my care2
make a difference
healthy & green living: more than 5,000 ways to enhance your life

customize your free newsletter

Customize your Healthy & Green Living newsletter now


Cats and Fleas: Which Repellents are Safe?

posted by Annie B. Bond Nov 2, 2000 7:04 am
Cats and Fleas: Which Repellents are Safe?
33 comments

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.

More on Cats (71 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3247 articles available)

33 comments

33 comments

add your comment »
33 comments add your comment
amber m.

la di da da
thanks:)

Jesse C.

my friend recently told me about the brewers yeast ..i have to try that for my poor flea bit kitty...
:D thanks

Catman P.

Garlic is the best protection against vampires. It works for me and my cat :-)

Mary Dee

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,

Catman P.

Great info ~ Thanks.

Sa R.
  • Sa R. says
  • Dec 2, 2009 2:48 AM

I have lived with cats and dogs my entire life, read boods and guides - and am still learning!

TY for this post.

cl Wright

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.

Josette Hower

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!!!

Kristine D.

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!

Barb H.
  • Barb H. says
  • May 1, 2009 11:17 AM

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.

Please enter your comment.
Or, log in with your
Facebook account:
1500 characters remaining

who's talking about this story?

Adapted from “50 Simple Ways to Pamper your Cat” By Arden Moore (Storey Books, 2000). Copyright (c) 2000 by Arden Moore. Reprinted by permission of Storey Books.

Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

828

Copyright © 2009 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved