is tick collar safe for cat and the owner???

[motif]

My cat since spring started brings everyday 1-3 ticks around his neck
so I bought a collar against ticks but I have seconds thoughts now.
How safe this chemicals are for cat and how safe they are for me since
he sleeps quite often with me and even if he didn't still we stroke his often. What do you think?

 

[farleyv]

Never buy any over the counter flea, or tick or anything collars. Contact your vet and get vet approved supplies.

Horror stories abound about otc flea, tick meds. Many horror stories right here on TCS.

Please. Only get these meds through your veterinarian.

The otc's should be outlawed.

 

[strange_wings]

Unsafe enough that I wouldn't want one on my bedding. Look up cats and reactions to flea and tick collars, they're definitely not safe.

The problem is that there really isn't anything to repell ticks from cats.

Originally Posted by farleyv

Horror stories abound about otc flea, tick meds. Many horror stories right here on TCS.

Please. Only get these meds through your veterinarian.

Pesticides are not medications! It doesn't matter if it comes from a vet or not, they are all pesticides and must be used with care. People forget that all of these products are toxic and thats why so many do dumbs things like using Hartz or the wrong dosage. People think medication = good.

Really, everyong stop calling them medications.

 

[motif]

any natural way like coconut oil, wormwood, tea tree oil etc that I could use few drops on his neck? they are natural antiseptic.

 

[strange_wings]

Essential oils are toxic to cats, tea tree especially is.

You can try Revolution, you have to get this from your vet. While at the vet you can discuss the tick problem.

Simplest way to control the ticks, though, would be to keep kitty inside and treat your yard for them. Clear brush and keep the grass trimmed. Clean up any areas that rodents would live in as it's rodents that bring tick nymphs into areas and what the tick nymphs get the Lyme's from.
Remember that if your yard is infested with ticks if becomes a health hazard for you and all other humans in the home. If they're really bad around your home, then there's a high likelihood of you bringing them in on your pant legs.

 

[darlili]

I second getting Revolution from the vet. My cats are indoor cats, but I use Revolution. My cats also sleep with me.

In any event, I'd speak first with the vet before thinking of any 'natural' treatments about side-effects. Just because something is natural or organic does not mean it is safe.

 

[ziggy'smom]

Not only are flea and tick collars toxic, they are also completely ineffective. Frontline plus works for ticks and has done a good job keeping them off my dogs when we go to the dog park.

 

[farleyv]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Unsafe enough that I wouldn't want one on my bedding. Look up cats and reactions to flea and tick collars, they're definitely not safe.

The problem is that there really isn't anything to repell ticks from cats.

Pesticides are not medications! It doesn't matter if it comes from a vet or not, they are all pesticides and must be used with care. People forget that all of these products are toxic and thats why so many do dumbs things like using Hartz or the wrong dosage. People think medication = good.

Really, everyong stop calling them medications.

So sorry I called them meds.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by farleyv

So sorry I called them meds.

Just start calling them pesticides and try to get other people to use the correct terminology, too. I think if we get more people to realize what we're using and the seriousness of the products, and what misuse can do, that we might help prevent some of the OD'ing (wrong dosage/underlying health issue) and even the use of the OTC flea topicals.

They're serious products that we shouldn't take for granted.

People see the Hartz, Biospot, etc on the shelf with a picture of a cat on it and think "oh it's safe, they wouldn't sell if this if is wasn't" and let their guards down.

 

[motif]

well, looking that way most of prescription drugs are toxic and actually a poisonous. Unfortunately it's true though. I have returned that collar to the shop.

p.s.
BTW I stay away from vets same way as I stay away from doctors...

 

[arlyn]

You can make that choice, your animals cannot, its a shame, especially for cats as they hide pain and illness excedingly well.
I seriously hope your cat never needs a vet.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by motif

well, looking that way most of prescription drugs are toxic and actually a poisonous. Unfortunately it's true though. I have returned that collar to the shop.

p.s.
BTW I stay away from vets same way as I stay away from doctors...

Of course, when misused many are. The difference is, lets say, between a antibiotic and imidacloprid (which is in Advantage) is that the former is still not a pesticide. Sure, taken in the wrong dose or if one is allergic it can cause serious harm, but it's actually treating a medical issues. Pesticides just kill insects.

Some classes of them are safer than others at recommended doses for use in companion animals. These are the ones you get from your vet, though Advantage is now OTC and provided that your cat is healthy (has had a vet check in the last 12 months) it should be safe to use. If you decide to go this route, please weigh your cat, know his weight, and call Bayer to verify that the box you pick up isn't a fake. That's what the Bayer customer support is for, make an employee do a bit of work.

The pesticides that other OTC products like Hartz use are often dog "safe" (and that's questionable), but their attempts at just using a smaller amount to treat a cat is a terrible mistake. Cats do not have same capacity to filter toxins through their livers like dogs and other animals do (lack specific enzymes for it to be a little more technical).
Permethrin, pyrethrins, and pyrethroids get used in these, and that's where the problem arises. You just can't dose down a chemical that's toxic to cats.

(Of some interest is that the EPA has/is studying whether/how harmful these products are to the humans that come in contact to their pets that they've been applied to. Who knows where this investigation is now with budget cuts...)

Cats do need vet check ups, just like you do need a doctor check up now and then. It's better to catch diseases early rather than wait until they're serious. Stress and possible grief aside, preventative care is often cheaper.

 

[elayman]

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international nonprofit environmental organization, maintains an online guide to flea and tick products that is sortable and searchable by product brand name and pesticide, and the relative danger that each poses to help you better weigh the potential dangers.

http://www.simplesteps.org/greenpaws-products


The EPA can raise concerns of vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, itching, hair loss, skin ulceration, lethargy, nervousness, ataxia, terrors, seizure, in the most severe cases, death in its own published reports and then classify the majority of incidents as "minor."

According to them, the packages are basically safe....only in need of better labeling, instructions and further testing so that the products are not misused by consumers.

How can it possibly be benign ?? Can there be a worse way to go about treating fleas ?? The poison is right there on the collar for the purpose of rubbing off on your petâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s head. Flea collars are nothing more than poison necklaces. They constantly release toxic fumes right into your pet's lungs that your pet inhales, and so do you, every time you sleep with or hug your pet.