Who loves to have fleas or ticks on the body? Humans? Pets?
Yes. You’ve got it right! None wants to have these nasty little insects those are easy to feel and hard to find. Flea has the power to make our life full of miseries. If you have pet cats or dogs like I have both of them, you must think of flea remedies.
Because we can express what we feel but they can’t. When flea attacks cats and dogs, they become silent, irregular in their daily activities.
So, the topic I am discussing here is a crying need. You should prevent fleas from showing some love to your dearest pets.
More Info About Fleas
Fleas are very tiny enemies of humans and animals. These are wingless but can jump like a fly by putting pressure on their long legs. These are brown in colour, 3 mm long (average in adults). They can dive to such distance which is almost 50 times more than their body strength.
Their mouthparts are built to pierce the skin of the host and suck blood from it. Their life cycle is divided into four parts: egg, larva, pupa and imago. They need to feed on blood for reproduction. This is the reason why they attack your favourite pet. SOUNDS HORROR?
How to Identify the Symptoms of Flea Attacks?
It’s almost similar to identify the invasion of fleas on the body of your cat and dog. Bite style and marks, appearance, flea dirt etc. are the signs. You will see these eventually.
- Bite format: It’s almost the same to you if you have bites from fleas. There will be red bumps, swollen, scattered marks on the skin of the cat or dog’s body. This marks can be in a straight line, alienated or circle. It’s more visible when your pet has a thick coat. Later on, your pet will start scratching its body to get relief. Dogs will bite their skin with their teeth.Check out Pictures of Flea Bite. This is painful to see. Your room will fill up with the fur of your pet. Is it pleasing to anyone?
- Appearance: Fleas are easily visible if your pet has white or light colour fur. But nothing to worry if you have red or brown cat. Check the areas around neck and legs. There you can see if your dog or cat is having problems with fleas.
- Flea dirt: You can see the droppings of the fleas nearby the areas where your pet stays most. These droppings are smaller. They look like specks of pepper. Even you can see dry blood marks on the body of the cat or dog. Not only on the body but also these blood marks are visible on the bed or floor mats. Find out More about Flea Dirt.
How To Prevent?
You should think in different ways. Nobody loves to keep his or her pet to stay captivated in the cage. I take my cat with me while I go outside to roam around. So, when it comes to the prevention of fleas, you should care about this.
- Indoor: Cats and dogs, both are too much faithful and friendly to humans. They will return the love when you show them a bit of romance. Many of us allow dog or cat to lie with us on our bed, sit beside couch or walk inside the home.
So, these are possible areas in our home where we can take care of our little guests, the fleas. Carpet, cushion, pets’ bedding, furniture, corners of the rooms should be kept clean and dirt free. Otherwise, there will be an invasion of the fleas. - Outdoor: Outdoor means you are not carrying to dog to your office. ( Even tough some offices allow dogs in these days but they exception to the rules) It’s like you are driving your car, a cat or dog would be the best companion. Shady places are the birthplace of the place. The funny thing is, your pet loves to take rest or sleep in these cool dark places. If your pet is feeling good in those places, then there is an increased chance to have fleas.
This is a little bit confusing. Let me clear about this. Insects generally live in the areas where the environment is calm, relaxed and dark. This is similar to your pet. However, it will start scratching while getting bites from those nasty insects.
Which One is Best: Natural or Artificial?
Artificial or natural; both are the ways to kill the fleas forever. Many pet owners don't have enough time to spend in preparing natural flea remedies. They can purchase cat flea killers by spending a little amount of money. The medicines we use artificially for flea and tick’s elimination are fruitful but not for a long time. Even they have significant side effects. They may help to save your time.
But if you want a permanent solution, you must choose the natural ways to kill fleas. Because the ingredients are cheap, convenient to use. Even though there won’t be any notable side effects that could make you tensed. These natural remedies can bring permanent freedom from the fleas.
You know, there are lot of other ways to skin the cat. Natural remedies isn't just one method to get rid of fleas. I wrote a detailed article a while back about almost all options you can use to get rid of fleas, you might want to check it out here.
Why Natural Flea Remedies?
It may come to your mind why should you choose natural flea remedies instead of other known flea removal products. There are lots of options to solve the issues. Of course, those products like cat or dog shampoos, conditioners, body wash etc. work well to keep the fur shiny, neat and clean. They can bring a fast result. There are lots of problems while killing fleas, ticks and other skin-attacking insects.
Many pesticides manufacturers have already brought many products to eliminate those creatures. But not all of them are suitable for your cat or dog. They can create different health issues such as skin irritation, itches, diarrhoea, vomiting, seizures, etc.
If you don't want to hunt for oils and all other stuff, or simply you dont have the time, you can buy flea trap or flea powder on amazon. They are pretty much the same but packaged and can save you ton of time.
Natural remedies for flea prevention have no such side effects. There are ton fo them, but i am listing Top-5 five natural flea remedies for cats and dogs:
1. Natural Oils
Natural oils are not only suitable for human uses. These can be diluted and used with pet shampoo by spraying. You have to remind not to spray a lot or on cat’s or dog’s face. Their smell sense is better than us. Some oils may feel allergic to them.
You can dilute oils such as Lavender, peppermint, lemongrass and cedar oils, etc. You can also add a few drops of these oils with regular cat or dog wash shampoo. Neem oil works well as a flea repellent.
Rose geranium oil is another excellent natural oil which is entirely safe for use on the pet’s body. Use a single drop of this oil behind each shoulder blade. Then add another drop to the tail base.
Lauric acid in coconut oil is effective in killing the annoying little fleas. Put a small amount of oil on your palm and rub on the coat of your favourite pet. You can let them taste coconut oil orally. There are also extra benefits of coconut oil. ( You can get it easily on Amazon) It can moisture cat or dog skin and kill yeasts.
2. Garlic
Garlic is a regular spice used in the kitchen. It has a jerky smell. This spice can be formulated solution to repel fleas and ticks. Depending on your dog’s size, you can keep 1 or 2 cloves daily nearby it. You shouldn’t use more than two cloves for any size of dogs. Crush the garlic and add them into diet plan of the dog.
Find out More Information about Animals.mom.me
Some dogs may have a problem of hemolytic anaemia. Garlic isn’t safe for those dogs. Keep garlic away from them.
One more thing, don’t try to use garlic crushed or in solid form. It has toxicity towards the cats.
3. Vinegar
Another kitchen ingredient is ready to use on flea removal. Add one teaspoon of vinegar per quart of drinking water of your dog or cat. In another way, create a mixture of water and vinegar at 1:1 ratio. Then spray the solution on the body coat of the cat or dog.
Apple cider vinegar spray is also useful in this case. The strong smell of this spray is unbearable to fleas. You can bathe your pet with this spray like the shampoo. Don’t worry of cat’s internal pH level. It won’t harm the pH level and is safe to use, especially on kitten.
4. Diatomaceous earth (DE)
What is Diatomaceous Earth? The manufacturers crumble this natural rock into a fine powder. It has multi-dimension uses, including killing the fleas. It’s safe for any human or pets. It's tiny sharp edges can slice the tough and inviolable exoskeleton of the insects.
Find out More: Does Diatomaceous Earth Work against Fleas ? I mentioned some studies that support it.
The flea starts facing dehydration after the exoskeleton is broken from inside. Thus, diatomaceous earth eliminates all the fleas. Look for the food-grade DE to use it externally or internally. It is safe for animal’s tongue. Use hand gloves while handling the DE.
5. Flea Comb
Sometimes cats or dogs hate water. Then, the flea comb is an excellent alternative to keep the health of the pet good. Just be sure you are putting the comb down close to the skin of favourite one. Do the whole thing slowly otherwise your pet is going to be bald. However, flea comb can clean the fleas from the groin, armpits, and the tail-base.
Flea combing is a great idea to protect the dogs and cats from fleas or ticks. It is fully functional on the skin of dogs. No more fleas on the coat of the dogs. Cats are also suitable for flea combing. But some of the combs may have a citrus smell. This is unpleasant to some cats.
Fleas can’t bear the citrus smell of lemon juice. You can combine this juice with a flea comb. There are also many fine-toothed combs available at the market. When you comb with them, the result is always impressive. Combing leaves a lingering lime scent. Fleas can’t attack cats or dogs again if you regularly brush your pet.
A flea comb has the power to filter fleas, flea larvae, and eggs. So, you can be sure of what you are doing. After combing, wash the body with a bowl of soapy water.
Additional Tips
Here are some useful tips of 5 natural flea remedies for cats and dogs:
- Keep the body and coat of your pets clean
- Wash them with proper pet shampoo to prevent the invasion of the fleas
- You should limit the outside exposure. Don’t let your dogs or cats come outside during heavy sunlight
- Lather, rinse and repeat the process regularly
- Keep your home neat and clean. Use the vacuum cleaner to keep the floors and other things dust-free
- Sprinkle some salt to keep fleas away
Conclusion
Pet lovers understand how important it is to maintain the pet’s health. This article is undoubtedly a useful source to keep the dogs and cats flea-free. I have mentioned the best natural remedies for eliminating the small pests out of your pets and your surroundings. Hope, you are going to use these methods to see the happiness of a healthy dog or cat.