Quote:
Originally Posted by jmsx521
I have this flea control spray at my place, and I haven't used it on a cat for many years. Is it safe, or should I throw it away?
Hartz Advanced Care
Ingredients:
Tetrachlorvinphos 1.08%
(S)-Methoprene 0.07%
Other Ingredients 98.85%
That last line is kind of suspicious. "98.85%" of something "other" that we don't know of. I hate corporations!
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It's highly likely that the "other" is a relatively inert solvent; usually it's either water or an alcohol (or a mixture of the two).
The bigger concern would be with the active ingredients themselves; tetrachlorvinphos is an organophosphate that some groups are arguing should be banned because of its potential toxicity (at sufficient doses) to any animal with neurons (it interferes with acetylcholinesterase activity). I can't immediately find anything specifying what a "sufficient" dose for a cat would be, and honestly I wouldn't trust Hartz to have thoroughly investigated it.
Methoprene, on the other hand, is "safe" for mammals at least, because it specifically mimics the juvenile growth hormone found in insects, preventing them from maturing and reproducing. (It can affect the maturation of other invertebrates, fish, and amphibians, though.)
Personally, I would dispose of that stuff. There are much safer options out there now - safer for your cats and you. The only caveat is that you MUST dispose of this properly, as the hazardous waste it is. Do NOT just dump it down the drain or send it directly to a landfill, as both active ingredients are highly toxic to a number of invertebrate, fish, and amphibian species; even a small "escaped" bottle could do a substantial amount of environmental damage
