy, experienced a very bad side effect from the Seresto flea collar. I bought her the Seresto collar in June of 2017 and it worked extremely well. In less than 24 hours she was completely flea free and it seemed to get rid of the fleas on my other cats as well even though Kamo was the only cat wearing the collar. In late june, I noticed Kamo having a pretty serious balance issue and every time she shook her head she would fall over. She had 1 seizure as well. I thought she had an ear infection but she got a little better and I thought she was ok. By late August 2017 she could not keep her balance at all or walk straight. She seemed to be drunk. Then it got to where if she shook her head she would have a seizure. She had ALOT of seizures, about 4 or 5 a day lasting as long as 2 or 3 minutes. I took her to the vet and they checked her for an ear infection and have me antibiotics but she continued to get worse. I took her back to the vet and she suggested taking her Seresto collar off of her as that could be the cause. She also did several other tests on her to see if something else was wrong. All of her tests came back good and the vet said she did not have any other illnesses. The very next day after taking the Seresto collar off of her she immediately started getting better. She did not have another seizure after I took the collar off of her. She is regaining her balance and as of today is feeling much better. We're not 100% sure the Seresto collar caused this but it is very likely it did. I will say again the Seresto collar worked extremely well and is worth the money as it did get rid of the fleas, however it is not worth watching my cat go thru what she's been thru. I would advise anyone purchasing this collar to check out other forms of flea prevention first. Kamo Kitty is doing much better without the collar and again has not had another seizure since I took it off of her

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I have a four year old Bengal who is normally very active and healthy. Four weeks ago I put a Seresto collar on her. I noticed a decline in her health since then to the point she can hardly walk without falling over. I took her to the vet today and he is undergoing blood tests. We took her collar off and she had a bad rash. I asked if the collar could be making her sick and he said highly unlikely. My gut was telling me something else and now I have read this thread I’m absolutely certain it is the collar. I have rung the vets to let them know my suspicions. Should have listened to my gut. Thank you everyone.

JMUf1j1 said:

My gut was telling me something else and now I have read this thread I’m absolutely certain it is the collar. I have rung the vets to let them know my suspicions. Should have listened to my gut. Thank you everyone.

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I have recently read many reviews from people who had their cats sick (or even dead) after using that collar!

I use them on my dogs fine but a dog is a dog and not a cat. I don't feel comfortable using a flea collar on a cat.

I recently decided to try the Seresto collar on my new cat (because my previous cat was so difficult with topicals). She was on a flea and tick preventive when I brought her home, so I didn't need to use anything at first. I first put the collar on her just today. When I got home, I found her sleeping, and very lethargic, which is completely unlike her when I get in. She had eaten less than usual, and wasn't interested in eating. She wasn't interested in me, either, again unlike her.

I've since found this thread, and removed the collar. When I did, she slowly woke up p,, and immediately began to groom herself.

I recently decided to try the Seresto collar on my new cat (because my previous cat was so difficult with topicals). She was on a flea and tick preventive when I brought her home, so I didn't need to use anything at first. I first put the collar on her just today. When I got home, I found her sleeping, and very lethargic, which is completely unlike her when I get in. She had eaten less than usual, and wasn't interested in eating. She wasn't interested in me, either, again unlike her.

I've since found this thread, and removed the collar. When I did, she slowly woke up p,, and immediately began to groom herself.

Another evidence that these collars are, sometimes, harmful!
Thanks for your input.

Further evidence that my experience really was the Seresto collar: Patches is completely back to her playful, active self this morning, plus her appetite is back.