The trouble is also that the chemicals are everywhere. Pets breathe the vapors given off by these products. So do you if you sleep with your pet.
Cats lick the chemical from their fur when they clean themselves. Flea powders can fall off onto kitchen counters and other surfaces where food is prepared and/or eaten. Children who pet dogs and cats may easily pick up the chemicals on their hands, and then ingest it if they put their finger in their mouth, or eat something without washing their hands first.
Flea bombs are particularly dangerous, as they fill your entire house with a poisonous, flammable cloud. In one case reported in the Seattle area, a woman forgot to turn off the pilot light in her stove before using over a dozen flea bombs. The bombs ignited, blowing out all the windows and shifting the roof — yet the fleas actually survived.
New topical flea products that can be applied monthly make flea control less labor intensive, but still have their problems. You need to read the labels carefully to follow all instructions.
These products are praised for their effectiveness by the pet industry. They supposedly kill 96% of adult fleas within 2 hours of application, and all adult fleas within 24 hours. Their safety is supposed to be such that it is safe “even for kittens.”
Yet we found them being sold on a pesticide website, acconpanied with the following instructions:
Wear household latex gloves…Do not get this product in your pet’s eye’s or mouth.
So much for safety for kittens.
K9 Advantix is neve supposed to be used on cats, or even in a household with cats.
Often these products even warn about the dangers of the chemical getting into the water supply if you wash your pet within 48 hours of the treatment. If it is that dangerous even diluted, why am I rubbing it on my dog or cat’s skin?
Vets rarely see problems with these products, though some animals have skin reactions or act unwell for a few days after treatment. But they also warn that flea resistance to these products appears to be occurring, as often happens with pesticides, so natural flea control is still the better method.