Cat flea collars making them scratch?

Slim4Summer

Hi all
I "think" my cats are flea free but as a preventative measure I put flea collars on them all the other day. Now they are all scratching like mad at the area round their necks!

Could they be allergic to the collars (surely not all 4 of them) or did they have fleas which are now going mental in their death throes and attacking the cats in revenge??

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

elsien

I don't know if there's any difference between cat and dog flea collars, but my dog got a really nasty infection on her neck when I put a new flea collar on her (she'd worn them before with no previous problems.) The skin broke and started weeping within 24 hours.
This may not be at all relevant to you, but I'd advise keeping a really close eye on things just in case.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I rekon the cats are allergic to the flea treatment in the collars. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

Best bet for fleas, is frontline which can be bought online. Or get the council to spray the whole house. Gets rid of the fleas on the cats and fleas/eggs laying in the furnishings.

I believe that flea collars are another money making gimmick which do everything but kill fleas.

BitterAndTwisted

Slim4Summer wrote: »

Hi all
Could they be allergic to the collars (surely not all 4 of them) or did they have fleas which are now going mental in their death throes and attacking the cats in revenge??

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

The fleas being in their death throes is the least likely scenario, flea collars or any flea "treatment" bought from the supermarket or pet shop are useless and a complete waste of time and money.

If your pusscats have access to the outside it's only a matter of time before they catch fleas. Frontline, Advantage or similar is what your felines really need and you don't have to buy it from the vet's either, you can get it online but (I think) you do need a prescription. I bought Frontline for my darlings from abroad via eBay and it was as cheap as chips, really..

tori.k

Slim4Summer wrote: »

Hi all
I "think" my cats are flea free but as a preventative measure I put flea collars on them all the other day. Now they are all scratching like mad at the area round their necks!

Could they be allergic to the collars (surely not all 4 of them) or did they have fleas which are now going mental in their death throes and attacking the cats in revenge??

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

Its not a Bob Martin collar by any chance?

geri1965_2

tori.k wrote: »

Its not a Bob Martin collar by any chance?

I was about to ask this.

OP, if it is a Bob Martin flea collar please take it off as soon as possible, as Bob Martin products are well known for causing a lot of problems and even deaths, especially in cats.

PaggleHam

I have found flea collars caused irritation in the past and prefer Frontline dot-on as flea treatment.

Slim4Summer

Oh My God they are Bob Martin flea collars!! What is the problem with them?? Panicking now....
Read elsewhere that Frontline is no longer effective? Another thread on here ... confused and concerned now..
Thanks for replies

BitterAndTwisted

Don't panic, just get rid of the flea collars right away. Some people claim that they are finding Frontline less effective but even if it is it'll be a million times more effective than the collars. They're OK for decoration but no use for anything else.

tori.k

get the collars off, give them a bath, and watch them like a hawk, any other signs foaming at the mouth/fits, get them to a vet asap, google Bob Martin when you have a spare min, its horrific....dont worry to much tho as i would think if they reacted badly it would of happened by now, but give them wash to make sure the chemicals are off them,
i switched from frontline combo to advocate (off the vets) it may cost more than a supermarket flea brand, but would still be cheaper than having to treat the whole house...
Please let us know how they get on...

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I don't think I'd go as far as bathing them.