Permethrin spot-on intoxication of cats

Survey aims A questionnaire was sent to veterinarians in Australia to determine the approximate number of cats presenting for permethrin spot-on (PSO) intoxication over a 2-year period.Findings Of the 269 questionnaires returned, 255 were eligible for analysis. A total of 207 respondents (81 %) reported cases of PSO intoxication in cats over the previous 2 years. In total, 750 individual cases were reported, with 166 deaths. While all deaths were generally attributable to intoxication, 39 cats were euthanased because owners were unable to pay the anticipated treatment costs. Brands of PSO implicated included Exelpet Flea (and Tick) Liquidator (Mars Australia) (146 respondents), Bayer Advantix (48), Purina Totalcare Flea Eliminator Line-On (19), Troy Ease-On (six) and Duogard Line-On (Virbac) (four); 67 respondents were not able to identify a specific product. Permethrin spot-on formulations were most commonly obtained from supermarkets (146 respondents), followed by pet stores (43), veterinary practices (...