I’ve known about Hartz products for years, but was talking recently with a friend about my current cats. We got onto a discussion about how you just can’t make some cats wear collars! It reminded me of the Hartz collar that almost killed my first cat. The fiasco went as such:
I was 12, maybe 13, and my first cat had fleas. He was a sweet, affectionate cat, whom I loved dearly. My mother bought a Hartz flea collar, in some cute purple color, and we put it on my cat. Unlike many of the more recent stories, the effect wasn’t immediate. It took him about three to four days, over which time he grew increasingly lethargic. By the fourth or fifth day, he could barely walk straight. Now, just being a child, I didn’t make the connection. I don’t think anyone in the house really did, because my family had always used generic flea collars with no issue. What happened was at the end of the week, I was cradling my cat, whom I was sure was dying, in my arms. He had this vacant stare, and he was drooling, and had rapidly degenerated to this state over the course of a six to seven days. I remembered that he had been trying to pry the flea collar off of himself a few times (which I had attributed to his dislike of collars) and said to him, through my tears, “You’re going to die anyway, it won’t matter if we take this off. I know you hate it.” It was then that I took the collar off of him.
Within 24 hours, he could walk again, and within 48 hours he was drinking and eating normally. It was only my compassion that saved him. His sudden turn-around after the removal of the collar inspired me to look up Hartz online, and I found this or a similar website, even way back then. I’m not sure why I never submitted this story; perhaps just childhood shyness. I am 27 years old now. Hartz has been diseasing and killing our pets for at least a decade, and I’m still appalled every time I think about it. Just thought I’d drop my story in the bucket.
PS- That same cat only died last year; he lived to be 18 years old. There is hope for a long healthy life for your pet, it just may take some recovery.
2 Comments Received
June 26th, 2009 @7:21 am
Why is Hartz still being allowed to sell their products.?I am going to write some letters to the stores that sell Hartz products and request that they remove the collars and the rest of their products. Perhaps if we can convince retailers to stop selling this killer and drive the company out of business. Since the government won’t do anything, we need to protect our pets.We need to start petition and boycotting Hartz products.
I am going to contact the ASPCA and vet offices in my area as a start. Please do t.he same in your communities
July 6th, 2009 @1:56 pm
I plan on going to my state representative’s office and talk to him to see if there is a way to introduce any legislation at a state level [I am in Pennsylvania] that if we make our legislators aware of this,maybe they will do something!
I am also going to contact the state attorny general and make a complaint to see if maybe they can do something.
I know it has to start with each one of us telling what happened to anyone who will listen and to be sure it gets into the ears of the ones who run our government so the EPA d whatever government groups handle the legalization of these products to sell publically will have to do something.
I wonder how many people out there this has happened to that maybe dont use the internet and are unaware of this being more than just an isolated thing.
I have just learned so many things in this forum. Even about the flea collars! My cat has been wearing one for months. It was actually time to change it when I tried the flea drops.
She had lost luster to her fur and actually developed a balding spot on her back near her tail. I never associated it to the collar! Now I know that since this stuff gets into their glands, it can cause baldness anywhere on the pet,although most happens at the site of the collar~ Now with the collar removed [vet cut it off when I brought her in] she is getting her shine back and already her bald spot is beginning to grow new fur~!!
The collar she had was either Hartz or Bansect~ I cant remember which one was used last, as I have used both before.
Now I see that the collar has caused baldness and skin irritation on other animals but the story about the cat with lythargy makes total sense now too .
Why these companies are taking such advantage of our need to be rid of fleas is so wrong with what remedies they try to pass off as safe and effective when all these side effects are devastating!~
AveHurley
http://tiny.cc/helpcat
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