I used Cheristisn on my 14 year old cat. Her reaction was terrible. She became very lethargic, looking lost. She has been refusing to eat and and drink for the past couple of days. I could not figure out what was wrong since she had not reacted badly before (we used Cheristin twice before) until I read some of these posts. I had to take her to the vet. But I still don't know if she is going to recover.As I understand it the problems come with the cumulative affect of the Cheristin more than with the first couple of applications.
I didn't like Cheristin at all because it left a greasy mess on all my cats for days. I highly recommend Revolution. You can get it without a prescription for a discount from this Australian retailer. I know at least a few of us use this site.I have recently decided that my cat was "allergic" to Cheristin due to issues. He startled me one day by pooping on the kitchen floor right in front of me! I was so surprised. I tried to look it up online why would he do that, and I read that cats can sometimes do such a thing out of frustration with their owner. He *had* been very vocal with me but I couldn't figure out what he wanted. But I've been finding such little accidents elsewhere, and just the other night I had to wash his butt for him because he had poop all over it. He's also developing a spot on his back where he ( a shorthair cat!) is developing a cronic matt. it's a tiny spot but it's absurd. But this is only what has made me blame the Cheristin. There's more.
I had taken him into the vet complaining about "fits" he was having, where he suddenly freaks out, licking and scratching himself but in a truly hysterical fashion. The vet said he was allergic to fleas even though he had no fleas. She said that the scabbing on his rump was indicative of fleas. I had been using a Seresto collar but loosely because I really hate collars - terrified of him getting it caught on something. She (vet) said that the collar needed to be snug to be effective (and she does not recommend collars at all, very against them) and recommended Cheristin. He had had Cheristin before so I went back to it. But his fits seem to have increased since putting it on him. I am really at a loss what to do for him because the fleas really do bother him more than most cats but flea preventive measures are maybe even worse? I don't know what to do for him. Could the fits be from the Seresto and the Cheristin both? Is Seresto safe and approved? He never had bowel problems with Seresto. I was going to go back to the collar but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just let him brave the fleas and see how bad it gets...
To clarify a little, I was skeptical of the vet's diagnosis of fleas since she didn't find any on him with her comb, and his fits were severe enough that he let himself fall off of his cat tree because chasing whatever was bothering him was more important. A flea? But they assured me that a single flea could be that irritating to a cat. I just don't know what to do. He's such a sweet boy, but even just scratching his rump - which he LOVES - can make him start licking his front leg and feeling agitated so I have to stop for fear of triggering a fit. I'm really worried about him. He's the most "touchy-feely" affectionate cat I've ever owned. Having him be sensitive to being touched is monumentally unfair. The Cheristin never bothered either of my other two cats. My little girl kitty only gets the Cheristin sometimes though because the vet encouraged me to treat all three for the sake of the one with issues. She doesn't seem to need it on her own. (Lucky girl.)
David, I agree!I thought I'd post an update on this thread. I have been using Cheristin for my multiple cats for years, swapping it back and forth with other treatments as FL fleas seem to build resistance to continued use of the same product. I'm sure I'd been using Cheristin continuously for about 18 months.
I have a 17 YO cat that I nearly lost when she got sick 24 hours after dosing her with Cheristin 8 days ago. She stopped eating (a HUGE change in behavior) and refused all food; reduced her water intake to a few small sips a day and otherwise spent all day sleeping in an unusual place for her. This continued for 4 days, but she gradually became more mobile and was taking more and more water. Now, 8 days later she's nearly back to normal but while frequently hungry she only eats small portions at a time. At first I was sure she'd eaten something poisonous (indoor/outdoor cat in FL) or her age suddenly caught up as we'd lost 2 cats in the same age range to other causes in the prior 4 months. The sudden onset of symptoms after the Cheristin stuck in my mind and I started research on any recall and found this site where other problems have been posted including at least one case where the symptoms were the same as for my cat.
On a related point on the same issue, I lost my most favorite 16-YO in February. There is no doubt she had terminal cancer that was very aggressive and un-treatable, but she wasn't showing any real signs of illness yet. Wanting to be sure she was comfortable, I treated her with Cheristin from that same Lot D070435. A day later she stopped eating suddenly and after 2 weeks of no food and 4 days refusing water as well, I had to have her put to sleep. Cheristin did not change the outcome here, but it's so disappointing that it probably accelerated the inevitable and deprived us of Angel's company for some period of time.
Having 2 cats suffer the same symptoms in the same time period after treatment with the same Lot of Cheristin doesn't seem like it could be a coincidence.
I am so sorry that happened to your girl. That's awful. Thank you so so so much for warning us about this. I almost bought Cheristin for my cats.It took about an hour from the time it was applied until the time she passed away
My cat died within an hour of his 3rd treatment.. the first two had been 6months to a year apart, this 3rd that killed him was after he had been shaved of his undercoat for summer, and the vet put directly on his skin, I always got just some on him and he would get away, now I know why.. heartbreaking!As I understand it the problems come with the cumulative affect of the Cheristin more than with the first couple of applications.