My cat is twitching after flea treatment. Is a vet visit necessary?

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.

Poor girl. I suspect she is having a mild reaction to the Hartz flea medication. Unfortunately, this particular flea prevention has been shown to have adverse effects in many cats that cause neurological issues stemming anywhere from muscle twitching to full on seizures. I would recommend rinsing the product off as best you can using Dawn dish detergent, followed by a soothing cat friendly conditioner from your local pet store to rehydrate the skin. And then a vet visit is best to get her fully evaluated to make sure she doesn't require any additional treatment (i..e muscle relaxer) or antihistamines. I hope that your fur baby Lucy is able to make a full and speedy recovery and its best to get her on a higher quality flea prevention (i.e Revolution, Cheristin, Advantage is ok) next time to limit adverse reactions in the future. Best wishes and take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Sometimes during the deep phase of sleep, animals can twitch or have muscle twitching. This is completely normal. I would recommend bringing in a fecal sample in to the veterinarian so that the most appropriate deworming medication can be prescribed. If the leg shaking worsens, I would consult with the veterinarian for more information. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cats will often exhibit signs of toxicity within 30 minutes to an hour, so by you washing the flea treatment off so quickly & Cheeto has not shown any symptoms so far, he should be fine. Good job.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Chloe! I would take Chloe to the Vet when they open. Be careful not to get bit or have any of her saliva get in to open cuts. If she had any wounds on her in the last 6 months and hasn't be vaccinated for rabies, sadly that is very high on the list for a neurolgic kitten. Other possible causes are toxin ingested, FIP, infectious causes like toxoplasma, it is possible the Hartz medication is to blame so bring the packaging with you, or he could have an ear infection causing vestibular signs. I hope this helps and I wish Chloe the very best!

There could be something else causing this weird reaction besides fleas. I would try a different flea preventative like advantage or comfortis (oral) to see if this makes a difference (if you have this in your area). You could also try benadryl (diphenhydramine) twice a day or just an hour before she goes outside to see if this helps. See link below. You could also look up hyperesthesia. Granted these cats tend to always have the weird twitching of their fur and weird behaviors, but it is something to look into. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#

I would not use it on my own cats. It is a harsh product on cats and I have seen a few clients have an intense reaction to it involving seizures and muscle spasms. I would instead use something like the Seresto collar. Best wishes.