PLEASE--do not use ANY Hartz Mtn products on ferrets or any other living
creature.  --Ronnie
 
***
 
Recent action on a pesticide which is hazardous to cats.
 
===================================================================
Pesticide Kills Cats
(from December 5, 2002)
 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has linked flea and tick
control pesticides with illness or death suffered by thousands of cats,
according to Environmental News Service.  The result is a recovery and
relabeling of the products found to be at fault: Hartz Advanced Care
Brand Once-a-Month Flea and Tick Drops for Cats and Kittens and Hartz
Advanced Care Brand Flea and Tick Drops Plus for Cats and Kittens.  The
former contains active ingredient phenothrin, a synthetic pyrethroid.
The latter contains both phenothrin and methoprene, an insect growth
regulator.  Stocks of these products with the old labels will be sold
in stores until the middle of January.
 
Reports started filtering into EPA from the public in May 2000.  Owners
of cats were complaining of adverse reactions by their pets, associating
them with Hartz flea and tick control products.  Complaints of skin
irritation, hair loss, nervous system damage, tremors, convulsions and
even death were reported.  By March 2001, these complaints became too
numerous to ignore.  EPA began its investigation.  They requested
incident report documentation from Hartz.  Veterinarians and affected pet
owners were interviewed.
 
To read more about EPA's agreement with Hartz Mountain Corporation,
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/hartzq_a.htm
 
See Beyond Pesticides' fact sheets for more information about the
toxicity of phenothrin and methoprene.
 
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/
Synthetic%20Pyrethroids.pdf
 
Least-toxic alternatives to flea
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/alternatives/factsheets/FLEA%20CONTROL.pdf
     and tick
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/alternatives/factsheets/Tick%20Control.pdf
control.
[Posted in FML issue 3996]