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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27 comments
add your comment »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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HELP ME PLEASE my cat is infested with fleas - but it is because she had a reaction to Advantage and broke out in sore spots so I didn't put it on her again and the DOG brought in the fleas and end of story. We live in the deep south, terribly bad flea season and we cannot get rid of them inside or out. My little dog is actually "immunie" to Frontline now - I understand that it stops working sometime and you have to change. PLEASE help me. I can;t de-flea them all at the vet just to bring them home to infested yards and carpets.
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Never, never use the Harts Sargeants gold drops! I put it on my poor cat and almost immediatly started chewing and digging at himself. My vet said to bath him with Dawn and wait acouple of days to use the tried and true Advantage. A week later he's still uncomfterable, but he is doing better.
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Hi Lisa, Also, re: using lavendar. Check out my article on http://www.kittycatlane.org/Pet_Tips/pet_tips.html under pet tips and scroll down to Keeping Fleas off your Pet. I find it best never to use anything unless recommended by your veterinarian as a safe product and it's documented on the product as safe for use on dogs/cats/ kittens/puppies. These days, you can get fleas rid of in 24 - 48 hours by using the good topical ointments like Frontline or Advantage. Sometimes even the cheaper ones in the stores don't work. Just make sure your choice is age appropriate for your pet. Often, these so called home remedies do more harm than good. Especially those oils are they are concentrated and very strong for pets. Good Luck. Nancy
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These days, there's really no reason to bathe your cat unless she/he gets into something messy or dangerous. Check out my article at http://www.kittycatlane.org/Pet_Tips/pet_tips.html and scroll down to keeping fleas off your pets. There is no way to train a cat for bathing. Most hate it and even the best cat will fight it. I am also concerned about using a detergent on them, where cats bathe themselves constantly. I know I wouldn't use anything that wasn't made specifically for cats if I HAD to give one a bath, and I'd be sure to rinse him off well using a cup filled with water from the sink gently over them. My experience is that the hose or a shower noise makes them even more frightened. I'm curious about your results, however. Fleas will jump off of a cat being bathed and if they're still alive to jump off they must go somewhere. Sometimes the water and a regular pet shampoo doesn't even remove fleas. The best, easiest, and safest way to get rid of fleas is with the good topical ointments like Frontline of Advantage. They are worth the price as they are SAFE and they work. Good luck and I hope all your kitties are now flea free. Nancy
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I read at one time that lavender would get rid of fleas. i put a few drops here and there in with the bedding for a litter of kittens,and a few got very ill with what I believed to be respitory problems. I then read later never to use lavender on cats, that it was too strong for them. Well now we have a litter of pups and our dogs are strictly outside dogs. In just the last few days they are infested with fleas and baby ticks. They are only 3 weeks old and I really think they are still too little to bath. I'ver been reading about the lavender again and am wondering if it would be safe to use on pups and if so what would be the best way to do this(drops,rubs, sprays?).
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Bathing cats...I have 3. I just gave all 3 a bath yesterday in the bathtub using Dawn dish detergent and the fleas just jumped off! I bought a small sprayer adapter for the nozzle of my bathtub and used the hose part (removed the nozzle) to rinse them thoroughly before and after the shampoo. My 5 year old has never had a bath and she was the maddest but I held control over her by holding the scruff of her neck (a bit slippery with the shampoo though). Then my 1 year old calico (with an attitude) was next. Scruff of the neck again and pressed both cats as close to the far side of the tub as I could get them. Finally my 4 month old kitten...he isn't very big but did put up a fight until he realized "Mama" was in control. Needless to say the shampoo and rinse worked out fine...you just have to keep control. When taking them out of the tub have a large bath towel ready to entirely wrap their body so claws or paws can't connect with you. Voila! Then 3 dogs were next with the Dawn dish detergent and once again fleas went jumping. I have never had fleas inside before even letting the dogs in and out but the humidity this year is driving them inside. I have used baking soda, salt and a spray from Rid-A-Bug (which I used 1st a couple of days ago). I vacuumed and today I shampooed my carpet. I am using a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water to help alleviate the itching. Hope the bathing tips for cats helps. Good luck.
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