Have you ever used Dawn dish soap to get rid of flees on a cat?

Question

Will Dawn hurt my cats if I wash them with it? I heard that it gets rid of flees on them, and I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with this?

Answer 1

Dawn is one of the best solutions for getting your kitty clean. As a long time cat breeder and a person that shows her cats to National wins, Dawn is one of the shampoos that I use for a pre show bath.

Truth to be told any shampoo will kill fleas. That is because fleas are bugs and bugs breath air. When you get the cat soaked down with water and then that thick detergent, what happens in essence is that the fleas drown.

Doing a bath will only kill the fleas that are on the body. If you have fleas around the new ones will jump onto the cat.

Get some borax from the laundry detergent department and sprinkle into your carpets to rid yourself on the fleas that are living in your carpets

Answer 2

If you must bathe them, use a flea shampoo specifically formulated for cats. Dawn will not take care of the fleas and may cause dry skin issues on the cats. Dawn would be a waste of time. What you really need to do is get rid of the fleas in their environment. Be sure to vacuum frequently and wash everything that is washable. Ask your vet for advice on a product to use to spray your house. If you want it to be easy, get some Frontline for each cat. This isn't cheap, but it is so easy. You'll have to do it once a month for three months, though. Keep in mind that if you shampoo your cat you're only killing the fleas on the cat at that time. There may be other fleas waiting to hatch so you'll need to do it again. The instructions on the shampoo should tell you how often you need to do this. If your cat goes outside, they could pick up fleas every time they go out, so Frontline may be the best.

Answer 3

The only time I ever used Dawn dish soap on my cat, was when she walked across one of my oil paintings. I washed her paws off with Dawn. I would not use any dish soap to rid the cat of fleas, I would not recommend dish soap for a normal bathing either. Dish soap does not have the pesticides found in flea killing products. The most it will do is dry out your cats skin and drown some of the fleas that are on your cat, not the ones in your house. If your cat has fleas then most likely your house is infested too, fleas have several stages they go through from egg to adult biting flea. For the cat I would recommend using a flea comb to give your cat a sort of instant relief, use a highly recommended product such as Advantage or Frontline for cats. Make sure you know the weight of your cat. I use Advantage on my cats and they're flea free. Treat the house as well, for that I would recommend Zodiac products, try a carpet/furniture spray before you go bombing the house with pesiticide foggers. The instructions are on the backs of these products, make sure you follow them. Remember when treating the house, after vacuuming throw out the bag, or dump your bagless vacuum to reduce the chance of the fleas bouncing out. (I'm not sure if that's even possible, but it can't hurt!) We had a flea infestation once, and they were from a squirrel (I'm not even getting into that), but everything above is what I did to get rid of the fleas and they were totally gone in about 3 days. Good luck!

Answer 4

YES! Dawn will be harmful. The best and safest, and also cheapest, way to get rid of fleas is to use olive oil! It will unstick and drown the fleas, whereas fleas may survive if you just use Dawn -- and it will dry up your poor cat's skin. You can get olive oil even at some dollar stores, and it works great -- you can just rub it on the kitty and not even have to bathe them. Whatever you do, don't get toxic flea shampoo!! Olive oil, I swear by it! Good luck!

Answer 5

You should use regular shampoo that is used for cats and get a comb to try and take the fleas off. get the cat wet put the shampoo and scrub her with your hands then run the brush throught the cats hair with the water running on the cat so the fleas could come off.

Answer 6

Use flea shampoo for your cat. Dawn soap is too harsh.

First of all, I would take your cat to the groomers to get cleaned and flea shampooed and leave them there for four hours. 2nd, you should fumigate your house, wash the bedding in hot water, and wait for four hours till the house is cleared of fleas.

Answer 7

That would be waaaaaayyyyy too drying to their skin. It can cause rashes and itching. Their skin is much more sensitive than ours. Your best bet is to take the cat to the groomer for a flea dip or at puchase a flea shampoo from the pet store.

Answer 8

Oh my god...go to the store and buy some flea shampoo for five dollars! I don't understand why people want to try these "home remedies" when some freakin shampoo is only five dollars! Animals have a different PH balance in their skin than humans! Don't use human products on animals, period.

Answer 9

you shouldnt use dish soap on ANY animal. its quite concentrated and can cause skin problems (even burns), and it can absorb into the dogs skin and make them sick.

it also wont get rid of fleas. it might wash a few off, but it definitely wont kill their eggs.

you need to get some Frontline fron your local vet/petshop and treat your animal properly.
.

Answer 10

no and that sounds dangerous for the cat. You should take the cat to the vet.