As some of you may know, I lost Sunni to a sudden, unexplained illness June 30th. She was a healthy cat with no medical history of problems, strictly indoors. I treated her with spot-on flea treatments because the dog comes in and out, and we have the two cats outdoors who come in contact with us and the dog. While I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping her protected from pests, I may have actually killed her.
I'm not one to accept "we don't know" for an answer, especially when it concerns my beloved animals. When the emergency clinic couldn't explain what was wrong with her, it was unacceptable to me. Once the shock of losing her wore off, I began my online research. I also asked myself, "What was different about that week?" Other than the obvious fact that we were gone on vacation and someone else was taking care of Sunni, the only change in routine was her flea treatment before we left.
I used Bio Spot One-Step for Cats on Sunni, as well as Angel and Percy the day before we left. Looking back, Sunni's behavior was unusual, but I chalked it up to stress over seeing the suitcases and the uproar of preparing for our trip. She didn't eat her food or drink that morning we left. According to Chere, my friend, Sunni was hiding when she came to feed her, she rarely saw her and her appetite never improved. Within 4 days, Sunni was vomiting. Still, Chere (and I) assumed some of it was stress, perhaps a hairball. She was eating again and using her litterbox, so I told Chere to keep an eye on her and let me know if she got worse. The next time I heard from her, she was taking Sunni to my mom's house for a trip to the emergency clinic. It was that night that Sunni died.
This post is to make people aware, after 2 hours on the phone with the EPA, the National Pesticide Information Center, Farnam (the manufacturer of Bio Spot) and the local PetSmart where I purchased the product.....Bio Spot One-Step is dangerous for cats and probably caused the death of our dear Sunni. Farnam is aware of the problem, and my case was not unusual. I won't release all of the details that I was given during our telephone conversation, but Sherri was very upfront and informative about this product. The original Bio Spot is still considered, by Farnam, as safe for cats. The new product is NOT. There is a huge legal mess over at Farnam, and we will probably see more about this in the near future.
Please, PLEASE...do NOT use Bio Spot One-Step for Cats. It is stronger than the original product, with a higher concentration of permethrin. Also, if you have dogs and use Bio Spot on them, please be aware that it can be fatal for your cats to come in contact with it by interacting with your dog.
Farnam has been very understanding and informative. I know they have no choice, considering the huge legal liability they could be facing, but it was still comforting to me to be heard and receive empathy from them. This is in no way a slanderous post about their company. I just want those of you considering using this product to be very aware of the consequences.
If this post is in the wrong place, please move it...I wasn't sure. I also apologize for the length, but I felt it was extremely important. Anyone with questions can contact me via private message as well. Thank you so much.
I'm not one to accept "we don't know" for an answer, especially when it concerns my beloved animals. When the emergency clinic couldn't explain what was wrong with her, it was unacceptable to me. Once the shock of losing her wore off, I began my online research. I also asked myself, "What was different about that week?" Other than the obvious fact that we were gone on vacation and someone else was taking care of Sunni, the only change in routine was her flea treatment before we left.
I used Bio Spot One-Step for Cats on Sunni, as well as Angel and Percy the day before we left. Looking back, Sunni's behavior was unusual, but I chalked it up to stress over seeing the suitcases and the uproar of preparing for our trip. She didn't eat her food or drink that morning we left. According to Chere, my friend, Sunni was hiding when she came to feed her, she rarely saw her and her appetite never improved. Within 4 days, Sunni was vomiting. Still, Chere (and I) assumed some of it was stress, perhaps a hairball. She was eating again and using her litterbox, so I told Chere to keep an eye on her and let me know if she got worse. The next time I heard from her, she was taking Sunni to my mom's house for a trip to the emergency clinic. It was that night that Sunni died.
This post is to make people aware, after 2 hours on the phone with the EPA, the National Pesticide Information Center, Farnam (the manufacturer of Bio Spot) and the local PetSmart where I purchased the product.....Bio Spot One-Step is dangerous for cats and probably caused the death of our dear Sunni. Farnam is aware of the problem, and my case was not unusual. I won't release all of the details that I was given during our telephone conversation, but Sherri was very upfront and informative about this product. The original Bio Spot is still considered, by Farnam, as safe for cats. The new product is NOT. There is a huge legal mess over at Farnam, and we will probably see more about this in the near future.
Please, PLEASE...do NOT use Bio Spot One-Step for Cats. It is stronger than the original product, with a higher concentration of permethrin. Also, if you have dogs and use Bio Spot on them, please be aware that it can be fatal for your cats to come in contact with it by interacting with your dog.
Farnam has been very understanding and informative. I know they have no choice, considering the huge legal liability they could be facing, but it was still comforting to me to be heard and receive empathy from them. This is in no way a slanderous post about their company. I just want those of you considering using this product to be very aware of the consequences.
If this post is in the wrong place, please move it...I wasn't sure. I also apologize for the length, but I felt it was extremely important. Anyone with questions can contact me via private message as well. Thank you so much.