Public Service Announcement from my cat
Do not use Hartz Advanced Care Flea & Tick Drops.
M is recovering from a severe reaction to them (whole body muscle twitching, a seizure, racing heartbeat, inability to walk) — she is at the vet now, and will probably be fine in a few weeks. S is fine, but very lonely.
This is a common reaction which Hartz has known about for years. (Indeed, it is so common that when you phone to complain, they just tell you to send them the vet bill — mine is coming out to about 500, if you’re curious.)
If you have cats or know anyone who does, tell them about the serious complications that happen regularly when cats use these drops. I am also going to boycott Hartz, as well as complain to the Petco where I bought the drops. And to the Petco corp.
I did not sleep last night, since M’s prognosis was not good at the time. I did fall asleep in classes today. I figured classes might be a way to distract myself from my fear for my cat, but it wasn’t so effective.
October 10th, 2003 at 4:48 am
So sorry to hear about your M’s condition — I hope she recovers quickly. Thanks for the warning… I’ve now got one (currently indoor/apartment) kit, but will pass on the warning to friends with outdoor cats.
October 17th, 2003 at 9:40 pm
Ugh. How awful — and their callousness about the whole thing is terrible.
I’m glad M is feeling better!
June 22nd, 2004 at 8:35 am
My cat is blind thanks to Hartz. I am going to contact Hartz this morning, but I doubt it will do any good. I can’t believe this product is still being sold. Please, do not use any of their products.
June 22nd, 2004 at 1:05 pm
They do have a policy that they pay for vet bills due to use of their product, as long as they can’t argue it was due to something else. I wish you & your cat the best of luck. (And I certainly don’t use any Hartz stuff anymore.)
July 5th, 2004 at 12:00 pm
I’ve been reading your journal for a while–I used to study linguistics at probably the same Large Canadian University–, but just found this entry on a search for “boycott Hartz”; my boyfriend’s kitten had a severe reaction to the stuff. Thanks for the PSA, and I’ll pass it on.
July 5th, 2004 at 12:19 pm
How neat! I don’t suppose we overlapped? If we did, I admit I don’t remember anyone with your name.
I hope the kitten is okay. As I said, send them your vet bills. This cuts you out of the possibility of a class action suit (at least, they claim so; I’m not sure if it holds water, legally), but if your bills were considerable, it can help.
July 7th, 2004 at 1:56 am
Gah, had major cat problems myself. My 9-year-old went into diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that has a pretty depressing prognosis.
Kitty was hospitalized for a week at a specialist. Very close to death at times.
Then, suddenly, bounces back, after a $6000 vet bill.
We are told, of course, that the kitty is diabetic, and we get the insulin, the hypodermics, etc. I find it’s surprisingly easy to give her shots — easier than giving her pills.
She goes into hypoglycemic shock. She’s sleeping on a sofa on top of a fan I was using. The sh*t literally hit the fan.
Take her back to the vet, turns out she’s not diabetic after all.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
[…] Remember when Hartz almost killed my cat[1]? Good news! The product is no longer being sold (for cats — it’s still available for dogs and you should not use it, and it seems to be exportable and therefore available in other countries). […]
October 30th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I sure do hope your cats stay well. Unfortunately, my cat was not so lucky. ;’(