Apple Cider Vinegar and cats

[otto]

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Thanks for letting us know how things are going with the ACV, Otto. Very pleased to hear that Mazy is doing well and benefiting from it. I was curious to know how it would be tolerated as I had contemplated using it at one point in response to Max's constipation.

I used to take a lemon shot with water in the mornings which accomplishes the same thing as with the ACV, but the ACV is definitely more pleasant. 

I'm interested in your comment earlier in this thread about using diluted ACV as a spot on flea repellant. I don't like the recipes in the links, because I won't use essential oils on my cats. But you said you are using diluted ACV. What's the ratio of dilution? How much to do you put on, where and how often?

I've had to treat my cats with frontline plus much to my dismay. Queen Eva was very sensitive to it. I would like to avoid treating her again, though I am going to have to continue the frontline plus for a few more months, unfortunately. I don't have fleas here, but someone I am unable to avoid associating with does, and I am fearful of bringing them home.

I was thinking that next month I would just treat Mazy and Jennie, and use the AVC to repel the fleas (if any) from Queen Eva. That way, any that her little body repelled would just be killed if they jump on Jennie or Mazy cat. I am sure, in spite of the extensive measures I am taking to avoid it, that I am bringing home eggs and probably fleas.

So they must be treated for the duration of this association. I hate it hate it hate it HATE it. But it won't work to only repel, on all three cats. I have to be using something that will KILL, also.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

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I'm interested in your comment earlier in this thread about using diluted ACV as a spot on flea repellant. I don't like the recipes in the links, because I won't use essential oils on my cats. But you said you are using diluted ACV. What's the ratio of dilution? How much to do you put on, where and how often?

I've had to treat my cats with frontline plus much to my dismay. Queen Eva was very sensitive to it. I would like to avoid treating her again, though I am going to have to continue the frontline plus for a few more months, unfortunately. I don't have fleas here, but someone I am unable to avoid associating with does, and I am fearful of bringing them home.

I was thinking that next month I would just treat Mazy and Jennie, and use the AVC to repel the fleas (if any) from Queen Eva. That way, any that her little body repelled would just be killed if they jump on Jennie or Mazy cat. I am sure, in spite of the extensive measures I am taking to avoid it, that I am bringing home eggs and probably fleas.

So they must be treated for the duration of this association. I hate it hate it hate it HATE it. But it won't work to only repel, on all three cats. I have to be using something that will KILL, also.

Hi @otto: Yes, I don't like having to rely on chemical controls either, but sometimes they are necessary. When Thomas showed up at our door, we discovered he had a mild case of fleas and ended up dosing everyone with Advantage which took care of it. I prefer Advantage as it doesn't penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream like Revolution does.

Regarding your question about ACV as a spot-on flea treatment ... I use a 50/50 mix of ACV and water with a bit of salt and baking soda, as per the recipe below, and load this into a spray bottle. To ensure that none of this gets into my cat's eyes, I spray into and wipe with my hands when doing around the head, but then spray a bit along the back and on the insides of the back legs where mosquitos tend to like target. We get a lot of mosquitos and there are ticks in my area and so this helps to repel these insects to prevent bites as they fleas and ticks don't like the taste of ACV. I spray the cats once every 3-4 days when mosquitos are particularly bad in warm, damp temperatures.

You may already be aware of this, but Diatomaceous Earth is good for flea control as well, as a natural environmental application to sprinkle at doorsteps and other areas such as plant pots. DE can be applied to carpets and left for a couple of hours, and then vacuum. This will kill fleas in the carpet. There are also aerosol sprays which I used during Thomas' infestation, that are specially formulated for large areas with or without carpets as well as pet bedding, pillows, woodwork, where fleas can lay eggs. This can be purchased through a vet. You might want to make these suggestions to your friend as they would go a long way in helping to cut down on the problem and make it less likely for you to inherit fleas each time you visit.

ACV Spot-On recipe

8 oz apple cider vinegar

4 oz warm water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix dry ingredients first then slowly add to wet as the vinegar and baking soda will react slightly.

Hope this helps! ...

 

[sammyjm]

New to this site and following conversation with interest.

I have two young cats (exclusively raw-fed), one with some digestive issues, and some elevated liver enzymes.  He seems to lack the ability to properly digest raw bone such as chicken necks, and thinking that perhaps I needed to promote a more acidic stomach environment, I've tried him on just one drop of ACV in a few ml of water, which he gagged and retched-up.

When he first came to me, I found that the addition of vegetarian digestive enzymes greatly improved his ability to comfortably digest his muscle meat/offal meals (which are balanced with powdered eggshell and other supplements).  And he's on Denamarin for liver support - due for repeat serology testing soon.

A friend recently informed me that you can buy powdered ACV in capsules.  I haven't yet researched whether or not this is the organic form of ACV, but am interested in finding out more about it, whether anyone has used this for their cats, and if so, for what condition(s), at what dose, and what was the result?

My second cat, (also exclusively raw fed), is prone to high urine pH, (consistently 7.5), and struvite crystals.  He cannot tolerate L-methionine (vomits it), so for him, I pulse with a low-dose of cranberry juice extract, just enough to lower the pH back to normal.  If powdered ACV does in fact lower urine pH, this is something I'd be very interested to try for him also.

 

[xeenthequeen]

My reply to a query about Apple cider vinegar and cleaning understandably got moved to a more relevant thread, but I still wanted to bump this thread

I found a local raw food brand that adds 2% ACV to their cat foods, which got me interested in the potential benefits. I will try adding some to Xena's supplement mix to see if it does anything for her chronic respiratory symptoms. I don't see how it could possibly help, but it's worth a shot if it's safe. Lysine has not been effective for her at all.

I will try adding 1/2 tsp to her daily supplement blend and see if I notice any changes in her frequency of flare-ups.