Non-toxic Flea Treatments (diy)!

[LittleQuill]

Hey guys! How are you and your kitties doing? Well, it's the tail-end (pun unintended, lol) of summer, and for my household that means fleas. (Because February is usually the hottest month) I bombed my house as a precaution, and used Frontline to treat my 3 indoor cats. It's been about 5 days, and my cats still have their fleas. It annoys the hell out of me, as it looks like Frontline is a dud. 66 bucks down the drain! I usually use Advantage and that always works a treat. I'll go out and buy it when I can, but in the meantime, I was wondering if there's any way to help my poor cats with a DIY treatment, and if they really work or not. Over the years, I've heard things like that coconut oil when applied topically can help, as can adding a little bit of garlic to their dinners. What are your thoughts? Is there anyone out there that holistically treats their cats for fleas? Does it work, or is it all just hogwash?

As a note, I have never used any of these methods on my cats, as I'm certain that some of them can be very bad for their health, and that I WILL be going to get more flea stuff regardless, it's just that, I won't be able to do so until the end of the week, so I wanted to know if there was something I could do at home to help until then. Thanks for reading! Have the best day!

 

[Furballsmom]

I've used Avon skin so soft, a really really small amount and diluted in addition, in the fur on the back of his neck so he can't Ingest it, but finding the unscented version is impossible, I tried but still ended up with scented. My boy HATES it lol. But, it seems to work.

You could take a look at this, and I've also read that salt or diamataceous earth can help killing the fleas around the house, but note that DE is dusty.

Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats

 

[LTS3]

Garlic is toxic to cats so don't put any in the cat's food. Yes, some canned cat foods contain garlic (powder or some extract) but the amount is minuscule. I wouldn't risk adding any amount of garlic (fresh, powdered, etc) to cat food for flea prevention purposes.

Garlic in Cat Food! What on Earth...?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Your new best friend is a flea comb, a bowl of water (to dunk and drown them when you catch them), time, patient cats and a washing machine that can handle cat bedding. It's time consuming but it's the best DIY tried and true method. Plus, it's really the best way to know how many fleas you find on each cat.

 

[LittleQuill]

Garlic is toxic to cats so don't put any in the cat's food.

I was made aware of this after I researched the article (I can't remember where I read it, it was some years ago). Hence why I said I knew some of the holistic suggestions were bad for cats. I would never knowingly, or otherwise, administer any treatments without thorough research first. That's why I started this thread.

 

[kittyluv387]

Why don’t you try Revolution? The otc stuff is not going to work because the fleas have evolved and built a resistance.

 

[sabrinah]

I'm a fan of flea combs and food grade diatomaceous earth when flea meds fail. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth all over the floor, let it sit for a few days, vacuum it up, then repeat. I also like to rub it into the coat after a thorough combing. It's not safe to inhale the dust (just like with any dust) so make sure there's good ventilation and keep it away from the face.

Revolution and Comfortis are my favorite flea meds.

 

[ArchyCat]

If you use a flea comb and a cup of water method, you need t o add a bit of soap to the water. Here in the USA Dawn dish soap is a good choice. Also I have used a shampoo for babies and children Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo, settles. Why you need to add some soap yo the water is because it reduces the water surface tension, per sitting the fleas to sink into the water and drown. The reduced water tension permits the water to enter there flea's sphrersacals (sp! the breathing tubes in their bodies), drowning the fleas.

On the other hand you can wash your cats with water and one of the two soaps. Then use a flea comb to remove the fleas. This will kill the fleas and their larva, but probable do little to remove the flea eggs.

At the moment I'm dealing with fleas on my two cats. The cats are indoor only. The fleas probably got into the house by riding in on my trousers. I've tried both Advantage II and Frontline. Both failed. I have ordered some Revolution from Australia to try next. In the USA, you need a prescription to buy mRevolution from a vet.

Good luck!

 

[LittleQuill]

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I really appreciate them. I have used flea combs with water and soap before, (and always got a bit of fun out of it) and that could work for two of my 3 cats, but the other one is aggressive, and will out to hurt you attack if he is handled, so I'm not sure if I would be able to comb him without him hissing, growling, biting and scratching ect. As for the mentions of Revolution, I'll do some research on that. See what the prices are, and if I can get it online.