http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-06-08-hartz_x.htm

Hartz Mountain withdraws cat flea, tick medicine
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

After at least 7,000 reports of injury and possibly 12 deaths in cats
and kittens over three years, the Environmental Protection Agency has
reached an agreement with Hartz Mountain company to phase out sales of
two flea and tick products for cats containing phenothrin.

The products, Hartz Advanced Care 4 in 1 Flea and Tick Drops Plus for
Cats and Hartz Advanced Care 3 in 1 Flea and Tick Drops for Cats, will
still be sold in retail outlets through March 31, 2006.

The Hartz drops are one of several formulations of new flea and tick
repellents. Called "spot-on" repellents, they have largely replaced the
old-fashioned flea collar in the past 10 years. A few drops of the
chemical are touched to the back of the cat or kitten's neck, where the
chemical is absorbed into the skin, providing a systemic repellent for
up to a month.

Adverse reports began to arrive at EPA headquarters in 2001, shortly
after Hartz changed the formulation of the products to include 87%
phenothrin, a potent pesticide. Only a few other tick and flea products
use phenothrin, and all at concentrations of less than 10%, says Jim
Jones, director of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs.

Symptoms in the affected animals included skin irritation, hair loss,
effects on the nervous system, tremors, convulsions and, in a very few
cases, death, Jones says.
  What to do
The EPA says the products being phased out shouldn't be used on cats
under 6 pounds, older than 13 years or under 5 months old. If symptoms
occur, bathe the cat with mild soap, rinse with lots of water and
consult a veterinarian.

In 2002, the EPA asked Hartz to re-label the product to ensure that it
was being used correctly.

"But we didn't see any meaningful change in the profile of what appears
to be happening to cats that used this product," Jones says. "So in
January, we told the company that something far more meaningful was
going to have to be done."

The EPA and Hartz announced on Friday that Hartz would stop selling the
product by Dec. 31 and that by March 31, 2006, it would be off store
shelves entirely.

John Mullane, a spokesman for Hartz, says the 7,000 reports were "a very
small number compared to the number of applications."

Hartz, which sells more than 1,500 pet products, has not been able to
verify any cat deaths related to the product, Mullane says.

"We feel there is an adequate margin of safety for this product," he
says. "But there's no question that cats can show a sensitivity to the
product."

Numerous Web sites and Internet discussion groups are devoted to cat
owners who say their animals were injured or even died after the Hartz
products were used.

The status of a class-action lawsuit filed by several cat owners in New
York in 2001 because of injuries their cats suffered, which sought to
ban the products, is unclear.

Shelly Rubin, chief of staff at Blum Animal Hospital in Chicago and a
spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, says he's not
surprised to hear of the withdrawal.

"There have been a number of cases of toxicity from this particular
product," he says. "The bottom line is when you're using a pesticide,
it's always important to discuss with a veterinarian what the effects
might be."

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