No, but we had a dog that acted this way and then became lethargic. She died of organophosphate poisoning.

Don't take a chance. Take it off and bathe her to get any residue off her fur and skin.

If we had bathed our dog right away she might have had a chance, but we didn't and the poisons released by the collar continued to work even though we removed the collar.

I've heard too many bad things about the collars. I'd invest in the Advantage, Frontline or even do a google search and check into natural products. ..AND never buy Hartz products for fleas on cats..I'm sure there is some on this forum that can recommend something....

Please take it off, bathe her, and ask your vet about a single treatement of Frontline, etc. Her body will absorb whatever is in the collar.

I agree. Remove the collar IMMEDIATELY and bathe her thoroughly right away to remove as much of the collar's poison from her skin and coat as possible. Then watch her carefully and take her to your vet immediately if her behavior doesn't return to normal.

Storebought flea products, esp. those formulated for cats, present a high risk of toxicity in quite a few cats. There have been many reported poisonings from these products.

If you want a safe, effective flea product that is less expensive than Frontline, use Advantage. Neither Frontline nor Advantage are absorbed systemically. They are absorbed into the skin layer only. That's what makes them extremely safe for cats and dogs - much moreso than any flea collar.

Laurie

After I posted I did a web search for flea collar info: mostly that they are ineffective. I used one last fall on her and it seemed to work; plus did not bother her. She stopped scratching in a few days.

I then called her: she came when I called, as usual, but then hissed at me! That has never happened before (except at times when I took her away from the window during an unfriendly discussion with a cat outside). Then she took off and hid. I found her, gave her some treats, and took the collar off. Since then she has not been running around: maybe it just bothered her having an additional collar on besides her usual one. The flea collar is very stiff, and her regular one is soft and flexible.

In retrospect I think that's all it was. The collar was on her for all of 14 hours at most. But it was weird behavior for a cat who spend most days laying around keeping me company in whatever room I happen to be in.

What does Frontline normally cost? Or Advantage? The one time I used it it was $30 for one dose, which I thought was really expensive. My income is way down this year.Is there a source besides the vet?

linnea, please listen to what folks are telling you and try to bathe her, we have seen too many members who learned through the deaths of their pets that these products are sometimes deadly.

Linnea, our dog began behaving strangely in about 8 hours. I took the collar off then. It took a couple of days for the lethargy to set in. After taking her to the Vet for ER treatment and staying several days in Intensive care she died.

Please bathe her. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by bathing her to get the toxins off.

Now I'm really scared! She's been under a bed since right before I took the collar off. I brought her some treats and she came out and ate them, then went back under. I've gone up to see her several times, and she has purred normally when I petted her, but has not come out. She has moved to several differnt places under the same bed. This is a very sociable animal normally.

Talked to my husband about it, he says she was behaving oddly for a few days before I put the flea collar on her! But I'm home all day and I didn't notice anything before today. He said she's been getting up in the morning with him (she does get up with him normally), and meowing insistantly. Litter box, food, water, all fine: no apparent reason. For me, up til today, she has just done her usual "lay on the desk while Mom works" thing.

What do I bathe her with? Shampoo? Soap?

Bathe her with a regular shampoo (NOT flea shampoo) or even dish soap, being careful not to get any in her eyes. Do it right now.

Yes, bathe her immediately. Years ago I almost lost a young cat because of a Hartz Mountain flea collar. Frontline wasn't available then. I buy it online now since it is expensive...

My cat is an indoor cat who goes out on a leash and harness at least once a day. I got a 6-month supply from the vet for $50.

TopSpot for cats should be about $10/month or less. Safer and more effective than any collar/dust/powder/spray.

After I posted last time I decided I had to bathe her right away. It was hard to find her. She had been under our bed all afternoon; I had to wake up my husband with a flashlight crawling around on the floor. No luck there, then I had to check all the other beds. This is a cat who normally does not spend any time under things, but prefers to be social or sit where she can see everyone coming or going. I woke up my 15 year old daughter, who said the cat had come in around 8 pm and gone right under the bed. Maybe she was tired of me tracking her down so went to the most remote place. My daughter and I coaxed her out with cat treats, then we took her into the shower. I was expecting a struggle but she seemed not to mind very much. She meowed and stood right where the glass door opens, but did not try to evade the water. I have a hand-held shower so it was pretty easy to bring it down to her level. I used Pantene shampoo. Since she didn't struggle it was easy to do thoroughly. I wrapped her in a towel and my daughter used another to dry the top half of her. She was purring like mad! I brought her downstairs and she immediately drank lots of water, ate, and used the litter box. She had been under a bed for 12 hours so needed all of them. I stayed up until she was dry. I'm keeping all the bedrooms closed so I won't have to hunt so hard again. She threw up during the night, but that's not uncommon when she's eaten a lot. I couldn't find her downstairs this morning (normally she finds ME) but she did come when called: though not right away. I'm planning to watch her to see if her behavior normalizes. Usually, daytime, she hangs out wherever I am, then transfers to whoever comes home (my husband complains if the kids don't run to greet him at the door, but says that Shadow never fails!). It's very windy out today and she doesn't like wind so she may be avoiding windows.

I don't see any fleas but her fur is really dense. When bathing her I felt several small scabs. I wonder if I should use Frontline or Advantage anyway even though that may not be the problem. Can you all get that online without a prescription? I like our vet but $30 for one dose seems over the top. Last summer she had also pulled the fur off her tummy/inside thighs, and that behavior stopped in fall when she started staying inside. A friend suggested that she might be allergic to lawn chemicals, since the pulled parts all corresponded to the parts that would touch the grass if she sat down. We don't use chemicals but our neighbor does. She usually stays inside our fence but I have seen her go in their yard to look in the windows at their dog (big thrill for both of them).

meghane, we must have been posting at the same time. Is TopSpot presciption or can you get it without?

Thanks!

I searched on Yahoo and found this.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top Spot for sale

Can anyone tell me whcih is better, Advantage or Frontline Top Spot?

I still don't know if she even has fleas. Are fleas visible? Would I look for them in the areas where she has pulled off fur? I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to bugs...it's actually Shadow's job to kill them for ME! She comes running when I call out, "Get 'em!"

Advantage and Frontline are both effective against fleas and very safe for the cat. Frontline kills ticks as well as fleas, and it's waterproof. That's why it's more expensive than Advantage. If you don't bathe your cat frequently and don't have ticks to worry about, Advantage is the cheaper option for flea control.

Laurie

Isn't it absorbed through the skin pretty quickly? I've only bathed the cat a handful of times; though since she didn't seem to mind (treated it more like a chance for a really good massage) maybe I'll start doing it. Her fur was noticeably softer with Pantene! Perhaps the flea treatment needs a certain amount of time to be absorbed before a bath? A week, maybe?

If you bathe frequently, even Frontline's effectiveness will be diminished. Advantage will become ineffective the first time you bathe her after applying it.

Bathing your cat frequently will dry her skin and coat and leave them less healthy and shiny.

It looks like I was doing the right thing before! I washed her 3 times with flea soap when I brought her home from the animal shelter, as they told me to, but not since.

I made the mistake of trying flea collars one day when my indoor kitties suddenly got fleas, which most likely came in from my husband's clothing when he'd been working at a dirty farm that had several dogs....my poor babies got lethargic and to this day it makes me sick to think that I put them in danger like that. As soon as I read up on the collars I took them off and threw them away. I eventually got Frontline and it worked magic. I felt so horrible that I put those collars on my cats even just overnight.

Take that flea collar off. I have had health problems with dogs and cats using flea collars. They are just too strong.

If you gave her a bath and didn't see any fleas - you may not need to even use the Frontline/Advantage. I would probably wait a month - if a flea problem develops - then go get the safer stuff from the Vet.

Having a few fleas is less dangerous for your cat than the flea collar.

I am really glad to hear that you gave her a bath. There are alot of people who think the flea collar is less dangerous than the Frontline/Advantage because you can buy the collars over the counter. Unfortunately that is not true.

Take off the collar. But don't throw it away. Instead cut it up into little pieces and put in your vacuum cleaner bag. This will kill any fleas or eggs you may sweep up. /Abi

The collar has bee off the cat since Oct 12: afternoon of the same day I put it on originally. Her bahavior is perfectly normal now.

How do you know if a cat does have fleas? Do you laways see them if they are there?
I only suspected it because she was scratching, biting herself near the tail/hind legs, and had pulled the fur off her abdomen.

You can generally see fleas or their excrement (tiny bits of dark, dried blood) on the hairless parts of the cat's abdomen and inner thighs, or by parting the hair near the tail and looking there. If you don't see any fleas or excrement in those areas, it's still possible that your cat might have been bitten by a single flea. Some animals are so allergic to flea saliva that a single bite will trigger a hair-pulling allergic response.

Some other potential causes of hair loss or hair pulling are mange (perhaps most common), stress, non-flea allergies, and thyroid problems. Your vet can address the issues of mange, allergies, and thyroid function.

Laurie

You can buy a flea comb and see them when you comb her, especially if you comb her around the ears.

If you comb keep a saucer of dish washing liquid and a little water. Drop the fleas in it. They will drown. Also You canjust lay the collar on the rug around where the cat naps. Also, if the ct goes outside, check for ants.

So I used the collars for like 5 or so minutes on my 3 cats, and after reading some reviews (because they started acting weird) I immediately took off the collars and essentially gave them a bath with baby wipes. Do you all think its enough? ot should I sneak them into my house to wash them? My mother doesnt allow cats inside the house....

i gave my cat a hartz flea and tick collar last october 2019. cause she was itching a lot and i had thought maybe she ended up with a flea or something from our other cat that goes out a lot or one of our dogs. we only have one now the rest passed on. when i gave it to her, after about an hour she wasn't itching no more. and shes been doing fine with it. and it is just about time to get her a new one. there has been no problems or anything. and shes acting like herself. lazing about for most of the day. having the kitty crazies off and on during the day. active during the night like most cat. shes very active in literally everything she does. even when she naps most of the day, as i said witch most cats do since there more active during the night. i not seen any funny beavor from her. no throwing up. no out of the blue bliness. no blisters or anything one can think of. besides a missing back right leg from about 4 years ago. shes the most annoyingly, lovable super bratty cat i ever had. healthy and fit to. and i always help her scratch her right side of her neck all the time and i never felt a rash, missing fur, blister or anything at all. and i just had her in the vets about 3 months ago due to some kind of weird bacterial infection ( which our vet never seen before and i told them to do every kind of test on her from blood work, liver testing and more. you name it. and they found nothing wrong with her other then the bacterial infection and the UTI. and they never said anything else's was wrong with her other then that.) so one needs to really think on the aspects of using any kind of collar...

1. is it the right brand for you and your pet? have you used it before?

2. is t worth the price they have it for? ( every brand has its own pricing so look for it. just cause one bran is more pricier then the other don't mean its better for you or your pet.)

3. always talk with your vet first and foremost. they will let you know what is best.

4. if you have a cat that's always outdoors ( like Jinx) think for a moment. has it ever worn a collar before in it's life? is it cause of the collar itself? or is it cause they never had a collar on before? most cats and dog's will act funny if they never worn a collar before. it feels funny to them to have something around there neck for the first time in there life.. so think first. is it cause the collar is making them sick right away? or is it cause it feel funny around there neck? this is one aspect a lot of pet owners don't realize and jump to the.. OH NO MY ANIMALS SICK I NEED TO GO SPEND 5,000$ TO MAKE IT BETTER!.. don't be stupid. if you just think right away first and just watch it with the collar for the first few days closely first before you freak out and spend money you don't have to make it well. cause in the end it could be something simple of the fact it's not use to having something around it's neck.

5. i know this was done over 13 years ago. and the newest one if from 6 months ago. but the lady who started this never stated what kind of flea and tick collar it was. just said she put one on and everyone is basing Hartz over nothing really. and one is blaming a flea collar. for someone else it was an organophosphate poisoning cause of a flea collar and same with a lot of others. not a one said what kind of flea collar it was. for all one knows it could of been something else that causes there pets organophosphate poisoning. and the collar was in the wrong place at the wrong time so the vet and owners just assumed it was it.. its been known to happen before. and it could of been the fact the animal was allergic to it as well.and the owners didn't catch it in time till it was to late. it could of been a lot of thing.

6.unless you have strait facts don't go blaming the product for something that could be something else all together. don't be ignorant and stupid. check your fact first. talk with your vet. and if it is a brand you used before and it does ok then use it. unless stated by a vet not to no more. and always make sure you know what you pet could be allergic to. animals are like people. they cant get cold's and flus. they can get cancer. busted bones and can be allergic to things just like us. so always talk with your vet first before trying something new and make sure it's safe for your pet and your family as well should you or your family be allergic to something in the collar as well.

your probably sitting there at home right now saying or even thinking....

but lady your saying this other lady and the rest are being stupid and ignorant. (not counting Jinx) and over reacted over nothing cause she didn't consult her vet first as with some of the others... bla blah blah....

you'd be right i am saying that. am i sorry i said that? no i am not. think me rude but when it comes to animals i become bold and daring. and speak my mind.

but in all reality cats have there own thing they do at different times. but its always the same

play

explore

hunt

eat

wash

sleep

pee

poop

repeat...

so if your cats acting funny then it tends to. watch it for a few days before spending 5k on it. and if your really sensitive to your pets beavor like i am and you know somethings up. then get it in right away and don't wait. cause the sooner your get it the sooner you can save them and make them better. every time my little girl has something wrong wit her i pick it right away and 'll watch for about 3 days just to see if it goes away and if not ts vet time. idk how many times i can count i always sensed something was wrong with her and managed to the vets right away before it was to late. lucky for me i always got whatever was bothering her early enough we me and my vet, could catch it right away and get her the medicine she needed. so just follow my tips and everything and you should be ok.

oh and if your wondering right now as i finish typing this up my little one is going nuts right now after i woke her up from her 2 hour post dinner nap xD and shes looking out the window. witch is totally her thing at this time of night. and n 10 minutes she will be running around the house looking for mice xD. she defiantly my little 3 legged super kitty