Getting rid of Fleas is tough!

United States
December 7, 2008 6:27pm CST
If anybody knows of some effective fairly inexpensive ways to get rid of fleas please share. We have been trying so hard to get rid of fleas on our 2 cats. Homemade remedies are certainly welcome if anybody knows of any efective ones. Thanks.
3 responses
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
8 Dec 08
I have heard that bathing them in Dawn dish detergent will get rid of fleas. Another one is with citrus. You can make an effective flea repellent from lemon by cutting it into quarters and immersing it in boiling water. This is then steeped overnight to get you the repellent. By spraying this all over your pet, especially behind the ears and generally around the head, and also at the base of the tail and the ‘armpits’, you can rid it of fleas.
@beeeckie (802)
• United States
8 Dec 08
The one problem with this is that cats cannot stand citrus, and they will not groom themselves if they smell of it... or, may I ask, will they groom extra because they smell like it?
@beeeckie (802)
• United States
8 Dec 08
VACUUM: Put a flea collar inside your vacuum bag or chamber. Make abosolutely sure you vacuum all mattresses, radiators, vents, etc. I'm not kidding. FLEA BATH OR POWDER: Sorry, you have no choice. FLEA BOMBS: Again, sorry, no choice. Make sure you and your kitties have a place to stay overnight, and unplug all appliances, and don't overbomb. There is no super-cheap way to do it. I have had a serious flea problem in the past and these, along with time and patience, are all that works. In addition, if either of your cats is allergic to flea saliva, they may need meds from the vet. (Signs are loss of fur, weight, and obsessive grooming.) Good luck. Sorry for not giving much hope, but tough love.
@beeeckie (802)
• United States
8 Dec 08
One more tip: Pretend your residence and all of your belongings are your children, and they all have lice.
@sixclix (677)
• Philippines
9 Dec 08
I'm not really familiar on cat grooming but I have 2 dogs and they both had serious flea infections a few months ago. The best way to get rid of fleas is to bath your pets often using any commercial soap/shampoo for pets. Fleas actually drown easily in water so the more you bathe your pets, the better, as long as they don't get sick if you do this. The hard part part of getting rid of fleas is killing their eggs. Even if all the adults are killed during bathing, the eggs survive. Thus, if you bathe your pets often, those that hatched will be killed and soon, the infestation is eliminated. Also, clean your house including your backyard and garden as fleas thrive anywhere and your pets get infected again if there are still a lot of fleas lurking around your house.