Almost killed my kitten??? Sergeant's Cat Shampoo Review




13 week old Harmony

A couple of weeks ago I bought Sergeant's Skip-Flea Flea and Tick Shampoo for Cats and Kittens Coconut Berry Smell from my local grocery store. I didn't use it right away because my kitten was still too young (under 12 weeks old). I took her a basic water a baby shampoo bath when I first adopted her just to get all that caged urine and feces smell out of her. It dried up her skin because she kept scatching. Having plenty of animals I looked for fleas and ticks afterward and thankfully found none. So while shopping at my local H-E-B grocery store I found my way to the pet supply aisle. I found this shampoo for cats and kittens and the rest were for dogs. So it being my only option I grabbed the purple shampoo and continued shopping. The shampoo had stayed in my pantry for a week or two until my little Harmony was of age. After giving her a bath when she was brought to my home I didn't really feel the need to give her another but, my husband saw the idle shampoo as money wasted and kept asking me to give her a bath.

With some hesitation I did, briefly read instructions on how much to put on and asked my five year old for help. I put gloves on and asked my daughter to hold the shampoo and when I needed it poured to put some on. So like a cat usually does when given a bath I held the cat from escaping while having my daughter pour directly on Harmony's fur. I lathered her and instead of waiting five minutes for the shampoo to kill ticks or fleas I immidiately washed off the shampoo solution. After a good rinse I attempted to dry her. Mid-dry Harmony jumped from my arms and ran under the couch. I see that she was in the corner of the couch licking and shaking excess water on her skin. While under the couch she began throwing up. She hadn't eatten anything since lunch at at this time she hadn't had dinner yet. I immeidately reacted and pushed the couch aside so I can get her. She ran out of under the couch and began throwing up on the living room tiled floor. I washed her paws off with water since she stepped on her vomit. I held her as she shook and desperately asked my husband to check if vomitting and shaking was a normal side effect. He claimed it to be so, but I was not conviced something in me felt uncomfortable about the whole ordeal. When giving her her first bath with baby shampoo she didn't try to flee or hide or throw up, she went back to things as normal. So holding her in a blanket to keep her from shaking or further licking on one hand and my phone in my other---I checked the reviews. On a website called Consumer Affairs. I found countless of horrific reviews on Sergeant's products for cats and dogs alike. A lot of them claimed death of their animal others claimed zombie like state after use and others said it made their furry friend's hair fall off. Feeling guilty I prayed for a miracle if what I read was in the future for Harmony.(If you would like to read for yourself the reviews for the Sergeant's dog and cat products http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/sergeants.html) I declared to stay up all night to watch over her and even asked my husband to get a Vet hospital on speed dial if anything were to arise. After being up until 4 a.m. with no further incidents I fell asleep. I woke up to find a healthy happy fisty kitten at my door at 9 a.m. for her breakfast. She had eaten all her food from last night's dinner and drank all her water. Needless to say I was relieved and thankful nothing had happened to her and she was acting normal.

I continued to do research and read the bottle in full over and over. So after reading the bottle I saw words like pesticide which isn't uncommon when you are dealing with fleas or ticks. I read active ingredients and saw Pyrethins which is usually an organic insecticide unless mixed with Piperonyl Butoxide which is a synthetic pesticide are supposed to ensure the death in ticks and fleas. The amount of the two ingredients are .55% which doesn't seem like it could do a lot of damage. What stuck me as suspicous was the 99.45%  in Other Ingredients. I researched a lot at could not find the actual ingredients used in this pesticide solution. Even browzing the Sergeant's website, it doesn't reveal what is in the other ingredients. So far with my scare I will NOT be using this particular shampoo on my Harmony anymore. The fact that the reviews are a deterrance enough, the fact that the product's website won't even disclose the other ingredients for whatever reason has me not wanting to endure that experience again.

Reading the Humane Society website this is some information given when giving your animal a bath using any pesticide ingredients.

"If you do decide to use flea and tick products
Follow these simple steps to help prevent problems:

• Never use dog treatments on cats, and vice versa
• Always be certain of your pet's weight before purchase to ensure proper dosage
• Don't split one "large dog" dose in half for two small dogs (or combine two "small dog" doses for one large dog)
• Read and follow all instructions when using these products
• Do not use these products on elderly or pregnant animals

How to tell if your pet has been poisoned

Symptoms of poisoning by flea/tick treatments may include salivating, dilated pupils, tremors, vomiting, hiding, shivering, and skin irritation.

What to do if your pet has been poisoned

If you suspect your pet may have suffered negative health effects as a result of a flea product, consult with your veterinarian immediately. If you think a child has ingested a pesticide, call your local poison control center. Be sure to report all such incidents to the EPA's National Pesticide Telecommunications Network at 800-858-7378, or follow these steps to report an animal exposure or illness »"
website: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/flea_tick_OTC_pet_products.html

My regret was not going to the the Animal hospital immidiately after the incident. After several days she has been acting fine except for itching.  She will be going to the Vet this friday for a follow up and I will bring this up to the Vet for more information. If you experience any of these symtoms or just have an ugly feeling about a product please read and research. I didn't and I really wished I did to keep Harmony from being posioned. I do think she was posioned a small amount and if I had left her on her own to dry herself I'm sure she would've showed more signs of being posioned. I do not trust this product however, other reviews stated nothing had happened to their animal and it worked fine. It is all up to you when you are shopping and what you can afford, but please don't take pesticide lightly. It worried me on possibly having my cat die or sick, my daughter's and my exposure to  the chemical (which we washed our hands throughly and took a good shower afterward) which could have been avoided had I researched or found a shampoo not targeted to fleas or ticks.