this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2025
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You know what else gets rid of fleas? All of those products you can get from the vet and pet stores. You know? The ones that have been scientifically proven to safely get rid of and prevent fleas. Why would you do this to your own cat?
B…but if tiktok says something is true then it must be scientifically proven, right? No one would lie on the internet, right?
It’s better than scientifically proven! They made cute videos out of it! Isn’t that obviously more trustworthy?
you know what else was scientifically proven to work?
sunscreen and yet corporations still managed to find a ways to fuck consumers on that
I’m not saying you shouldn’t listen to actual experts, but lets not pretend even that is for sure safe
and now how do you even check if something has side effects, AI slop will probably tell you to heat kitty in the microwave to remove fleas
What’s wrong with sunscreen?
There's nothing wrong with sunscreen in general, but they are probably referring to what happened recently in Australia:
And the lab issuing the fake results is based in the US :(
Of course it is. :(
The metal oxide kind was fine but had some non effectiveness issues about damaging marine coral. The other kinds are less reliable.
marine coral matters less than my skin
until our oceans collapse
Obviously with the caveat that it doesn't matter if you're not going in the ocean.
you realize that’s how it works right?
Lots of people use sunscreen every time they're in the sun for a while. Not just the beach. And not all beaches are the ocean.
ah yes water is notorious for staying in place
when that happens we can fill them with oil
When you don't define scientifically proven then yes it is.
"Scientifically tested" means a dude (or dudette) did something, wrote about it and published it.
Most of it's bogus anyway.
Which is expected. About 80% of research is low-quality: masters' theses rephrasing known stuff, articles made to fill a quota, etc.
What "scientifically proven" means someone, including these 80% did something time and time again. And it stands. Change all the variables and it still stands: Sunscreen good, smoking bad. For kids, teenagers, adults - even animals. In summer and in winter. In small short tests of 50 and large longitudinal ones of 50.000.
It's hard to know where to draw the line and give something the mark of "tested". But in any case, it needs to stand strongly.
Actually one of the best things for fleas (outside of oral medications) is Dawn, no jokes. We had a bad outbreak after the dog brought them in and they got on our 3 cats so it was a battle of attrition as wed wipe out the infestation in one animals and it get reestablished on the others but bathing and flea combing them every day (and dusting the carpets and furniture with diatomaceous earth) eventually we wore them down, broke their lines, crushed their flea men and heard the lamentations of their flea women, who were then also crushed.
I still have PTSD flashbacks like 3yrs later when I feel a tingle on my leg and think it's a flea 😅
Still be careful around that stuff. A lot of flea medication can cause siezures. Oral flea meds are carcinogenic, so handle with care (dogs and cats usually die of old age first though). "Safe" for animals usually means "safe enough not to cause short term harm with assumptions that the animal has 10 years of life left."
Worth noting that Tumeric won't get rid of flees. Sites claming this works also recommend basil, thyme, rosemary, garlic and the rest of the spice cabinet. Might as well chuck your cat in the oven as a roast if you're this sort of irresponsible pet owner.
LMAO this comment needs to be higher up
Mostly for the meme probably, but theoretically money could be a reason.
Yes! Where I live this is quite expensive. I thought this was a great alternative if only for a temporary side effect. I'd research it a lot more if i were to do it, though. Wouldn't want to harm my kittds. Hehe
if money is preventing you from buying simple flea medication for your cat, you absolutely should not own a cat.
Yeah I really do not understand people that use that argument. If you cannot afford to pay to rescue your cat as if it was a child then you shouldn’t have a cat. Same for dogs. Stop getting pets like they’re just magically going to live without care.
This isn’t how it works outside first world countries. People who can’t afford cats and dogs aren’t buying them. They’re adopting the stays, stuff like that. Things work differently than in rich countries.
My aunts who live on village have a bunch of cats. Where did they come from? Who knows, they just showed up, and stayed after getting fed a few times.
A stray voluntarily coming to you is completely different than you going to a shelter or breeder and picking an animal. You’re clearly choosing an attack that makes my argument look ridiculous, when if you look at the majority of adoptions, it’s not stray animals. Even those in other countries I’ve seen (like Peru) you’re not taking those animals in as your own. They’re still a stray. You just help them out sometimes with what you can.
I wouldn't rush to defend these products. Pet medications are regulated by the FDA. However, topical flea treatments were regulated by the EPA until very recently because it was assumed they didn't enter the bloodstream.
Yes. Then I guess someone noticed that most cats lick their whole bodies every day.
It is tragic how many pets have suffered for that mistake, if it was a mistake.
some people like coloring their cats. there was a girl who was interested in me. we went on a date, i dropped her off and her cat was some funky colors. I asked, she said she had been making her cat purple. i asked what with and i don't remember anymore but anyways I don't like turning my cats colors so that was the end of that relationship.
Aren't there some big-name brands of flea medications that can cause some really nasty side effects? I was researching flea meds for my cat a few months ago and I remember people saying there was one in particular that was known for that. I picked Cheristin specifically because it had a lower risk of side effects.
Edit: I think I'm thinking of Nexgard, a google search says that one can cause seizures.
Yes. Seizures.
Tick and Flea Medicine Poisoining in Cats
There's a big difference between dogs and cats for nexgard. My vet recommends nexgard for dogs but not cats.
Yeah these people are dumb but let’s not pretend like the pet pharma industry is vetted and regulated like the pharmaceutical industry that makes medicines for humans.
These anti flea solutions are literally pesticides. And pesticide regulation is decades behind the science.
Can’t spray fipronil in an egg farm against lice but it’s a-okay to put it on my cat who will lick their fur?
To be fair, there's actually tons of those that just don't work. Especially when you buy them from the store. The vet usually has the good shit though.
That’s turmeric, one of the healthiest human foods. If you don’t care about the looks, and it actually works, then why not? I’d be surprised if the actual “approved” chemicals are safer than literally just turmeric.
But RFK Jr. says they might give your cat autism
Sweet, we can talk about trains
Some cats do not handle flea medicine well.
Tick and Flea Medicine Poisoining in Cats
Those poisons are more likely to carcinogenic?
Is there any evidence for that?
No hard proof that I am aware of. A chemical capable of destroying small life sometimes damages of large lifeforms it touches. Sometimes poison works that way (e.g. DEET)
Also, does tumeric really kill fleas? Are we just gonna take their word for that? I seriously doubt it.
A lot of insecticides are poisonous to animals including mammals it's just that we have a mechanism that deactivates or neutralizes it immediately. They often target a basic metabolic process that is common across all life.
Yes. Cats can go into seizures from popular flea medicines.
https://www.petcarerx.com/article/tick-and-flea-medicine-poisoning-in-cats/4602
Lol. You shill.