My cat licked flea drops and is freaking out. Is it toxic?

SIGNS OF TOXICITY All flea control products are potentially toxic or may produce unexpected side effects. Toxicity may result from accidental overdose or unexpected sensitivity. Known side effects, although rare, are vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, sluggishness, weakness, or abnormal behavior. If you suspect that your animal is reacting adversely to a flea control product, stop using the product and consult your veterinarian immediately. If the reaction occurs immediately after application, the product should be rinsed off thoroughly and the animal brought to the veterinarian for evaluation. Adverse reactions may occur from minutes to days following application. Insecticides can be toxic to people; all products should be handled carefully, avoiding direct contact as much as possible. Keep all products out of the reach of children. Cats are particularly sensitive to many pesticides. ONLY USE PRODUCTS LABELED TO BE SAFELY USED ON CATS. If you have any questions about a product’s safety, please consult your veterinarian. FLEA CONTROL IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT Immature life stages of the flea accumulate in the environment when animals with fleas serve to disperse flea eggs into the environment where they then hatch into juvenile life stages. House and yard treatments need to be concentrated on "source points", which are areas where your pets spend most of their time. This typically would include the bedding and resting areas, the feeding location, etc. You can lessen the flea burden in your home by thorough vacuuming of all source points followed by disposal of the vacuum bag and by washing all animal bedding weekly in hot water and drying at high heat for twenty minutes. Steam cleaning of rugs and carpeting +/- upholstery is also helpful. In the yard, focus on areas where your pet(s) or other animals spend most of their time. Typically, fleas survive and reproduce in shaded, moist areas with plant or organic debris (under decks, bushes, storage sheds, etc). Fleas do not survive or reproduce well in sunny, open areas of lawn or patio. Elimination of yard debris will be helpful in reducing flea numbers. You may choose to utilize a professional exterminator service for the treatment of fleas in your home and garden. REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS It is important to realize that the various anti-flea medications do not eliminate the immature forms of fleas in the environment. Thus, for the first month or so you may continue to see fleas on your pet as the juvenile forms mature and search for a new host. This does not mean that the fleas have built up resistance to the medication – in reality, flea resistance to these products is quite rare. The most common reasons for failure to control a flea problem are: 1. Frequent washing of a pet treated with a spot-on product (this includes swimming in pools, lakes or the ocean). 2. Inconsistency in the application of the product. 3. Failure to treat all pets. 4. Wildlife reservoirs of fleas (feral cats, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, etc.). Thus areas below outside decks, old sheds, etc. should be barricaded or locked to discourage such ‘visitors’.

Hello, thank you for your question. I believe that keeping a close eye on your cat and trying to prevent her from licking the product is a good option. Most of these products cause mild GI upset or excessive salivation when they are ingested, but rarely life threatening signs. If your cat develops any vomiting, diarrhea, or inappetance I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

Not a good idea. Try putting a t-shirt on her for an hour or so until the skin absorbed most. Or you can put an e-collar on her for a little while, if you have one. I cannot tell you if it still will work when it is ingested, but since it is an avermectin it may. Watch for fleas. If fleas show up much earlier than the time it is supposed to last then it is not working. You can repeat the application about 2 weeks from now, if needed. She should be ok even if she ingests it.

Just keep an eye on her. She would need to eat a lot of the product to get sick. You may want to give some wet food with added water to get the product to pass through more quickly. I would expect some drooling as the only side effect. Do monitor her though and should you see any medical problems such as tremors or vomiting and diarrhea then I would take her in. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pippa.

I worry about this product, because it contains a pesticide that can be toxic if used in too high of a concentration. However, the way this is meant to be used is more like a bathing product. It should be diluted per the manufacturer's directions and then the cats should be bathed per the directions. After the bath, the solution should be thoroughly rinsed and is not meant to stay on the skin, so there should be no concern of them licking it. I prefer other products for controlling fleas though, because this one would have to be repeated. Other products like spot-ons (i.e. Frontline, Revolution) or tablets (i.e. capstar) will control the fleas for an entire month. Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the cats and environment for fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ I hope that helps and the kitties get better soon.

Yes I would be concerned, as this can be a sign of flea treatment toxicity. I would put her into a bath immediately, and gently wash the treatment off with water water and Dawn dish soap. Continue to monitor her for signs of toxicity, including vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, hyper salivation, and depression. If you see any of those signs, take her into your vet immediately. I would make sure that the flea treatment you put on Annie was for cats and not for dogs, as it's very important to have a cat dose for cats because they are so sensitive to the flea medication. I would wait a few days before reapplying a flea treatment, and I would use a different brand than what you just used. I recommend using Advantage or Revolution.

Pet Armor is the same active ingredient as Frontline. As long as you applied the correct cat product your cat should be fine. The product is very bitter and nasty tasting, that's why she drooled. To prevent this in the future, be careful to apply the product high on the back of your cat's head and neck only. Watch your cat for signs of illness just to be safe.