Why You Should Never Use Your Dog's Flea Treatment on Your Cat

By Randa Magdi

As temperatures become warmer fleas become a problem for pet owners.

Our vet, Glen Kolenc, says "if I was given a dollar for every cat I've had to treat that was poisoned by a dog only flea product, I'd not have to work again!"

And this statement unfortunately sums up how rampant this misconception is among dog and cat owners. Owners must heed the warnings on product labels or their cat may end up with some serious (and expensive) health problems.

The irony is that in trying in to save money by using dog flea treatments on cats, people end up having to pay vet bills for insecticide toxicity.

Glen goes on to say "If a product says "do not give to cats" then why would you even consider giving it to a cat?

That's a bit like giving a child a medicine that states "not to be used in children". Sorry, I had to throw that bit in because we see cats poisoned by dog only flea products so often, and is something that should never happen in the first place.

Some of these products cannot be used on cats because they are toxic to cats. In fact, these products are very often fatal if given to a cat and they are not treated early enough. This is because the liver of dogs and cats function a little bit differently to each other.

Cat's livers cannot metabolise a lot of chemicals that dog's livers can meaning that what is safe for a dog is not necessarily safe for a cat. Please heed the warnings on any pet related products you buy."

The symptoms for insecticide overdose can occur within hours of ingestion and include salivation, muscle tremors, twitching, coma, convulsions and death.

Feel free to post your own question to Glen, our vet.

Randa Magdi is plain mad about animals and their welfare. She is particularly passionate about the welfare of cats and dogs and is active in many animal groups that aim to give animals a fairer life. Randa also volunteers her time where possible to help at animal fundraisers. A recent fundraiser Randa helped organize was to raise funds for the desexing of dogs in outback and remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Randa's heart breaks when she hears about the number of unwanted pets that are euthanized each year. Randa's family consists of a partner, four cats and two dogs (only one was planned and the rest were strays or rescues). Randa wanted to combine her communication skills with her passion for the well-being of domestic pets and hence the dogs and cats website was borne and is currently being populated. Randa has spent the last 18 months learning the ins and outs of business over the internet and has been working with a programmer to offer a must-visit site for dog and cat owners. An A-Z directory of services, owners can find the nearest dog or cat service provider in their local area. The differentiator with say a yellow pages, is that people can leave a rating allowing future visitors to make a more informed decision about the service provider they choose. You can visit http://www.dogsandcats.com.au Randa's other passion is great food and the company of friends. Randa also created and manages the blog dinner party ideas.