What are the best natural remedies for fleas in my house?
by
Annette
+8
What can I use on an outside cat for fleas? I let her into my apt because of the cold weather. I thought fleas would be dead from the cold. But today 1/10 I saw fleas crawling on her! She was inside, I was looking through her fur & saw it running! I have a Hartz flea collar at home only and I am afraid to use because of the chemicals I have read about. Is there anything I can use from my pantry or fridge to kill the fleas until I am able to get to a store. I am disabled and do not have a car. My apartment is clean and she has been in here since the cold weather. I am in New York Long Island. She likes the outside because she was abandoned by the last people that lived here so I feed her and let her in when she wants to sleep because I didn't see any itching or fleas on her but today I did see one or two on her and I am afraid to let her back in the house my landlord does not allow pets but I do it without him knowing it I love animals should I put flea collar on because I do not want my apartment to get infested hopefully it is not because I have kept her in kitchen and not let her on my rugs but is there anything please help anything I can use from my pantry so I can let her back in tonight I am afraid once I saw the fleas to let her back in and it is cold
out is there any spice or something dry because she will not let me give her a bath no way she is not Feral she is friendly but she does not like water and I am afraid of it getting scratched because she is outside around raccoons and wooded areas please help I am an elderly lady alone and disabled and I want to bring the cat in my house tonight it is supposed to rain please get back to me as soon as possible I have no one else to ask and I do not have anyway to get advantage or those drives be hot the next because I do not have money or transportation please HELP anybody 😢💔😿😿
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cimexa from amazon about 13.00 a bottle works wonderfully it's a step up from diatomaceous earth
www.wikihow.com/Kill-Fleas-Naturally
I used the herb pennyroyal for my dog. Check to see if it is safe for cats. I wrapped it around his collar and bathed him I it. Good luck
Cedar oil in a spritzer will kill them on contact.
Oh, honey, do I have a great solution for you! Borax. It's a laundry booster powder, but Borax is an all natural, naturally occurring mineral all over the world. Just sprinkle it all OVER the place, on and in your carpet and floors and shelves in your pantry. It won't stain or smell or anything. Sweep it into the carpets and all around the floors into all the cracks, under your furniture, on your furniture and leave it there as long as possible. Try to leave it overnight or longer if possible. It destroys the carapace of insects and kills them dead....fast. Sweep it up or vacuum it and if you have fleas, you'll see all their dead little bodies in it. As for your kitty, that Hartz flea collar is for sh*t. Go out and get Frontline or Advantage flea and tick treatment. It's not cheap, but it's the only thing that works. I have had dogs and cats all my life and believe me, I learned the hard way through the years, but I learned. I have sofas that sit only an inch off the floor, and I sweep Borax under them regularly and leave it there. Trust me, this will WORK. Also works on ants, roaches, spiders, etc. Do the research yourself and you'll see it's the easiest and most natural remedy. ... and thanks for bringing that kitty in out of the cold. xoxoxo.
You can order Advantix or Frontline online at PetMeds.com, but if you don't have the $$, use the Hartz collar. It's better than nothing. Don't worry about the pesticides in it, that's what they're for. I've used flea products on my cats my whole life, my oldest cat was 24 when she passed. Besides, you can't be expected to live with fleas!! I don't know what you can use on her from your pantry, and I don't recommend washing her, you would surely get clawed up.
perhaps your local pet shelter has a free program to help kind souls like yourself who care for animals.
I'd use the flea collar for now. I believe the toxic issue is if the collar is left on continuously. Since you obviously have a computer, look up the life cycle of fleas to see how long before the eggs hatch, and leave the collar on at least that long, or a bit longer. I agree with other lady that said to use borax in your home. It is really a wonderful thing and does the trick. The thing about fleas is they get into whatever the cat is using for a bed, both in your home, and outside. So if you can change out/wash what she's sleeping on, do that. Or when the cat is outside, borax the house, her bed, etc. I'd do the entire apt with borax. as fleas can travel. But since they have a host (the cat) they may have just stayed on her and not left to live in the rest of the apt. Bless your heart for helping this kitty, and a pox on the people that abandoned her!
You can use the Borax trick, but if the cat lives outside it will pick up more fleas. Yiy can be sure that wherever it sleeps when it's not in your apartment is infested with fleas so there's no way to prevent her from bringing them back in.Some have suggested the commercially available flea drops, that would be a better solution, BUT you said that you don't have the funds or transportation to make that a viable option. (Perhaps they missed that part of your post). Look online for your nearest animal shelter, many have programs to catch, neuter and rehome stray cats. You may not consider yours to be a stray but you aren't allowed to have it living with you so you have to leave it live as an outside cat and that's basically the same thing. If the cat is tame enough to trust you it shouldn't be too difficult to get it into the hands of a shelter, (they may have volunteers who would pick the cat up at your place and take it back to the shelter. When you encounter a pet with a flea problem the best way to deal with is to apply the flea drops, (that you don't have access to), then let it have the run of the home. Any fleas that have come into the home on the animal will want to stay on the animal, but some will leave temporarily for one reason or another but when they get hungry they will look for a way to get back onto the animal. If the animal has been treated with flea drops within the previous 30 days they will die when they hop aboard the animal, maybe not instantly but before they can bite to get their next meal. An animal recently treated with flea drops is one of the best methods to kill fleas in your home, the little suckers can't live without a host animal so they will try to get onto an animal at any opportunity and if they get onto a recently treated animal they will die quickly. The other option is to accept the fact that you aren't allowed to have cats and you can't properly care for one due to finances and the landlord's rule against pets. Pets are great, we have two dogs, have always had dogs and can't refuse one in need of rescue, (that's how we got most of our dogs previously). If you're an animal lover it's difficult to leave an animal out in the cold nasty weather but sometimes there's no other viable alternative. (If your landlord finds out that you've been hosting a cat and evicts you you'll really be in a bind). Check with local shelters and see if they have a program to help the cat, it's the option that seems to fit your situation the best from what I've read here.
The flea drops is the next best option and you really don't need the expensive ones. I found some at Big Lots that were $2.00 per dose in single application packs and $5.00 for a pack with 3 doses. The name of the product is Bio Spot Defense and they seemed to work as well as the expensive ones I get from my vet, but if you don't reapply them within 30 days you'll be allowing the cat to be exposed to re-infestation.
For the sake of your own security and for the well being of the cat, contact a local shelter. You really don't want to lose your home by trying to help someone or something. I admire you for helping the cat but sometimes you just have to admit that you can't do everything you'd like to do.
Look up manufacturers of various flea drops and try to find toll free numbers or email addresses and explain your situation to them, they may send you a free sample or two to get you through the current situation. (No promises, but what would it hurt to ask?).
I don't have a phone number or web address for Bio Spot.
Another more expensive product I've used is Vectra, their phone number is 1-800-999-0297and their web address is www.vectrapet.com and the third one that I'm familiar with is Advantix, their hotline # is 1-800255-6826. That product is FOR DOGS ONLY, but they also have one called Advantage that is formulated for cats. Perhaps contacting one of those companies could get you a free sample to assist you until you can find an appropriate home for your cat.