Bob Martin :(

[RubbishMantra]

Within the last couple of days we've had posts about Bob Martin products (mainly spot-on flea treatments) damaging cats.

At best, they don't work, and at worst they can poison your cat.

I realise not every cat owner uses this board, so perhaps others reading this could use social media/word of mouth to relay this info?

Thank you.

[Heathen4Hire]

I am a new kitten owner, my puss is 11 weeks now. Thanks for passing this on, I had no idea.

All flea and worming stuff I will get from the vet.

[MsKite]

I never knew this in all my years of having cats and fleas
I've always wondered if it was a y good but never bought any for some reason, thankfully

[thecatneuterer]

Not just Bob Martin. In fact after years and years of killing cats they have recently changed their formulation to one that doesn't kill cats, but also doesn't work. I will forever boycott them because of their history and never buy anything from that company.

However other off the shelf flea products do still contain the dangerous ingredient, permethrin, and also don't work.

Only buy stuff from vets or from behind the counter in chemists (generally Advantage and Drontal).

[thecatneuterer]

And while there are new cat owners on this thread let's also point out that lilies are very dangerous to cats. Make sure you never have them in the house and don't grow them in your garden. I'm not sure it's a good idea to publicise that one on social media though as it might be food for thought for people who want to harm cats.

[EachandEveryone]

I never knew either of those things and I often buy lillies thsnjd

[MsKite]

It's the pollen from lillies that can be dangerous if it gets on the fur and is licked off. I think it's ok if you remove the polleny bits (stamens?)

[reallyanotherone]

Paracetamol also extremely toxic to cats in particular.

Be careful with your calpol, it's sweet and a tiny amount will do it...

[reallyanotherone]

Mskite all oarts of the plant are toxic. If a cat eats the leaves or petals it will still die.

Pollen is just more likely as your cat only needs to brush past to get pollen on it's fur which is them groomed and ingested. But a lot of cats like to chew plants.

[fruityb]

I always snip the bits out of lilies. And yes Bob Martin is awful stuff - it's cheap and nasty and doesn't work. You have to fork out for the decent stuff!

[reallyanotherone]

And always check with a vet if you are treating a dog in a cat household. Dog products can be toxic to cats. Same with multi cat households, as they have a tendency to groom each other.

[wigglybeezer]

Is frontline OK?

[MsKite]

Thanks really I didn't know that. Scary! I never get lillies now anyway just in case

[laidbackneko]

Daffodils too. I absolutely love them but never keep them in the house as they are poisonous to cats.

[RubbishMantra]

Frontline's not poisonous, but in most areas fleas have developed immunity to it.

[TheoriginalLEM]

wiggly frontline is perfectly safe but fleas appeae to have developed a resistance to it so it is less effective.

[MsKite]

I've just read something online that said frontline has the same ingredient as Bob Martin

[RubbishMantra]

I think all bulb plants are toxic to cats. Here's a good guide.

And you're right another, it's not just the pollen, even a small nibble of the plant can be fatal.

[thecatneuterer]

Snipping the pollen bits out of lilies makes them less likely to kill your cat, but it won't remove the possibility. If you have cats don't have lilies.

MsKite Frontline is the same ingredient as the new Bob Martin. The old Bob Martin didn't work and killed some cats. The new Bob Martin, which is now the same as Frontline, merely doesn't work.

[MsKite]

Ah right! Thanks thecatneuterer. I use advocate now, which works brilliantly (for now?)

[acatcalledjohn]

Last time we used Frontline we ended up with a full on infestation of flees (honestly, the fleas and eggs were everywhere, I took a video of a sea of them on top a box where girl cat liked to sit, it was horrible), so as far as we're concerned the fleas have built up a resistance for it as mentioned upthread. We had to follow up with a combination of Advantage spot on and Indorex house spray which worked a treat.

Never knew about Bob Martin though. Never bought any of their products, and this has given me even more reason to stick to the more expensive but safe and effective treatments. They are our babies and worth every penny.

[PickAChew]

Permethrin is the stuff in flyspray and aphid spray!

[CharminglyGawky]

Also don't use flea collars. Many of them have dangerous chemicals in, they can cause horrific allergic reactions and if a cat has a cut on their neck or rubs their neck raw from an allergic reaction it can kill them as stuff gets into the bloodstream.

I'm afraid I don't know the chemicals involved but used to work in a rescue and the no flea collars thing was actually in the adoption contract as the rescue had seen so much suffering from them.

[reallyanotherone]

Charming flea collars tend to be organophosphate.

Awful when a cat gets hold of one and chews it.

Another plus for vets is they tend to know thre regional flea resistance. Our vet also has it's products on rotation so resistance is less likely to build up in the area.

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Can I ask about Broadline? Am considering using this as it combines worming and fleas (I think!) but not sure how effective it is? I think the flea stuff is the same as frontline which people are saying doesn't work any more. Thanks.

[acatcalledjohn]

I started a thread on tapeworm last night and Broadline was recommended there.