Has anyone used Dawn dish soap to get rid of fleas on a cat?

Question

Does it actually work??? My cat has fleas and has flakey skin and his hair is falling out in patches. I was told to try giving him a bath in dawn dish soap to kill the fleas instead of flea soap. Also should I put a small amount of conditioner on his fur after to help soften his fur??

Answer 1

The dish soap works no better than shampoo, regular or medicated. It just makes the fleas stop and get all stoned so that you can pick them off. Key word- pick them off.
You could take the cat (presuming it isn't a small kitten) to the animal shelter for a flea dip. You may want to call ahead first though.
Fleas are a difficult problem. To completely get rid of them, you need to treat the yard, the house, and the animal.

Answer 2

Re: Dawn soap

The purpose of Dawn dish soap is to strip the oil and gunk off dishes. Your cat, since he is already losing hair, probably from scratching the fleas, and has flaky skin, from it being dry, I would think you wouldn't want to get rid of any oil he has left on his skin. He needs it. In all honesty, what you need to do is bring him to the vet and have his skin checked out. If he has been scratching for a long period of time, he might actually have an infection on his skin from repetitive scratching. Next, ask your vet what the best course of action is. If he does have an infection, you want to get rid of that first before you try anything. If his fleas are bad enough, yes he needs to be dipped. His hair might take a while to grow back. Find a sensitive soap free shampoo and a good fleas treatment ( our clinic recommends Frontline usually. It lasts longer than Advantage. Also make sure you apply it correctly; along the base of the skull directly on the skin.) If you want to bathe the cat before application, you can use any type of cat shampoo, but afterwards, if you want to bathe the cat, you have to use a soap free shampoo. This is usually sold at your vet clinic. Since normal shampoo and Dawn clean by stripping the oil from the surface of what is being cleaned and a flea medication such as Frontline is oil-based, you will just be washing off the treatment and wasting your money. Also make sure your cat is completely dry before applying the flea treatment. After application, if you see fleas on him that is alright. All the fleas have to do is touch the surface of the cat's skin and the treatment is absorbed through the flea's feet and causes the fleas to be poisoned and die without having to bite the cat at all. Frontline should be reapplied every month, but if the case is bad enough, every three weeks should be done at first. Also treating your home and his favorite places to lay is a good idea too. The spray for this is usually sold at the vet's office. Also, lastly, do not put on a flea treatment like Frontline along with a flea collar. The combination of these medicines could be toxic and harmful to your cat. A lot of people come in and say they do that because they think it will kill the fleas faster; it will not and it may cause harm to your cat. Go to your vet's; that is why he has a degree; he knows what he is talking about.

Answer 3

Dish soap will wash fleas off (maybe) but it won't prevent them or do anything about the eggs. You see, the majority of the flea population is living in your house, so if you just bath the cat it will get reinfested very quickly. It's a waste of time, and bathing usually pisses cats off.

Get some proper treatment from a vet, like Frontline, Advantage or Revolution - and also get a spray for your house, you must always treat the animals and the environment. It sounds like your cat has a flea allergy, this is characterised by bad skin and bald patches. Treat the flea infestation properly and the skin problem will be sorted out.

Don't fall in to the trap of buying the cheap stuff from pet stores or supermarkets, because it doesn't work.

Chalice

Answer 4

If you put a few drops of Dawn dish soap in a bowl with water, then place it somewhere on the floor where kids and pets can't get to it. The fleas on the floor, rugs or where ever they are, are attracted to the sweet smell of the soapy water. They climb in and die. Only helps get rid of ones loose around the house and helps keep pets from getting fleas again. Any kind of dish soap will dry out the animals skin, then you'll have even bigger problems than just fleas. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Why don't you just use the flea stuff from the vet? I certainly bathed a lot of kittens in Dawn in my day. For a cat with flaking and hair loss I think you need to look into the underlying causes for that.

Baths will only dry out the skin. The cat's own grooming should keep the coat healthy as it helps to distribute body oils and keep the skin well lubricated.

Answer 6

My friend uses it on her cat, who has mild fleas with minimum outdoor exposure and works for her. I do know Vet's recommend it if the pet has allergies to other flea remedies. Also, Here's an excerpt of an article t I found and the website link to conclude this fact.

Here's what I found:
Dawn dish washing detergent has had on the air about how Dawn is used for wildlife organizations helping to clean oil from birds using this liquid soap. This made me recall something my vet once told me when my cocker spaniel, Dani, turned up allergic to flea dip and medication: Dawn dishwashing detergent is effective at killing fleas, and can be used on very young animals that are not yet old enough or large enough to use flea medication.

Answer 7

Flea shampoos dont actually work if your cat has a lot of fleas

but you could try using regular shampoo and get a brush for fleas and take em off with running water they come right off
makes the fleas a little dumb for a while but once the cat dries up they come back alive

good luck

Answer 8

No, try Advantage. You never have to worry about fleas for the whole season after one application. It's way worth it. For his skin, try cleaning him with Aloe baby wipes (Target Brand) Makes their fur really soft and gets rid of the dandruff.

Answer 9

It works on dogs I would just get flea medication for a cat

Answer 10

ummm no i think u should take it 2 the vet first and then find out a better more safer way to get rid of fleas...lol please dont use the animal as a science project and see wat soultion will get rid or fleas fastest! lol hope this helped!