My cat is having an allergic reaction to a flea collar. What do I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
I believe my cat had an allergic reaction to a flea collar I put on her today. About an hour after I put it on, she started acting weird. Irritable, and mad and scratching her neck repeatedly. Her neck looks a little swollen as well, what do I do??
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 29th, 2019
The safest thing to do is remove the collar and bathe her. If she is having a contact reaction removing any of the residual from the collar may help. There are some flea products that are not safe in cats so if you want to take a picture of the packaging including the ingredients in the collar and upload in a second question we can let you know more about the collar. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on May 7th, 2017
Poor kitty! There are lots of products on that market, some better than others. Many over the counter products contain older drug technology. The only collar that I use is a collar called Seresto. Oral flea preventatives are also a good option. Topical Revolution works well too. She should heal just fine now that the collar is off, and I would prefer to use an oral now to avoid any further skin irritation.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
I believe my cat is allergic to the flea collar I put on her. I have taken it off this morning, but now she has lost all her hair around the area and appears to have lost the first layer of skin as well. She also now has open sores in that area.... H
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Xenna. I would advise having your veterinarian evaluate her especially if the integrity of the skin is compromised. This can lead to infection and more itching and scratching which will cause more damage. Your vet can evaluate the area and advise an adequate treatment to get her through this. I would contact the manufacturer of the collar and report this adverse reaction. Hopefully, along with your veterinarian helping you, they will offer to cover any medical costs associated with you using their product. Good luck
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my cat has sores and a red head and ear. this seemed to have started after we put a flea collar on him, I have since taken it off. is it possible he is allergic to it or what would cause this, have not changed his food or anything! what can I do t
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Bow. Sounds like he is having a contact dermatitis reaction to it. I would advise washing the neck and head area with Dawn dish soap to remove as much of the chemical as possible. Make sure you rinse the area very well, dried soap will cause even more scratching. If this doesn't stop the itching, then I would advise calling the manufacturer of the collar and telling them what is going on. They should help you with any vet bills from the use of this collar. Then I would take Bow to the vet and have him treated. He may need some cortisone or other medicine depending on what the affected areas look like, possibly an Elizabethan Collar also. A good lesson here is never use an over the counter flea product unless your vet advises it. Good luck
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I tried a flea collar on my cats (one male and one female) and my female cat seemed to have a reaction of some sort. She began scratching the top of her head with her bacj claws, and actually took out two patches of hair. She is very sensitive, and h
Flea collars can cause reactions in cats, as they are exquisitely sensitive to flea medication. Given that Blue has wounds, I think an oral flea treatment would be best for her. I recommend Bravecto. You can get it from the vet. Keep in mind that fleas live in the environment, not on the animal, so you will have to treat the home as well. Wash their bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Best of luck, I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Put a serrsto collar on and we ran around outside. The next day I see here scratching. I remove collar and this is there. Gave her a bath and she stopped scratching and it stopped growing. Reaction to collar or something more sinister
Yes this is a reaction to the collar, likely allergic. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths twice daily for 4 days (make sure you dry it up after disinfection). If signs persist after a week time, a check up at your local veterinarian is required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I put a Sergeant dual action collar on My chihuahua yesterday. Today her neck was red and was wining. I took the collar off and washed the dog very well. Could she have a allergic reaction to the collar or the chemical it is made out of. Is there any
It is very likely that this is an adverse reaction to the flea collar and you should leave it off, You can get a spot-on like advantage or Frontline for her or give her a Nexgard or Bravecto chewy, which will work for a few weeks. All of these are available at your vet's or over the internet, possibly in a pet shop. You did well by washing the neck. This should have removed most of the collar-ingredient.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat was exposed to fleas so I put a flea collar on her. But after just a few days she was acting weird so I took it off. When I took it off she had what looks like a chemical burn around her neck. She keeps trying to scratch it and I am very worri
Poor kitty! There are lots of products on that market, some better than others. Many over the counter products contain older drug technology. The only collar that I use is a collar called Seresto. Oral flea preventatives are also a good option. Topical Revolution works well too. She should heal just fine now that the collar is off, and I would prefer to use an oral now to avoid any further skin irritation.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have an elderly cat, 19-ish, tiny, 5-6 lbs. The flea collar we used to use stopped working. We got a Seresto, it nearly killed her, she stopped eating for a couple of days and got very lethargic. We removed it and she bounced back. I need a suggest
lHello, thank you for using Boop by Petco. There are are oral flea pills available, however, you also cannot take back an oral pill once you give it...... A 19 year old cat may have an underlying kidney or liver problem (actually this is very likely) that is making her more sensitive to these medications. If she has not been to the vet recently she should be examined and have some blood testing run. If you continue to try things and her organs are not functioning properly you may really put her over the edge. Luckily she recovered after the Seresto Collar incident. I suggest you: 1. Treat the environment (ie: the house) as the fleas will be constantly hatching and continuing the problem. I strongly recommend Knockout Spray ES. This works better than any foggers or other home treatments and can be used on all carpeted and upholstered surfaces. ( https://www.chewy.com/virbac-knockout-es-area-treatment/dp/53855 ) 2. ALL animals in the house much be on some type of flea prevention as
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Tiki has recently been transferred to an outdoor cat, we have put one of those lemon flea collars around his neck to prevent fleas, now he has a raw spot on his neck, is it from the flea collar? Or is it something else? And also, how can it be fixed?
Cats can be very sensitive to flea collars, and I would recommend taking this one off now and allowing the skin to heal. Unfortunately, herbal remedies are not reliable in preventing fleas, so I would recommend a topical flea preventative like Frontline or Revolution. Once the skin heals, you can try a Seresto collar that lasts 8 months as it seems to have less reaction on the skin.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I thought I would be proactive and pick up a flea collar for my miniature dachshund as I had no other way of getting his topical flea medicine soon. I read the warnings and the instructions making sure the collar was meant for my dogs size and age. N
Your poor pup! It sounds like he is having an allergic reaction to the collar, and he needs to see a vet right away. He will need either an anti-histamine or a steroid to control the reaction, which can be prescribed by a vet. I would take him into a vet now.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat won't stop scratching and itching around her head/neck area. The vet put flea medicine on her two days ago but she's STILL itching. She also wheezes/snores in her sleep.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is likely due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
