I have several rescued kitties and there are loads of fleas here in the hot Florida summer. I need a homemade recipe for a flea deterrent, the medicine is way too expensive.
By Joyce from Gulfport, FL
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At Tractor supply they have this spray. By Farnam Pet Products Water-Based Flea & Tick Spray For Dogs Plus Citronella Scent. I use it on my cats too. I sprayed them real good. Put them in the laundry room for the night. It is real strong. It wont hurt the animals. I used it on a little kitten that I found in my yard. I also spray their animal bedding and place they sleep. Anyway, I let that set on them for a night.
The next day I gave them a bath with flea and tick shampoo to get rid of any other lingering fleas. I let that set on them for 5 min before I washed it off. Then I wash them with Antibacterial Dish Soap. It repels fleas for some reason. It wont hurt their skin or coat. I use it all the time on all my pets. I have used that cat powder on both my dogs and cats. It works good. Also Sulfer repeals Flees. Some people say some spices and Garlic works. I haven't used that.
I tried yeast in their food, and it gave them wet, runny stools. I have heard Diatomaceous Earth works good, and it don't hurt people or animals. It is supposedly edible. Some put it in horse feed to keep them from getting parasitic worms, and it kills maggots in horse poop. I do know when we moved a year ago into this house. It was already infested with fleas.
My animals became infested too. I took home bug spray that you spray inside. I sprayed all floors in house plus carpet. I let it set over night. Then I mopped the floors, and steamed cleaned the carpets. The spray killed the fleas, and the steam cleaner sucked up all the dead fleas and the eggs and any live fleas. Also pulled the spray out of the carpet to not hurt animals. That took care of the fleas in the house. Fleas are real bad here. Everyone is having problems. I have to keep treating my pets and giving them baths about once a week. Dish soap works well just give them a bath in it. Fleas seem to not like soap. Hope it helps.
Bath them well using a bit of Dawn. Fleas love warm water, but the dawn disrupts their surface adhesion, and they don't float. But the little baby in a colander, and bath it with a warm stream from the faucet. This scares them less than water that is held in the sink, plus gives the fleas a one way ticket to the drain.
I'd had good luck getting rid of mites and fleas by just feeding the affected cats raw liver. On several occasions the cat was parasite free the next day. My pets get raw liver from time to time as a preventive treatment.
When I lived in CA we all used the eucalyptus buttons {from the eucalyptus trees that grew all over} to make collars and put small branches with the buttons under our couches and behind doors plus wherever our pets sleep, etc. since the fleas really don't like the scent.
Don't forget that the fleas and eggs will also get into the decorative sections and cording of your sofa and under the cushions as well. After you vacuum, immediately throw away the bag or empty the container and tie it up tight as the fleas will just march back out!
If you bathe your pet for fleas/ticks please start this way: always put a good lather around their neck before you put them in water and then carefully lather the face and ear section---as soon as you put the pet IN water the fleas will run UP and into the ears and near the eyes. After the bath and it is safe they will run right down and reinfest your pet. Don't forget to put a drop of mineral oil in each eye to protect it from soap irritation before you start.
Another old trick, get a stable lamp {good tip proof base} and set it on the floor in the infested room then set a shallow pan next to it and add some dish soap and rubbing alcohol in it {with a lil water} and leave the light on at night, as the fleas jump at the source of warmth {lightbulb w/o a shade} they will fall into the liquid and perish.
Since you live in the south it would be a good idea to treat the yard around your house {I lived in Florida and had similar probs} I don't like to use chemicals but sometimes we must and I just got a 5 pound bag of SEVIN dust and sprinkled it all over outside and raked it in where I could and it kept the fleas out for a very long time---remember if they are in the yard you will walk them back into the house on your shoes and clothes.
Hope this helps a little.
Also, if the pet has a bed they lay in you can take a sheet or pillow case and open it up, sprinkle some sevin or flea powder on it & then fold over the other part of the sheet or pc and as the pet sleeps there it will suffocate the fleas on that side of their body.
If you are treating small kittens be careful. Many remedies like diatomaceous earth can be deadly. Bathing the kittens may help. Also vac your rugs every day. I used to put part of a flea collar in the vac bag to kill the fleas.
Skin So Soft works great on pets for fleas. You can get it from Avon and jut spray it in your hands and work it through the cats hair it repels the flea's from jumping on the cats. Good Luck
Be careful when using Dawn dish soap, it can dry out your pets skin, make sure you add a conditioner to keep there skin from drying out, skin so soft is a good example. :)
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