getting rid of fleas

Approximately how long does it take for these alternative flea treatments to work? I need to fix my flea problem quickly. My roommate is saying that he is going to call the exterminator and use a flea bomb in the house if there are still fleas in a few days. In my opinion the situation is not so bad right now, occasionally a flea might bite my roommate and the animals still scratch a lot but I have not been bitten in a few days. Is there any chance to get rid of the fleas without the flea bomb?
 
Flea Control

Apparently Texas has a big flea problem this year (folks call them sand fleas), and our neighbor's dogs' and cats' fleas have spread to our cats. What options are there aside from conventional flea treatments? I've heard of using essential oils, but have shied away from that because I've read that cats' livers can't process some volatile oils, making them toxic to cats. Aside from baths (which we can't manage right now due to lack of a tub and our cats being unused to them), what other options are there?

I don't know if this is accurate, but supposedly to kill sand fleas with a treatment, it must contain "Nylar", aka pyriproxyfen. That's what my grandma said after finally getting a very bad infestation under control.
 
Re: Flea Control

HowToBe said:
Apparently Texas has a big flea problem this year (folks call them sand fleas), and our neighbor's dogs' and cats' fleas have spread to our cats. What options are there aside from conventional flea treatments? I've heard of using essential oils, but have shied away from that because I've read that cats' livers can't process some volatile oils, making them toxic to cats. Aside from baths (which we can't manage right now due to lack of a tub and our cats being unused to them), what other options are there?

I don't know if this is accurate, but supposedly to kill sand fleas with a treatment, it must contain "Nylar", aka pyriproxyfen. That's what my grandma said after finally getting a very bad infestation under control.
Click to expand...

I was looking into (Food grade) Diatomaceous earth (for my cat), after reading this post by Mr Premise, and it looks promising. It seems to work for sand fleas as well.
 
Hmm, can that be applied directly to the cats? I understand it is safe to eat if food grade, and relatively safe for the lungs if exposure is limited. Our house does not have carpet, so I'm not sure what to do as far as that goes. Aside from that this thread probably gives enough information to deal with the problem. (After some reading on other websites, maybe flea traps are the answer.)

This page lists many of the natural treatments mentioned here, plus some applications not mentioned (apple cider vinegar diluted in warm water and applied to the animal's coat, for instance):
_http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2014/05/natural-flea-control-for-cats/

That page recommends these "flea treats" which are made with brewers yeast, supplemental B-vitamins, and liver for flavor (but there may be other ingredients - I've just sent them an e-mail requesting ingredient information):
_https://www.fleatreat.com/
 
I can only share my experience with a horrible flea problem in Florida. The only way we got it under control was using Demon-WP spray outside around the house, around the perimeters of the rooms inside, and vacuuming every single day for a month, and then every few days ever after.

If you kill the fleas that are there, you have to get up the eggs and break the cycle and that takes dedication. Plus, you have to get them off your dog and keep them off. Neem oil in an after shampoo rinse (mixed with some lavender cologne to improve the smell) and then diatomaceous earth in the coat every 5 days or so.

The big problem is if your neighbors are not also fighting the battle, you just keep getting re-infested. If you are in the US, call a lawn spraying company and have them do the job, or get the Demon-WP and mix it up and put it in the lawn sprayer and do it yourself. But if it keeps raining, that's futile, plus it kills everything so it's not an optimal solution.

Anyway, the main thing is vacuuming every day and taking the bag out of the vacuum and sealing it inside a garbage bag and getting it out of the house AND getting them, and keeping them, off the pets.
 
Re: kitty is losing her fur

To test for fleas: Wet a piece of A4 sized white paper - stand your cat on it and brush her fur. Fleas leave their faeces in the fur, and if these are present they will fall onto the white paper and begin to spread in the wetness, turning a red colour of blood.

To get rid of fleas: Problematic, since your cat will constantly get re-infected with them from its friends, and places where it sleeps where it will pick up more parasites and eggs. I used to dust my cat with flea powder and let it out so that it could visit all its usual haunts and sleeping spots, and leave some flea powder from its fur there to kill off the parasites there.
You will need to treat it several times, to cover any fresh parasite egg hatchings.

Dr. Hulda Clark recommended parsley water for animals: pick a bunch of parsley and boil it. Give the water to the animal when it has cooled, and throw away the parsley.

My cat died not long ago after 19 years of her company. I hope she makes it to 3D.
 
Re: kitty is losing her fur

My apologies for my comment about fleas: it should have gone into the adjacent thread.
If the mod would be so kind as to transpose it there, that would be lovely, thanks in advance.
 
Thanks Laura and MusicMan for the input. I bought a flea comb and have verified fleas on both cats - and they do appear to be fleas proper and not the "sand flea" crustacean things (I'm not sure those can live on dogs and cats like proper fleas anyhow - there seems to be confusion there).
 
Id also watch out for tapeworms. Besides eating lizards, ingesting fleas with larvae is a sure way to have another annoying issue. Plus, tapeworms can be passed to humans. Revolution is by far the best product available for cats [in my opinion]treats all stages of the flea, intestinal parasites and also prevents heartworm in cats which is alot rarer in felines but it still happens.(heartworm)
Hope that helps a lil!
Danielle
 
A new newsletter from Dr. Becker has landed in my e-mail box, and there is an advertisement there for a natural anti-ticks/fleas/mosquitoes product that they developed (with Dr. Mercola). Have no idea really how effective it is, but I did like her explanation about the way(its mechanism) the spray works, that doesn't require keeping the environment free of ticks/fleas. fwiw.

 
That sounds really good, but she did not give the product name. Maybe that's because it's not on the market yet? Just wondering.
 
Nienna said:
That sounds really good, but she did not give the product name. Maybe that's because it's not on the market yet? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

It is. I followed the youtube link and brought me to this page, with more info and the products:

_http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/natural-flea-and-tick-control/

Thank you Keit, I was looking into anti-flea dog products recently.
 
Alana said:
Nienna said:
That sounds really good, but she did not give the product name. Maybe that's because it's not on the market yet? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

It is. I followed the youtube link and brought me to this page, with more info and the products:

_http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/natural-flea-and-tick-control/

Thank you Keit, I was looking into anti-flea dog products recently.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Alana. :flowers:

Going to that link, there is a lot of good information there. Also, the name of the product it "Natural Flea & Tick Defense" fwiw.
 
Nienna said:
Going to that link, there is a lot of good information there. Also, the name of the product it "Natural Flea & Tick Defense" fwiw.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is. Sorry for not including it in the post!
 
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