Noticing a change in behavior of your cat, after flea treatment, is a reason to act for. Behavioral change in a pet is one of the most common complaints after flea treatment. If your cat looks too upset, behaves lazy, keeps hiding or walks like she is drunk, then immediate action is definitely required.
What Makes Your Cat Act Weird after Flea Treatment?
Flea treatment consists of different products like powders, collars, sprays, shampoos or dips. The chemicals used in the products are meant to kill the insects but improper use can affect your pet too. A possible reason why your cat is acting weird after getting treated for fleas could be one of these:
Cat Licked Flea Medicine
The medicine used to treat flea and tick usually consists of chemicals that affect the insect’s brain. These insecticides are mostly harmless to cats only if used in proper amounts and in a correct way. It is guided to use the medicine on the nape of your cat so that she cannot lick it. If the medicine is applied elsewhere then your cat might have licked it, making her sick.
It is also possible that she might have licked the medicine from another pet who also has been treated for fleas or ticks. Many times cats lick treated kittens or dogs and ingest the medicine.
Adult Cat’s Medicine Applied to Kitten
Do not apply an adult cat’s medicine to the kitten as it can be really harsh on them. Kittens are very delicate and not all cat medicines are safe for them.
Dog Flea Medicine Applied to the Cat
The flea and tick medications for dogs mainly consists of pyrethrin and pyrethroids. However, in cats pyrethroids can cause severe poisoning. Cats cannot handle the high concentration of pyrethroids or other strong drugs. Therefore avoid using a dog’s drug onto your cat.
Your Cat is Sensitive to Certain Chemicals
Every cat has a distinct tolerance to certain chemical just like any other animal. A drug suitable to one cat might be severe for another. Always consult your veterinary doctor before applying any medication to your pets.
Flea Treatment Poisoning
One of the common causes of emergencies these days is accidental poisoning of cats during or after flea treatment. Cat Flea treatment products like powders, lotions, shampoo, sprays or spot-on are easy to ingest by your cats accidentally. Poisoning may create many health issues together, for your cat.
Symptoms of flea treatment poisoning in cats could be:
- Agitation
- Drooling or vomiting
- Lethargy
- Facial twitching
- Ear twitching
- Hiding
- Walking like drunk
- Diarrhea
- Muscle tremors
- Seizers
- And in extreme cases death
Not just ingesting the medicine but using a high concentration of the same medicine may also cause any of these symptoms.
Flea Collar Poisoning
Cat Flea collars that are available in the market mainly contain chemicals like amitraz, organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethrin or pyrethroids. If the flea collars are accidentally licked or applied to cats in an inappropriate way, then a medical condition may arise for your cat. You can learn more about flea treatment here to get a clearer idea of flea collar poisoning.
Signs of flea collar poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, dilated pupils, coma, drunk walking, and low or high blood pressure. On noticing any of the above issues you should immediately remove the collar and get medical help.
Other Reasons Why Your Cat Might Be Acting Weird
There could be other reasons too for your cat behaving weird. The problem could be a gastrointestinal disorder, infection, anxiety or fear.
Most of the times, when cats are taken to the veterinary hospitals, they are held for long to treat the underlying disease. To treat fleas and ticks, the doctor might bathe your kitty or hold her until the medication dries. As a result, cats behave abnormally in anxiety or fear. They might hide or get agitated when you try to touch. This problem will resolve slowly, just avoid irritating her more.
To check whether your cat has a gastrointestinal issue or an infection, after the flea treatment, you should again take a visit to the veterinarian doctor.
Final Thoughts
In brief, remember that your cats, especially kittens, are delicate, soft and cute as well as sensitive. Consequently, their liver cannot handle the severity of strong chemicals. Use products wisely, in order to treat fleas or to treat any other medical problem. Do not use a dog’s medicine onto your cat, even if the dog is smaller than the cat. In fact, take the guidance of the veterinary doctor on how to apply the medications and accordingly keep your pets safe.
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