Perth cats given wrong flea drops

Aug 29 2008 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Cats are dropped in danger

ADORABLE cats Tia and Maria are the picture of health now. But only recently their young lives hung in the balance.

Their well-meaning owner had put them in jeopardy by using the anti-flea treatment Spot On – phials of liquid containing permethrin – meant only for dogs.

The cats’ owner, Linda Ormond, was unaware that the Bob Martin’s product is only for use on dogs – and should never be used on cats.

She is angry that such a potentially harmful product is readily available from pet stores and supermarkets and claims its packaging does not adequately highlight the dangers.

When young cats Tia and Maria started convulsing after being dosed with Spot On, Mrs Ormond rushed them to the Tay Valley Vets in Perth’s Whitefriars Crescent where life-saving treatment swung into action.

After treatment as in-patients, the cats were allowed home, much to the delight and relief of the Ormond family, although they now face paying a hefty vets’ bill.

The crisis prompted Tay Valley Vet Andrew Herd to warn all cat owners about the Spot On peril. He also called upon the manufacturers to improve the labelling on the product.

“The cats’ owner had unfortunately used the flea treatment which she had bought for her dog,” said Andrew.

“She had not noticed the very small writing on the packaging which states the active ingredient, permethrin, is poisonous to cats.

“I feel this is labelled badly.”

Andrew described the cats’ distress when the littermates were taken into the surgery: “They were uncontrollably fitting and twitching very badly. And they were constantly vocalising in distress and were very sensitive to noise and light until we managed to sedate them.”

Mrs Ormond added: “I certainly don’t think Spot On should be sold on the shop floor. What effect would it have on children?”

A director of Bob Martin, John Powell, told the PA that permethrin is a commonly used pyrethroid insecticide for killing fleas and ticks, and products containing it are rigorously assessed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) before marketing authorisation is granted in the UK.

Mr Powell continued: “There is occasional misuse of permethrin dog spot-on products by cat owners and we have been working closely with the Veterinary Poisons Information Service and the VMD to monitor the problem and try to ensure the packs communicate the risk to cats as clearly as possible.

“Further label changes have been agreed with the VMD in the last few weeks.”

While Mr Powell said his company took adverse reactions in cats to Spot On seriously, and agreeing that “the regulatory authorities have the difficult task of balancing priorities”, he suggested that “a great many dogs would go untreated (for fleas and ticks) if effective spot on products were not readilly available.”

He also pointed out that the Spot On packs carried clearly worded warnings on the front and back, with all words and layouts approved by the VMD.