The PDSA says thousands of pet owners are accidentally poisoning their cats by applying flea treatments meant for dogs.

Pet charities are campaigning for drugs to be relicensed

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has issued advice on preventing cat poisonings through permethrin-containing flea products. The move comes just days after the PDSA called for the licensing of these products to be changed, meaning they can only be prescribed by a vet.

Advice posted on the VMD's website yesterday (August 4) warns owners to check the packaging of flea treatments to ensure they are suitable for cats as permethrin can be highly toxic for them, in some cases proving fatal.

Owners are advised to read the instructions on packaging carefully and separate dogs and cats in the same household after applying permethrin-containing treatments to dogs. Cats can be poisoned even through contact with a dog that has been recently treated.

The VMD urges pet owners who buy medicines online to use only approved websites, identified by the directorate's logo. It also provides guidance on what to do if a dog product is accidentally applied to a cat and provides a link to further information about products with a low concentration of permethrin, that it says are safe to use on cats.

According to the VMD it receives "a few reports" each year of dog treatments containing permethrin being mistakenly used on cats. Its 2013 annual report states that it was notified of 24 cases.

However, the PDSA said last week that its vets see around 20 cases of poisoning every month. The charity suspects this may even be just the tip of the iceberg with many cases going unreported.

Last week, pet charities the PDSA and International Cat Care (iCatCare) welcomed the news that pet product manufacturer Bob Martin will remove on-animal flea treatments containing permethrin from general sales.

Pet owners wishing to buy these products will have to purchase them from a vet or other suitably qualified person (SQP) who can give advice on the dangers to cats at the point of sale. It is thought this may reduce the number of owners who mistakenly buy dog products for cats.

This follows an iCatCare campaign, now backed by the PDSA, urging the VMD to change the licensing of all permethrin-containing flea products so that they can only be sold by a vet or SQP.

The VMD encourages vets, nurses, members of the public and anyone else who uses veterinary medicines to report adverse reactions: https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/adversereactionreporting/

Click here to view the VMD's advice on permethrin: http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/pdf/permethrin-spot-on.pdf