My cat has reacted to a flea treatment

[kittykittykitty5]

I have had to leave him at the vets for emergency treatment, they have warned me that although they see this quite often it can prove fatal. I gave him the dosage at 11pm last night and this morning he is sweating, panting and breathing really fast.

They are going to wash off the rest of the product, sedate him, give him steroids and do bloods.

Has anyone had a reaction like this before from their cat and did it all turn out OK.

I am a little distraught about it all.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Oh no, how awful! x

[thecatneuterer]

I have seen this too often. Hoping for the best. What did you use?

[thecatneuterer]

Just to answer your question we used to see it with Bob Martin a lot. It has killed a lot of cats. But now they have changed their formulation. So now we only see it with the very cheap, off-the-shelf flea products generally.

[kittykittykitty5]

Thanks for your responses, I used Advantage for over 4kg cats. I have checked the batch and it is best before 2020.

The vet weighed him this morning just to check his weight and he is 4.7kg so it is not the dosage that was the issue.

He loves water (he is a Turkish Angora) so they ran him a shallow cool bath and he happily jumped in and had a soak for half hour on his own. He has had some steroids but his temperature is still a little high. His blood tests showed his white cell blood count was high but they think this is due to him being in such a state of shock.

I am collecting him at four o clock, have been told to take rest of the batch with me when I collect him.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts and words...

[user1466610292]

So glad he is ok

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Oh good, phew xxx

[thecatneuterer]

That's a relief. Advantage is really very safe. I've never known it to cause an issue (I work in a vet clinic). I'm so glad he's ok.

[Yokebe]

Hi OP, I hope your cat will be ok,
Just a thought as to where you bought the treatment from?

I wonder if they need to be told and check the batch?

[kittykittykitty5]

I collected him at quarter past four, I took the packaging with me for the vet to have a quick look. Best before date was 2020 and they were purchased over the internet using Waitrose Pet website.

I have been wondering if I should email Waitrose and Advantage to let them know what has happened.

He ate when he got home and has been asleep since 5pm on the cold marble fireplace. He is totally out of it, I assume that is the combination of the sedative and steroids he had, he has to stay in for 24 hours. I will try but he does normally go out at about 2am. Tonight could be another long night if he is stressing about not going out. Would it be dangerous to let him out after 12 hours if he really wants to go?

Thanks all for your comments and support, greatly appreciated.

[Yokebe]

Ive been looking on how to spot fake flea treatments as mine were bought online & your post reminded me that my cat was sick about 4 weeks ago (last treatment) & really lethargic.

I put it down to the hot weather
Im going to throw away the remaining tube as Its worried me.

I think Im going to go with pets at home, they do 12 months flea & worm treatment from the vet plus annual vaccinations for £10 a month direct debit.

[Yokebe]

Im sure waitrose were legitimate, Im just doubting my purchase!

[WeirdAndPissedOff]

I think sometimes it can be a luck thing - one of my cats reacted to Broadline (luckily a skin reaction only!) which was prescribed and purchased at the vets - all my other cats were fine after being given the same stuff.

But I would let Advantage know in any case - I think they keep tabs on this kind of thing.

Have you used Advantage on your cat before? If not it may be worth considering an alternative just in case, otherwise I would check Waitrose's legitimacy (I'm sure it's fine!) and keep an eye on him next time you use it.

Re letting your cat out - it will probably be fine, but it really is better to keep him in if possible.

All the best to your cat, glad he has been able to come home!

[kittykittykitty5]

Thank you so much for your posts. He is OK, has a massive bald bit on his neck where the bloods were taken. He has literally slept for three days solid.

The vet is going to contact Advantage and Waitrose on my behalf.

[Yokebe]

get well soon kittycat