http://www.care2.com/greenliving/safe-flea-repellents-for-cats.html
Cats and Fleas: Which Repellents are Safe?
Adapted from “50 Simple Ways to Pamper your Cat” By Arden Moore (Storey Books, 2000).
Poor itchy kitties! Summer is flea time and those nasty little bites can make our cats just miserable. What to do? Some folks swear by garlic. Others say pyrethrin-based powders do the trick. But some natural remedies may be dangerous to your pet.
Find out which remedies are safe–and which you should avoid–to keep your kitty flea-free.
DANGERS
Flea powders containing pyrethrins (derived from chrysanthemums) have been generally considered “safe”, but research has shown that these powders can be ingested by cats during grooming. Avoid them.
Although feeding raw garlic to your dog is a tried-and-true remedy for canine fleas, research now suggests that garlic and cats don’t mix. Avoid using raw garlic with your feline: it can cause a dangerous form of anemia and even lead to death.
The safest methods of flea control begin with the environment:
Wash your cat’s bedding and any area rugs frequently. Fleas can’t swim and hot water will kill them.
Vacuum often and dispose of bags in an airtight container, or freeze them first to kill flea, eggs, and larvae.
Beneficial nematodes may be used to dust your lawn. These creatures will infest and kill fleas, but are harmless to pets and humans.
The best defense against fleas seems to be a healthy overall immune system. Keep your cat in top form by feeding her a diet rich in omega-3 and omega-6 oils, including a small amount of brewer’s yeast to meals, and avoiding over-processed foods with by-products.
If your cat already has fleas, bathe her with a mild detergent once a week to remove adult fleas, larvae, and eggs. Groom her with a flea comb between baths. Dip the comb in water after every stroke to drown any fleas you comb out.
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33 comments
add your comment »la di da da
thanks:)
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my friend recently told me about the brewers yeast ..i have to try that for my poor flea bit kitty...
:D thanks
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Garlic is the best protection against vampires. It works for me and my cat :-)
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i do not use any chemicals at all around my home or my animals, and my two dogs and two cats, get combed once a week with a Flea comb, i got the idea when one of my friends child got nits at school, and i watched her cleaning her childs hair, and she got out not only all of the infestation in her childs hair, but also the eggs that attach to the hair, my animals love to be groomed, so once i had brushed their fur, i gently went through their fur with the cheap Nit comb, and i got out every little flea that was on my animals, and also their eggs, so now i just groom my animals once aweek, and they are flea free, if you have fleas on your animals then you will have fleas in your carpets, so i clean my carpets with a carpet cleaner, and all of the animals bedding in very hot water, and this also will kill out any infestation, so my animal are flea free, and no use of any chemicals,
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Great info ~ Thanks.
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I have lived with cats and dogs my entire life, read boods and guides - and am still learning!
TY for this post.
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Plain old table salt all over your carpeting, more around edges,kills fleas real well. Must leave it on few days, wroked for me....just kind of messy walking on salt a few days. Then vaccum it up.
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I can attest to the Brewer's Yeast repelling fleas! I found an article on this issue last year and while at a local petshop, purchased Excel Brewers yeast with garlic tablets formulated for both dogs and cats. I decided to give it a try since my poor kitty was allergic to the chemical remedies! She started to get better with a daily combing and antisecptic wash made from tee tree oil and olive oil mixed in luke warm water. Her coat started to grow back and her skin was healing. It's a year later and no more nasty fleas. Also I adopted another cat while mine was infected. I gave the other cat the tablets daily as directed on the bottle and she never got the fleas! I'll never buy flea collars, powders or washes again!!!
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Rid yor yard of fleas and you'll have less of a problem. here is a link to information on beneficial nematodes that will kill fleas... http://www.google.com/search?q=beneficial+nematodes
Good Luck!
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Dear ElizB, The rind of oranges left around where cats sleep or rest, and a big bouquet of the weed "fleabane"(dried is fine,in fact that's all I have.) I agree that rosemary tea helps too. Keep vacuuming daily. Set the vacuum in your outdoor room if you can. Most vets know more solutions. These work for us.
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