Natural Flea Control for Cats and Dogs
Are your pet dogs or cats struggling with fleas? Would you like to find a non-toxic alternative to high-priced chemical flea control products? Here are some flea control methods I have found to be effective with my own pets.
Clean Pet Bets
Begin by thoroughly cleaning your cats and dogs’ sleeping areas. If you are like me, your first thought may be that they are already clean! I found that during active flea season, about six months a year locally, I need to launder my four cats’ bedding at least once or preferably twice a week. To keep washing costs at a minimum, I purchased fleece cloth and covered each pet bed with a small piece. In addition, I placed a few others on favorite cat perch spots (chairs, beds, etc.).
Vacuum the pet beds themselves and the areas on which they rest. Launder the fleece cloths weekly in hot soapy water and dry in the dryer or on a clothesline in the sun. You will need to occasionally launder the fitted pet bed covers also. But by concentrating on the loose fleece cloths, this doesn’t have to be done too often.
Vacuum your Home
During flea season I vacuum my home every few days, concentrating on carpeted areas. It is helpful to change the vacuum cleaner bag more frequently also. It is also important to vacuum upholstered furniture occasionally, even if your cats and dogs don’t sleep on them. Be sure to use attachment brushes to reach inside fabric folds, crevices, etc.
Natural Flea Control Product
A good non-toxic, environmentally safe flea control product for pets is Dr. Ackerman’s Botanical Flea & Tick Oil, available in natural food store and some pet supply stores. In my own case, I switched to this product to eliminate the high cost of chemical topically applied products that my cats hated. A 2-ounce bottle of Dr. Ackerman’s Botanical Flea & Tick Oil costs about $7 – $8 locally. Even with four cats, a bottle this size lasts several months for me.
Ingredients of this natural flea control product include oils of citronella, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, wintergreen, peppermint, and cedarwood, fresh extracts of rue & rosemary, walnut leaf, and aloe vera juice. It has a wonderful pungent spice and fruity scent that my cats don’t mind at all. In fact is smells so good that I once saw a small swarm of fruit flies circling one of my cats that had just been treated!
Directions on the bottle of the botanical flea and tick oil say to apply to various parts of your pet’s body, concentrating on hindquarters, neck and any infested areas. And that it can also be used on birds and reptiles. I usually treat my cats every day or two during flea season and weekly the rest of the year.
Consider trying Doc Ackerman’s flea control product for pets and extra cleaning of your dog or cats’ beds. These simple methods can help you to prevent and control fleas on your pets and in your home, safely and simply.
