Last Friday (6/7/19) I gave 3 out of our 4 cats a Nitenpyram capsule, a generic brand of Capstar sold under the name QUICK CAPS by Puppy Butts pet supply. Prior to giving them the medication, I did a fair amount of research, particularly on the brand. I realize now that I probably did not do enough research, or more specifically, did not do the "correct" research. To be 100% fair, I do not know if this issue is with the brand, or with the Nitenpyram medication itself.
After giving the medication to our cats, they all experienced the "Tickle Effect" as I have seen it called ... which is a very "cute" way of describing that they all completely FREAKED OUT! This reaction was expected, but I was not expecting it to be as severe as it was. All three cats seemed more "traumatized" than "tickled". They were switching back and forth from scratching, to running out of control, and back to scratching. At least one cat started panting for a few minutes that I observed. The severe reaction lasted about an hour. (This reaction is caused by the way the fleas die, and again was expected. There are a few good videos on YouTube that show how the fleas die, and explains why cats react this way)
After the initial "crazy" stage, all three cats had settled down to just "grooming" themselves, and we went to bed. And this is where the unexpected results begin. The next day, all three cats at first just seemed tired. One was laying on a loveseat, one was laying on bench, and the other was laying on my computer desk. AND THAT IS WHERE THEY STAYED UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT!!! Yes, all three cats stayed in the exact same place for almost 48 hours! The did get up to use the litter box, and they did eat and drink, although considerably less than normal. Each cat would act "normal", but only when promoted too. (One cat LOVES treats, and he would take his treats, but only if I brought them to him, or picked him up and moved him to where his food is. Another cat is very lovable, and would cuddle and purr, but only if I picked her up. Her "normal" behavior is to follow me around the house wanting constant attention)
At first, I wasn't all that concerned. I was assuming that they were likely just tired from having the reaction to the medication, and had probably stayed up all night dealing with the last of the fleas dying. By Saturday night, I was getting slightly concerned, and by Sunday, I was getting VERY concerned. But, because they were still eating, drinking, and using the litter box, I just kept thinking that it was some kind of extreme fatigue, or maybe disorientation from the medication itself. I did look up and found that Nitenpyram should be out of their system completely within 48 hours.
By Monday morning, all three cats had returned "mostly" back to normal. At the least, they had moved from the spot they had been in all weekend. Then tonight (Tuesday) my fears have returned. Our male cat, Courage, had a seizure. He has had one seizure before, about 6 months ago ... so there is a chance this is unrelated to the medication. But he is now back to acting extremely disoriented and out of character. He wants nothing to do with the other cats, and has been searching the house for someplace to hide. He is also acting like his sense of smell is affected. (He is going to his food and smelling it, but not eating. He is going to his litter box and smelling it, but not using it). He is also going to the door wanting to go outside. (He has been a 100% indoor cat for almost a year, and has not acted like he wanted to go outside since).
I will be taking him to the vet first thing in the morning. He currently seems "stable", just very agitated, and definitely not acting normal.
I would caution anyone before using CapStar or Nitenpyram on their cats. I cannot say for sure that the seizure was caused by the medication, since he has had one before, but I can say that the medication definitely had some kind of effect on all three cats, that appeared to be some kind of effect on their mental state. It is certainly not normal for a cat to stay in the exact same spot (that is not a normal "spot") for over two days.
I said in the beginning that I had done some research, but not the correct research. If you look at the reviews for Capstar, or the generics on Amazon ... look at the 1 star and 2 star reviews, not just the 5 star, and you will see that a lot of people have had severe reactions to this medication, including losing their pets.
After giving the medication to our cats, they all experienced the "Tickle Effect" as I have seen it called ... which is a very "cute" way of describing that they all completely FREAKED OUT! This reaction was expected, but I was not expecting it to be as severe as it was. All three cats seemed more "traumatized" than "tickled". They were switching back and forth from scratching, to running out of control, and back to scratching. At least one cat started panting for a few minutes that I observed. The severe reaction lasted about an hour. (This reaction is caused by the way the fleas die, and again was expected. There are a few good videos on YouTube that show how the fleas die, and explains why cats react this way)
After the initial "crazy" stage, all three cats had settled down to just "grooming" themselves, and we went to bed. And this is where the unexpected results begin. The next day, all three cats at first just seemed tired. One was laying on a loveseat, one was laying on bench, and the other was laying on my computer desk. AND THAT IS WHERE THEY STAYED UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT!!! Yes, all three cats stayed in the exact same place for almost 48 hours! The did get up to use the litter box, and they did eat and drink, although considerably less than normal. Each cat would act "normal", but only when promoted too. (One cat LOVES treats, and he would take his treats, but only if I brought them to him, or picked him up and moved him to where his food is. Another cat is very lovable, and would cuddle and purr, but only if I picked her up. Her "normal" behavior is to follow me around the house wanting constant attention)
At first, I wasn't all that concerned. I was assuming that they were likely just tired from having the reaction to the medication, and had probably stayed up all night dealing with the last of the fleas dying. By Saturday night, I was getting slightly concerned, and by Sunday, I was getting VERY concerned. But, because they were still eating, drinking, and using the litter box, I just kept thinking that it was some kind of extreme fatigue, or maybe disorientation from the medication itself. I did look up and found that Nitenpyram should be out of their system completely within 48 hours.
By Monday morning, all three cats had returned "mostly" back to normal. At the least, they had moved from the spot they had been in all weekend. Then tonight (Tuesday) my fears have returned. Our male cat, Courage, had a seizure. He has had one seizure before, about 6 months ago ... so there is a chance this is unrelated to the medication. But he is now back to acting extremely disoriented and out of character. He wants nothing to do with the other cats, and has been searching the house for someplace to hide. He is also acting like his sense of smell is affected. (He is going to his food and smelling it, but not eating. He is going to his litter box and smelling it, but not using it). He is also going to the door wanting to go outside. (He has been a 100% indoor cat for almost a year, and has not acted like he wanted to go outside since).
I will be taking him to the vet first thing in the morning. He currently seems "stable", just very agitated, and definitely not acting normal.
I would caution anyone before using CapStar or Nitenpyram on their cats. I cannot say for sure that the seizure was caused by the medication, since he has had one before, but I can say that the medication definitely had some kind of effect on all three cats, that appeared to be some kind of effect on their mental state. It is certainly not normal for a cat to stay in the exact same spot (that is not a normal "spot") for over two days.
I said in the beginning that I had done some research, but not the correct research. If you look at the reviews for Capstar, or the generics on Amazon ... look at the 1 star and 2 star reviews, not just the 5 star, and you will see that a lot of people have had severe reactions to this medication, including losing their pets.