diatomaceous earth?

well, it would see (optimistically) that my Sophie has turned a corner in her fight against fleas. i have been giving her Capstar every other day and have not seen a flea on her since last Sunday and her scabs have begun to heal and she's not kicking constantly. I was trying to be preemptive in my attempts to make sure that we don't EVER have to deal with the little buggers again and have been hearing a ton about diatomaceous earth. has anyone every tried this stuff? is it safe? effective? i am trying desperately to stay away from chemicals and harsh products since her episode with the Advantage last weekend. any help is appreciated, thank you!

As much as I avoid chemicals, one of the things I don't sacrifice on is flea meds.  However, since my kitties are indoor only, I only apply it quarterly, not monthly.  If your kitty is indoor only, treat your home, esp if you have carpet with DE.  Be sure it's food grade and sweep it into your carpets with a broom.  Let it sit overnight, then vacuum.  Be sure to get under furniture and appliances as much as possible.
 

Don't put it down to heavy because it's such a fine dust it can ruin your vac.

cheryllib said:

Don't put it down to heavy because it's such a fine dust it can ruin your vac.

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Correct!  You just want to barely dust it onto your carpet and such.  Also if there's too much it won't work well.

And remember (can't be stressed enough) Food Grade diatomaceous earth. Food grade, is very important, because there are other kinds of DE that are toxic.

And, please, let us know how it works for you. I'm always interested in hearing about DE, in case I ever need to use it.

Please keep all pets out of the room while applying and vacuuming the DE as even the food grade version is an inhalation hazard. Would also be a good idea to wear a dust mask.