by 
The Curious Bag
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The use of flea medication designed for dogs on your cat can be fatal to your pet because of the chemicals involved. It is important to know why you can't use dog medicine on your cat.
Significance
The active ingredient in dog flea medication is called permethrin, which is a synthetically created insecticide that can kill cats.
Function
A cat's metabolism works much differently than that of a dog. Unlike a dog, a cat's metabolism can not detoxify the molecules in permethrin for excretion. What is normally passed in urine in dogs accumulates in the cat's body, becoming toxic.
Symptoms
Symptoms of permethrin poisoning include fatigue, muscular tremors, drooling, vomiting and seizures.
Considerations
If a cat is experiencing permethrin poisoning, it will require immediate veterinary attention or else the toxicity could be fatal.
Treatment
If a cat receives immediate attention for permethrin poisoning, it will usually recover in a day or two. The veterinarian will likely administer fluids, bathe the cat and give it drugs to control seizures or tremors. However, muscle tremors may continue for longer.
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