Are there some organic prcedures to get rid of fleas on a cat with the use of commercial products?

Question

My cat is loaded with fleas and she is an indoor cat. I get rid of them and somehow in a few days later they reappear. I do not want to use commercial products due to the side effects. Is there a home made organic approach. I tried Avon SSS bath oil, Olive Oil, her injecting garlic.....help I am getting fraustrated.
Sue

Answer 1

II had heard somewhere that Tea Tree Oil is good for tackling fleas - but double checking this answer for you, I've found that it can be toxic to cats. (see the link below)

Part of the life cycle of the flea is off the cat - it breeds & lays eggs, that hatch into larvae in your carpets, your soft furnishings & your pets bedding. I'm a little concerned that you problem is going to grow, with the fleas started to attack you, unless you tackle it vigorously now.

I'd bite the bullet & use commerical treatments - just this once - to knock the problem on the head - once flea free hopefully you will remain so .... though I'd watch out, they're persistent little things & even you can bring them home to your cat ... all you have to do is visit someone whose home is infested & they leap upon you.

I'd go to the vet - ask their advice about organic procedures - & come back with something from them that will kill all the fleas on your cat & in your house - regardless of where it is from.

Fleas are horrible ... & a host for tapeworms.

Whatever you do, hope that you manage to solve the problem to your satisfaction soon.

Answer 2

I am sure you are aware, but for others who may read this topic, I want to bring up the dangers of over-the-counter flea medications like Hartz. My friend gave Hartz flea drops to her cat, and it almost killed him. If a cat has a bad reaction to the stuff, it happens within a few hours. They get siezures and drool uncontrollably until they die. It is horrible. If my friend had gone to bed early that day, she would have lost her cat.
Please do not use these products on your cat. If grooming and bathing do not take care of the flea problem, it is time to cough up the extra money and get a prescription treatment like Advantage.

By the way, it is very important to take care of fleas because not only do they make your pet miserable (how would YOU like being eaten by bugs all day long?), they carry tapeworm eggs and will almost always infect your pet, which can be very dangerous or even fatal.

Do the right thing. You would never give your child an inexpensive medication that kills a small percentage of children every year. Do not do the same thing for your pet.

Answer 3

What side effects are you worried about? Sounds like you tried the organic way and it's not working, so why not give the poor animal a break and just get rid of the things. I've used the Adams brand in the past and the only side effect I noticed was that the fleas died. Or if your scared of the brands in pet stores call the vet, I'm sure they can sell you something(probably same thing for more).

Answer 4

You're going to have to bathe her. My cats were okay with that, one actually liked it. Remember, anything not made for ingestion (like SSS-it's for external use only) could actually hurt them. They lick it off, and it can make them sick.
Bathe her in a lavender baby shampoo. The lavender is good for discouraging fleas if they aren't too bad. Do it about every 3 days for the next 2 weeks. It's a pain in the butt, but it's what I used to do with mine. Then when they were done, I'd put olive oil on them and rub it into their fur so they didn't get all dried out from the more frequent washings. I also put dried garlic in their water source and chopped fresh into their food. This helps them get rid of the worms that often accompany fleas. If it's really bad, you may have to break down and get her treated with something you aren't crazy about using.

You are also going to have to do something about any soft surfaces in your home. Pillows, carpets,beds, couches, etc, are going to have to be treated somehow. The fleas will nest in there after they get their blood taste to make their eggs.
Vaccuuming and beating any carpets that can be taken up will help. Vaccuum the couch,there are sprays you can use that aren't horrible for helping to kill the critters. Vaccuuming often and getting rid of the stuff you vaccuum up will help. Wash any pillows and any bedding or stuffed animals that can be, or if you have a storage area, put the stuff you want to deinfest in a zip top bag and leave it there for several weeks.
We had two indoor cats that were infested with fleas really badly. We lived in a carpeted duplex. We ended up having to use the stuff you are trying to avoid to actually get rid of the little pests. The natural methods are great for maintaining things once you get rid of them, but they aren't always the best way to get rid of them. And cats can get really sick from the parasites that fleas carry. here is a pretty good link for some info on fleas, their life cycles, possible ways of getting rid of them...
http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/Extension/DiagnosticLab/IDLFS/Fleas/Fleas.html
Good luck getting rid of your unwanted guests. They can make life miserable.

Answer 5

I had the same problem, I recently adopted a 6 week old kitten, and she was loaded down with fleas.
I will have to say the fleas arent your problem, its the eggs, your not killing the eggs, and the fleas just hatch, & hatch