Serious answers only please. Will my cat be okay?

Question

About 2.5 hrs. ago I put Hartz flea powder & spray a bit much on my 12 week cat. It already had a collar that was on a few days and didn't seem to be helping. The cat acted blind & walked around as if drunk. I rused him to the vet who said she was dying go home & bathe her(which I did). She is now alert & seems to be able to see. However, she still walks a bit strange & is shivering. I called the vet who told him to give her a day and bring her back tommorow, but I feel I should be doing more to help her. It was my stupid mistake that caused this & I'm sooo sorry for that but any advice that is sincere is welcomed.

Thank you for your help and support. Her name is Jeter. She is still shivering a bit but is much more alert now and even a little playful. I am calling different vets now.

Answer 1

Since she's damp, keep her warm until she's dry. You might want to let her lay on a towel on a heating pad set on the lowest setting. Make sure she's drinking plenty of water, to help clean her out.

I did that with a kitten, once, only it was worm medicine. The poor thing walked around with her head down, bumping into things!
She came out of it OK, and we had many years with her afterward.

Answer 2

I did the same thing a few years back - even at the correct dose. My cat went into convulsions. They put him on an IV over night and also gave him some muscle relaxers. What happens is that the flea treatment is obsorbed by the skin, Where there is a reaction, it is in the nervous system, and its like all their nervous are misfireing all at once. It was an awful thing to watch. If you feel that concerned, ask the vet if there is anything else you can do. I also felt so guilty, I cried and cried. I would make sure that you see at least a small sign of improvement before the vet closes for the night. If you have any doubts, I'd have her back in there before they close, and then she turns for the worse during the night. My cat did make it, but it took about 3 days before he began to act normal. Never use hartz, zodiac (what caused mine) or any other over the counter flea product. Only use what you get at your vets office.

Answer 3

I was told by my cats vet to NEVER use any hartz product or any flea treatment you can get at WalMart, they can cause sometimes fatal siezures in cats and dogs also you should not use a flea colar and a seperate flea treatment at the same time only use one or the other cuz the chemical can make your pet sick if there is to much of it your better off if you use Frontline for flea and tick control its a little pricey but I would rather pay more instead of paying less and risking my cats life you should call a differet vet for a second opinion about your cat and take her to the vet if you still think somthings wrong I hope I helped ya out

Answer 4

I work in a vet clinic, and I beleive Hartz products are stupid. Same with Zodiac. These things can be bought at any store, even Safeway, Canadian Tire, and stores like that dont cater to animals. Use flea products only available at ure vet clinic. These may be priceier, but they work and they're safe.

Keep an eye on ure cat for sure. I can't beleive your vet just let the cat go home with no treatment. They coulda have kept it in hospital to monitor it as they are more professional in treating cases like this for sure. If she's still shaking for the next day or so take her somewhere else.

Answer 5

That happened to my friend's dog.... It's some type of thing animals get where they seriously walk around acting drunk, shiver, etc. You should probably see another vet b/c my friend's dog had a chance of passing away and that would not have been okay. It has nothing to do with the collar the cat's wearing - cats have to get used to that stuff a little each day and you can't just think your cat will get better by doing nothing - my friend's vet had them give their dog some medicine and the dog was better in about 4 or 5 weeks I think - possibly less. You also need to get diff. vet's opinions. The name of this thing is called Dog ear problems: canine peripheral vestibular syndrome for dogs. You should ask your vet if there's one of these diseases for cats too. It sounds like the same thing for cats. Anyway, good luck in getting this resolved.

Answer 6

Don't be too hard on yourself, you didn't know. You were trying to do right for your cat.

There have been many similar cases reported after using Hartz.

Go here to read more:
http://www.hartzvictims.org/index.php

I can't give you any advice that you're vet hasn't already told you. Just do what the doc tells you. Good luck.

Edit: The website I gave you speaks mostly of the One-Spot treatment from Hartz, but if you read posts you will find others who have had problems with other Hartz products as well. Maybe someone there can help you.

Sending you best wishes.

Answer 7

Your cat is allergic to the Hartz flea powder. Apparently this happens frequently (it happened to my co-workers cat). Wash the cat again, this time use Dawn dish detergent. Make sure you wash it good to get all the stuff off. I would suggest taking the flea collar off also. Margie's cat survived the Hartz stuff and yours can too. I would suggest never using it again though. If your cat is strictly indoors you may not need to worry about flea prevention, unless you have a dog going in and out. My cats are indoor and I don't use anything on them. If I were to use something it would be Advance or something from the vet. Also, Margie has informed me that the Hartz flea stuff can cause seizures. If your cat has one make sure you take her to the vet immediately! Also after you wash the cat again, wrap her up in warm towels until she gets dry. If you do this you should have a cat who is fine. Please let me know what happens.

Answer 8

Give her another bath with hypo-allergenic shampoo. You can also put some towels in the dryer and wrap her up to keep her warm and cuddled. Call the vet and ask if you can give her Benadryl to help with any internal reaction. They may have already given her Epinephrine in the office already so double-check.

In the future, it is better to always test products on a back paw (the farthest point away from the heart). Keep a close watch on her and get her back to the hospital at the first sign of distress. Try not to worry. I know it's hard, but she needs you to be calm and level-headed right now.

Answer 9

Hi there. There is not much more you can do but wait at the moment. Keep kitty warm, plenty of fluids(water) , NO milk, cats really shouldn't have milk unless it's special kitty milk.
Cats have a very different immune system and skin to dogs and can absorb poisons and toxins through their skin and soft tissues such as eyes, hence the severe reactions to the flea treatments...like and overdose. I've never used flea collars, a one off treatment from the vet is usually the most efficient, it is calculated on weight and age of the lil' kitty. All I can say is I'm sitting here with my fingers crossed and ask you what her name is????

Answer 10

Well there isn't really that much for you to do since you are going to see the vet tomorrow, but I would just let the cat relax (if that is possible) and give her a lot of attention. You should probably keep her warm if she is shivering, and not let her walk around too much, thats all I have to say so good luck!!!! =[

Answer 11

I think if there was anything else you could do, the vet would have given you more advice. We all make mistakes sometimes -- you did the right thing taking it to the vet. She may be shivering out of fear a little too (and you can imagine - she's probably a bit scared). Maybe she'll climb on your lap and you can love on her - that will help. Of course, if anything like our cat.....it's on their terms only. Good luck.