Natural Flea Control

angryyew

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I have two indoor only cats. I'm not sure if the fleas came in on the new kitty or some other way, but I'm dealing with a major infestation here of both cats and my house.

I have used frontline for years and have put it on both of these cats the past two months, but it is not working.

I've tried using a flea comb to get some fleas off them, but both cats are rescues who have issues with being handled and do not tolerate this very well. I can't even imagine trying to bath them...

I feel like I'm wasting money on the frontline, plus its too early to redose them. I don't have a good way to remove them from the home to try defoggers and such, plus I don't really want to douse my home in chemicals....

Looking for good non-toxic ways to at least reduce if not eliminate the flea population.

Also if anyone has any tips on bathing or grooming a non-cooperative cat without getting your face clawed off...
 

babz

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I would try what has been recommended here for your home. I also don't think with the Frontline you'll be able to tell if it's working or not if your house is so extremely infested. The fleas on the cats might be dying, but then every second live ones from the carpet keep continuously getting on them.
 

arlyn

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Your remedies contain some potentially toxic items.
Eucalyptus contains phenols, which are toxic to cats and garlic can cause hemolytic anemia which can be fatal.
 

yosemite

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Diatomaceous Earth is totally safe for use around cats and humans. There have been some folks that have found the Frontliine doesn't work so well anymore - perhaps the formula has changed. Ask your vet for Advantage or Revolution instead.

Sprinkle the DE on your furniture and carpeting - use a brush and/or broom to get it down into the fibres.

DE is not earth per se, it is ground diatoms which are are microscopic crustacean and it is like a fine talc to us but like shards of glass to insects.
 

stormyskiez

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Frontline didn't work on my dogs 2 summers ago. I switched back to advantage.


Has anyone had tried Brewers yeast for flea control. I found this online:

"Brewers yeast for cats

A daily dose of 1 mg of thiamine, for every 5 lbs. of your cat's weight, is the appropriate dosage for flea control. For an average-size cat, this translates into 1 tsp. of brewer's yeast per day."
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by StormySkiez

Frontline didn't work on my dogs 2 summers ago. I switched back to advantage.


Has anyone had tried Brewers yeast for flea control. I found this online:

"Brewers yeast for cats

A daily dose of 1 mg of thiamine, for every 5 lbs. of your cat's weight, is the appropriate dosage for flea control. For an average-size cat, this translates into 1 tsp. of brewer's yeast per day."
I've heard this for dogs but never cats and in all honesty don't know if it works or if it's another old wives' tale. I wouldn't be giving my cat thiamine without asking my vet about it.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I've heard this for dogs but never cats and in all honesty don't know if it works or if it's another old wives' tale. I wouldn't be giving my cat thiamine without asking my vet about it.
Not a wives tale but it should be done with a vets knowledge as MANY cats are in fact allergic/ intolerant to yeast
 

tiffanyb

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Try giving your cats a bath in Dawn soap. It dries their skin a little but kills fleas instantly. As far as for your home I have used, Natural Flea and Tick Spray. It is natural and safe to use if you have previously treated with Frontline. Can spray on your furniture and their bedding.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by TiffanyB

Try giving your cats a bath in Dawn soap. It dries their skin a little but kills fleas instantly. As far as for your home I have used, Natural Flea and Tick Spray. It is natural and safe to use if you have previously treated with Frontline. Can spray on your furniture and their bedding.
natural chemistry makes de flea
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by TiffanyB

Try giving your cats a bath in Dawn soap. It dries their skin a little but kills fleas instantly. As far as for your home I have used, Natural Flea and Tick Spray. It is natural and safe to use if you have previously treated with Frontline. Can spray on your furniture and their bedding.
Dawn dishwashing soap does NOT kill fleas. It stuns them. You then need to comb the cat with a fine comb and dip the comb into hot soapy water after each pass to drown the fleas.

Over the counter flea treatments often do not work and can be very dangerous. Get your flea medications from a vet and if you want to treat your home, the best thing to use is diatomaceous earth. There is much information here on DE so do a search.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Dawn dishwashing soap does NOT kill fleas. It stuns them. You then need to comb the cat with a fine comb and dip the comb into hot soapy water after each pass to drown the fleas.

Over the counter flea treatments often do not work and can be very dangerous. Get your flea medications from a vet and if you want to treat your home, the best thing to use is diatomaceous earth. There is much information here on DE so do a search.
side note the product in question is NOT a traditional OTC ... One it does work and two it is natural ... Though I ALWAYS agree discuss with a vet ... the linked product is EPA registered but NOT needing it as it is NOT considered in the pesticide danger of items even from a Vet ... DE is a great thing I actually use it with the above product
 

toktok

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you should get the flea treatment called (advantage) for cats and dogs its in tubes and it really works. its kind of expensive but if you go to a local vet they might help you out.trust me it works. i have four cats and i've tried everything else and this is the only stuff that works.
 

yosemite

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toktok;2762046 said:
you should get the flea treatment called (advantage) for cats and dogs its in tubes and it really works. its kind of expensive but if you go to a local vet they might help you out.trust me it works. i have four cats and i've tried everything else and this is the only stuff that works./QUOTE]

That will work on the animal but if the infestation is severe and there are many fleas in the furniture/carpeting, this will not do the whole job.
 
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