5 Natural Flea Remedies for Cats and Dogs *

#AD If you have cats or dogs at home, then you know that sometimes our furry friends can be plagued with those little nuisance pests, fleas. Fleas are so very small, but they can be quite a big headache for you and your pets.

Photo by Jared Belson

There are a lot of products on the market for getting rid of those dreaded fleas. But many of them are full of chemicals that can be harmful to you or your animals and they often cost a lot of money. So, what are your options for getting rid of fleas if you don’t want to use unnatural, expensive products?

We’re going to discuss the 5 best natural flea remedies for cats and dogs. The information below will help you to rid your pets of those nasty little bugs for good. Pest control in general can be a big problem and something we need to get on top of before it escalates. If you’re in the area, try contacting tennessee exterminator companies if you have a problem.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of nature’s most amazing substances and is great at preventing and treating diseases, regulating blood sugar levels, lubricating joints in the body, and a long list of other things. But it is also good at getting fleas to leave your dog or cat alone.

You can simply take a spray bottle and combine two parts apple cider vinegar with one-part water and voila! You’ve got yourself a solution to spray on your pets that won’t harm them at all and doesn’t even kill the fleas. The fleas will jump off of your pet instead. You can keep them from coming back by wetting your pets’ coats with this solution every 3-4 days and combing it through their hair.

Salt Water

Salt water is a natural repellent for fleas. You can mix salt in with some water to make a solution that you can use to clean parts of your home with. You can clean floors and walls with the salt water solution to repel fleas away from your home. Another trick is to actually sprinkle salt on your carpeted areas in your home. The salt will kill any eggs or larvae that are in the carpet fibers.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous Earth is a rock that is made out of ancient tough shelled algae. To use it, you will have to grind the rock into a powder. The powder is not harmful to humans or animals, but it should be used with caution. You’ll want to make sure you do not get it in your nose or your eyes.

The way DE works is that it dehydrates the fleas. You can use it by putting on some gloves and covering your hands with the powder. Then rub the powder all over your pets’ hair. As added protection, sprinkle the powder over furniture in your home and your pets’ beds.

Natural Flea Collar

There are plenty of flea collars that are full of harsh or harmful chemicals. You don’t have to use those though. You can make your own flea collar that is all natural and won’t harm your pet at all.

First, purchase a cheap cotton or nylon pet collar. Looking for such items is easy, there a lot of pet supplies online that carries this item and they can really affordable.

Then use a recipe for a mixture to cover the collar in once every week. Examples of recipes are:

Cat flea collar – 1 drop cedarwood essential oil and 1 teaspoon unflavored vodka

Dog flea collar – 1 drop rosemary essential oil, garlic oil from capsule, 1 drop thyme essential oil, and 1 teaspoon unflavored vodka

Rosemary Flea Dip

Flea dips are another popular way to rid cats and dogs of fleas. But the chemicals in those flea dips are not good for your pets or for you. You can do a flea dip at home though that is not caustic or expensive and will actually provide you and your animal with a bit of aroma therapy.

You can make a mild version of a flea dip using fresh rosemary. Here’s how you do it.

1. Boil 2 cups of fresh rosemary for 30 minutes.
2. Strain the rosemary liquid out into a bowl.
3. Dispose of the leftover rosemary leaves.
4. Add warm water. Up to about a gallon is good. Base the amount on the size of your pet.
5. Let the dip cool enough to where it will be comfortable for your animal.
6. Pour the brew over your dog or cat until the animal is completely soaked.
7. Allow your pet to dry naturally.

Harmful Flea Products

As more and more research is done, we are finding out that some of the ingredients in products that were made to rid our pets of fleas that were once considered to be safe and harmless are, in fact, quite dangerous for animals. It’s been found that animals are suffering from nervous system complications and thyroid toxicity problems that are being caused by some of the most popular ingredients used in flea products.

Another active ingredient, Imidacloprid, has been proven to damage the heart, brain, gonads, liver, spleen, lungs, and adrenals in dogs. It can also cause weakness in the muscles and respiratory problems. In pregnant dogs, it causes birth defects as well.

Pyrethroids that are used as spot treatments have been linked to causing heart attacks, seizures, and brain damage in animals. Permethrin is one of these kinds of chemical treatment ingredients. It, specifically, has been shown to cause liver tumors and lung cancer.

With so much being discovered about what these unnatural substances can do to our pets, it’s a much better idea to go with a healthier alternative when you’re trying to relieve your animals of their fleas and choose one of these natural remedies.

Conclusion

Natural flea remedies will rid your cats or dogs of fleas and prevent them from coming back without harming the animals or you either. We love our pets. Many of us think of them as part of our families. So, we want to care for them as we would our family members. Don’t spend a bunch of money on harmful toxic flea products that can hurt your pets. Choose a healthier, safer, natural flea remedy, and you and your pets will be healthier and happier for it.

* This is a collaborative post