U received this from one of my colleagues at the CPL this morning and thought I should pass it on.

11-03-2011Beaphar Cat Spot on Repels Fleas
Batch 92 Recall
On Wednesday, 8th March, 2011, we received a report that a Cat Spot on
product had been found to which Dog Spot on vials (white tubes with
white caps) had been attached.
We immediately initiated our Recall Procedure, which we have often
rehearsed, but never before needed to use. To date, no other packs have
been found.
Recall posters have been distributed to all the pet shops that
purchased the product from us, for them to alert customers who may have
already purchased product, and recall notices have been published in
the National Press.
Cat owners who have recently purchased this product should check it
before use. If your Cat Spot on product contains white tubes with green
caps, everything is OK and the product is safe to use. If you discover
it contains white tubes with white tops, please call or email us as
soon as possible. DO NOT USE THE PRODUCT. We will ask that you return
it to us for replacement or a full refund.
As a conscientious medicines' manufacturer, we have taken this
situation extremely seriously and taken all reasonable steps to rectify
it as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for the error, and
any inconvenience caused to our customers.

Should you have any further concerns about this issue, please don't
hesitate to contact us on 01440 715700 or by email to
info@uk.beaphar.com.

And to that I would add - don't buy de-fleaing products from a pet shop, they are generally ineffective and a waste of money. The most effective products are prescription-only, more expensive but they do actually work.

Even frontline doesn't do the job anymore, the fleas are immune!

A few years ago, we had a dog and a cat. The dog seemed to be a flea magnet, and although we treated him regularly, he always had a couple of fleas and was allergic to them. The cat also suffered from fleas, which I guess must have migrated from the dog, and we also had to treat the house for fleas.

We've now got three cats, two outdoor ones and one house cat, and we have had absolutely no fleas on them, ever. I've got Frontline standing by, I usually treat them before they go on their hols to the cattery, but I've not seen a flea for literally years. Very odd!

That is certainly the case in some areas of the country, including ours. Advocate and Stronghold still seem effective though.

I don't know what the active ingredient is in the Beaphar product but dog de-flea products can be toxic to cats:

Beware! Cats are not small dogs!

It is tempting to think that whatever works for dogs will work just as well for cats.

This is simply not the case.

These animals have very different physiology and metabolic pathways.

For example, the insecticide permethrin can be safely used as a flea treatment for dogs, but is highly toxic to cats, even at dosages appropriate for puppies.

Because they are potentially more toxic to cats, less efficacious than some other products and there are potential additive effects with other similar products and household treatments, FAB believes that permethrin and similar insecticides should not be used on cats.

Using such products on dogs living with or near cats should be done with great caution. Some manufacturers recommend that cats should be separated for several days from dogs treated with some products.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/fleas/info.html

Hi

I received an "urgent" notice about this product recall today from the webmaster of a cat forum; checking DS for mentions, I was surprised that the recall is so old!

Nevertheless I think this thread is worth bumping, even though the product concerned, Beaphar Cat Spot-On (Flea treatment) was on sale since September 2010. I think it's possible that more than a year could pass between a product's manufacture and (if not retail sale), its use by a pet owner.

Apparently some packs marked on reverse "BN92" erroreously contain white-capped vials of Dog Spot-On - poisonous to cats.

Regards

Fair bump.

If only to remind people to....

a. De-flea and worm your cats (and dogs). Your pets health and comfort will benefit. And so will yours. Fleas and worms are linked and worms can cause major problems.

b. Do not use shop bought wormers & flea treatments - aside from the very controlled Frontline and Drontil sold at some Chemists, some pet shops and on line. Even so, unless you own a Collie or Collie cross, use the far superior Advocate.

c. Never ever use dog treatments for cats or visa versa.

d. Hoover the house frequently, wash bedding frequently - your own and the pets.

Thanks for that, I have bought the product in the past but I thought it now had a different name.