Cats and dogs and fleas and ticks

One of the first things veterinarians are taught in school is that "cats are not small dogs!" What this means is that the two species, although similar in many ways, have important differences in their anatomy and physiology. While this may seem utterly obvious, it's hard when you are in veterinary school to learn the complicated anatomy, physiology, pathology, surgery, etc., etc. for ONE species, much less all of the common domesticated species. That's not even counting wildlife, exotics, zoo animals, etc. It's common for the stressed out vet student to forget the important, but sometimes subtle, differences between species. Thus the little mnemonics: "cisplatin splats cats; cats are not small dogs."

It also happens to non-veterinarians. We've seen multiple cases recently of cats sickened by the use of external pesticides (flea and tick killers). In most cases, the drug is labeled for dogs only. Cats cannot tolerate some of these drugs, and they can get very ill, or even die.

Since these substances are placed on the outside of the pet, they aren't technically considered 'drugs' (which are subject to the rules of the FDA); they are considered external pesticides, and they are regulated by the EPA. Recently the EPA issued an advisory notifying the public about the "sharp increase" in the number of adverse reactions due to flea and tick products. Here's a news release. They even listed the 7 products that accounted for 80% of the reports. But then they took the names of the products off of the website, so we don't know which ones they are. Hopefully, they'll post the products again.

The point is, talk to your veterinarian about the most effective and SAFE product for you to use on your pet. Some products are known to be more effective and safer than others. Also, NEVER use a product on a cat unless it is labeled for use on cats.