Dog Flea Medicine on Cat--help!!?

Question

well basically my sister bought kitten flea medicine on ebay but when we got it, it was dog flea medicine with instructions on how much to use on her. We looked it up on yahoo answers and the internet and we're running low on money so we just used it. My cat started to scratch more and shed within the hour so we washed it off. (i think) I went to the vet and they said that it could be eating her flesh (it's been on her for more than a week and she's fine) but they said i should just get a $50 check up. Most of my friends are telling me to just get her kitten flea medicine and put it on her. Please keep in mind, that I'm not the richest person in the world and i'm going through money problems right now so $50 isn't that easy for me to get.

i used frontline plus :)

also there's another problem, my house is now infested with fleas.

Answer 1

Never EVER use dog flea medication on cats! Huge mistake. You're lucky you bought Frontline Plus - if it was something like Hartz or Zodiac or anything available in stores, believe me when I say the kitten would be dead by now. As it is, Frontline is hard to overdose on - you've given her far too much by putting the dog stuff on, so you're lucky she's only scratching too much.

Get some flea treatment that's suitable for a kitten. If she's under 8 weeks old, it can't be a spot-on it will have to be Frontline spray. Buying online is not advisable, often you end up with a bogus product which again, is very dangerous.

Just to reiterate: NEVER use dog flea medication on cats! This is the number one reason for deaths by flea medicine.

Chalice

EDIT: I think deb2rule means 'Hartz' rather than Heintz - stay FAR away from this stuff. I think most people on here by now know it's the most dangerous flea treatment in America.

Answer 2

Okay - I've just been doing some research on this for you. The active ingredients in that medication are cyphenothrin and pyriproxyfen. Very dangerous to cats. Other similar treatments have warnings on them to never use on cats because it can be fatal. The warning advice said to immediately bathe the cat to remove all the product (which you did - good job there!) and if symptoms persisted to call your vet ASAP. If you cat is acting unusual at all, I'd get it to a vet. Go to an emergency hospital if you have to. I'm a veterinary nurse. I can't seem to find out what these chemicals do to a cat exactly. I'd guess that their body can't metabolise the chemicals the way a dog can and it causes either liver of kidney problems. Your vet may run bloodwork to make sure everything is working, and/or give IV fluids to flush her system out. That's just a guess. Is there an 1-800 number on the package that you can call and ask the manufacturer what else you can do to help your kitty until your vet opens? Good luck. I hope your kitty is okay. P.S. re: meshcount. Advantage is safe to do that with , I do the same thing. But that's really the ONLY flea preventative that's safe to do that with. Other ones usually are different for cats vs. dogs even if both are made by the same manufacturer.

Answer 3

Jenny, owning pets is not the cheapest thing in the world. You should expect to pay an average of about 30 dollars a month for your feline pet; food, care, etc.
Of course, it is advisable that the kitten have that medical check-up to make sure it is healthy; primarily that it does not have that feline version of parvo, and I expect whatever shots the vet recommends for kittens of its particular age. It should be done, but if the kitten is healthy in appearance and actions, it can wait a little while.

As for your current problem, if the skin is not damaged, keep it clean, put some anti-biotic cream on it, and watch for hair re-growth.
In the future, use the flea and tic collars for your cat/kitten. They can be removed if any adverse reactions occur.
Baths don't hurt cats, so maybe its a good time to get your kitten used to them.
Good Luck

Answer 4

If she is fine, and has no problems or irritation, don't worry. Don't put any other meds on her for a month as there may still be some residue. When you do, get Advantage at the vets office. Do not use over the counter products as they can cause seizures and death in cats. Do not use dog meds on cats as their systems are entirely different. If the cat shows any signs of illness or rash, you will need to take her to the vet.

Answer 5

I am so sorry this happened to you, especially on E-bay because I like E-Bay, but you are very fortunate! I worked for a Vet for 18 years and saw more than a few cats die from having dog flea treatment put on them. If I were you, I would give your cat another bath, as bad as that sounds. I have given many cats baths and they sure don't like it. This may keep your cat alive without spending the extra money.

Answer 6

Your sister should never have bought flea medicine from eBay. You just go to the local store and buy flea medicine. Dog flea medicine is different then for cats. The brand to get is Heintz and it's in expensive.
Hope this solves your dilemma.
Oh, and throw away the dog medicine unless you have a dog.

Answer 7

Invest in some baby shampoo and a bottle of tea tree oil (health food store) relatively cheap a few drops in a teasoon of shampoo will keep kitty flea free and it will last for may shampoos its all natural so it wont hurt the cat and can be used on dogs too! I use it in my birds bath once a week and I bath my puppies with it too and it leaves them smelling sooo
fresh and clean

Answer 8

First off...what kind of flea medication is it?
If it's K-9 ADVANTIX, you have to take her to the vet ASAP. This is deadly when placed on cats.
If it's Advantage or Frontline, call the vet and ask if it' still safe, which it probably is.
If it's any of the Hartz or supermarket brands, bring the cat to the vet ASAP again.

However I got a thumbs down...whatever. I know more about this crap than people recommending tea trea oil and junk from walmart. Unfortunately, go to the vet, bc if you're not going to take good advice, don't take idiot advice.

Answer 9

Unfortunatley a dog medicine will not work on a cat b/c of the the diff hormones, there are cheap things for Fleas in Walmart, in pet ailes!

Answer 10

You should never use dog stuff for cats or cat stuff for kittens. It can kill them. Here's a website to help you out.