sevin dust?

[GA Jamie]

In years gone by, we have used sevin dust to rid ourselves of fleas in the house (with major floor cleaning as well). Is this product safe for kittens? We now have a kitten that is 10 1/2 weeks old. He has been bathed (baby bath, no tears) twice, allowing the suds to soak for a few minutes to suffocate the fleas. The fleas are reduced but not gone. Can we lightly dust him? The head area is the worst, of course. If not, any suggestions? He is an inside only cat. We do have two outside cats that try to sneak in on occasion though. We keep our yard cut though I am sure it needs to be treated. What is usable for fleas in the lawn but won't harm cats?

TIA!
Jamie

[Traci]

Do NOT use Sevin dust around pets...it is carbaryl, a class I toxin (respiratory, dermal, or oral ingestion carries high toxicity)

If you have flea problems, please, ONLY Frontline or Advantage from your vet only! And take approrpriate steps to treat the environment (such as regular/frequent vaccuming, etc)

For kittens less than 12 weeks old, ONLY use a flea comb, dip it in a bowl of room temp water with one or two drops of regular Dawn dishwashing liquid (or Palmolive), comb through fur, rinse comb and repeat until evidence of fleas is gone. If you have a heavy flea infestation, get kitten seen by your vet immediately, since heavy flea infestation can cause fatal anemia in young kittens. Your vet can recommend a safe flea product approach when your kitten is old enough.

Please educate yourself on the dangers of inappropriate flea products, natural products, etc: Just Say No.

Also, do not use human products on pets (baby shampoo), these can contain harmful ingredients that sensitive pets cannot tolerate.

[Ash]

PLEASE do not use any other flea treatment than what you get from your vet on kittens and cats! OTC flea powders and sprays CAN be lethal, especially in kittens. For cats use only Frontline and Advantage spot-on treatments (small tubes with an oily fluid that you squeeze on the cat's neck where she can't lick it off). You can get them from your vet and he will be able to tell you if your kitty is old and healthy enough for it and the right dosis. Please do not experiment with flea treatments on cats. Again: they can be very harmful!

I doubt there is anything safe you can use in the garden. If you see fleas on your cat(s) use Frontline or Advantage.

[lmd]

I thought sevin was banned and not for sale.

[E's]

imd wrote:

I thought sevin was banned and not for sale.

I thought so too but can't recall details... ?? Dogs, cats, horses - I've been around so long, in so many places and situations ... maybe I can look it up tomorrow.

[Traci]

Unfortunately, it is still available for some applications (i.e., garden purposes, etc), although several pesticide organizations pushed for the EPA to ban it's use in all pet products. The database linked below notes EPA registered cancellations of the product, meaning either through EPA regulatory action or company voluntarily cancelling registration.

PANN Pesticide Database (specifically carbaryl)

Products Harmful to Pets