Don’t Meth with Meth

Strange find. Finally, I thought I’d found a solution that would allow us to get a cat for the garage (and ok, in the basement occasionally to hunt) without Justin dying – Allerpet C.

This product is found all over the Internet by the way, at a range of prices. The first time I found it, I was absolutely giddy and ready to buy, when a voice of reason asked me “what are the ingredients?”

(thanks : j )

Well, there wasn’t an ingredients list, but a U.S. Department of Labor MSDS sheet was available, and it succinctly stated ‘Product contains no hazardous components’.

That actually raised a flag. I decided to look a little further.

The second site I found selling Allerpet actually listed the ingredients, and I googled a long one – methylisothiazolinone – and, surprisingly enough, even Wikipedia had to report this ingredient is actually a neurotoxin, shown to be allergenic and cytotoxic, and linked to nerve cell death and DNA damage in humans.

Wait – I’m supposed to apply this to my cat’s fur every day, indefinitely, and then it’s safe for him to be in my house?

Oh, ok. It does say ‘non-toxic’ on the website, so the answer must be ‘yes’.

Well, no. One of the greatest secrets I’ve learned from working in marketing is that the only label that matters is the boring, non-descript, shrunken and unpronounceable list on the side: the ingredients label. Yes, that’s what the product actually is. Yes, that’s what’s going into your body, pets, and home.

Not the pretty face on the front of the package. Not the swirly graphics or the shiny letters. Not even necessarily ‘all-natural’ or ‘non-toxic’, even especially if a bureaucratic agency is involved. It’s methylisothiazolinone. Did you know that methylisothiazolinone is found in many shampoos and bath products? Maybe you’ll want to check yours out for yourself. And hey, if it’s not meth, it’s one of a thousand other toxic chemicals found in every-day products.

Eek. So I found an alternative – I think – at PetSmart – Dander Free for cats. The ingredients were vaguely described on the bottle, including that ominous phrase ‘Contains no known hazardous ingredients.’

See, it’s the word ‘known’ that caused me to email them for a specific ingredient list. I’m not content to blindly trust corporations to make health decisions for me, which is also (partly) why I’m kicking and screaming against the socialist takeover of this country.

Buyer beware! At least do it for the kittens.

Update: Len from Earth’s Balance kindly explained to me that Dander Free for Cats is a completely natural product, free from chemicals and preservatives. If the product works I will post a review.  Thanks for the comments!