Natural Flea Control From The Whole Cat Journal

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Natural Flea Control by Angela Kessler Originally appeared in The Whole Cat Journal, August 2002. Copyright © 2002 Angela Kessler. Used by permission of the author; all rights reserved. Please do not copy this article without permission of the author; however, you are welcome to link to it.

  Does your cat have fleas? If you’re not sure, check by gently combing your cat with a fine-toothed flea comb. If there are black specks, that may be "flea dirt," which is really the dried blood of your cat. To check if specks are flea dirt or not, wipe them onto a wet white cloth; if they "bleed" rusty streaks after a few minutes, they are flea dirt. If you’re not sure if your house is infested, you can check by creating a "flea trap": fill a white bowl with warm sudsy water, set it on a white towel, and place a lamp so that it shines on it to keep it warm, and leave it overnight.

 If there are fleas in the room, you will find them floating in the bowl in the morning, because they will be attracted by the warm water, and they will drown in it (if you omit the soap they can skate along the top due to surface tension and won’t drown, so be sure to include the suds). If your cat does have fleas, what can you do about it without resorting to toxic chemicals? Plenty, but it requires a multi- pronged approach. Adult fleas lay eggs that hatch into larvae, which spin small cocoons (pupae) in which they metamorphose into adult, which lay eggs and start the cycle all over again.

The life cycle can be as short as three weeks, though in unfavorable conditions the fleas may remain in the pupa stage for one or more months. Dusty Rainbolt says, "The pupa can transform into an adult flea in less than half a second when it senses the vibration of approaching meals on paws. Even though the flea is not actively playing musical cats, only one percent of fleas actually live on the cat; the rest are in other life stages, found in your cat’s favorite places around the house and yard." To get rid of fleas, you must treat your cat, your home, and your yard as well if your cats or other pets go outdoors.

Treating Your Cat The first step in treating your cat is to make sure that he is getting good nutrition. According to natural cat care expert Celeste Yarnall, nutrition is the key to good health, and the healthier your cats are, the less likely they are to become flea-infested. Some people give their pets yeast-and-garlic supplements in the hope of preventing fleas, but Yarnall does not recommend them. "Brewer’s yeast is a highly allergenic substance. Nutritional yeast is not as bad, and some folks feel it’s a good source of B-vitamins. However, it does not prevent fleas from biting our pets," says Yarnall. "Garlic, on the other hand, has been used in organic farming for generations to keep pests away from plants. It is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, as well as antiparasitic, and it does seem to prevent flea bites.

I prefer aged Kyolic Garlic as it does not cause digestive upsets and is gentler on the system than fresh garlic." Some studies have shown that raw garlic, like onions, can be dangerous to cats, potentially causing hemolytic anemia, which can be fatal. The Kyolic Liquid Aged Garlic Extract that Yarnall recommends using does not contain allicin, the chemical found in garlic and onions that is implicated in hemolytic anemia. The Kyolic website states that "raw garlic and some garlic preparations have been shown to cause allergic skin reactions, stomach ulcers, hemolytic anemia and other symptoms. However, AGE has not demonstrated such undesirable effects, even at excessive dosage levels.

In fact, AGE preparations have even shown blood building effects in studies. Aging, greatly decreases the toxicity of raw garlic and AGE is almost without toxicity even when a very large dose is taken. Further, its safety has been well established by several preclinical and clinical toxicity tests. In clinical studies, as much as 7,200 mg of the AGE powder per day for five to six months has been consumed safely [by humans]." The specific studies in question are cited in the footnotes on the website; for more information visit the Kyolic website to read the full report. You can also treat your cat homeopathically to help them fight off fleas. Dr. Goodpet makes a formula called Flea Relief. According to their website, "Flea Relief is a natural homeopathic medicine that helps relieve itching, scratching and biting caused by fleas, ticks, mites and lice. It also aids in the healing process. The combined ingredients in this remedy are designed to activate the body’s own self-repair and healing mechanisms against itching, swelling, eczema, and sore spots.

The ingredients and their homeopathic potencies in Flea Relief are: Apis mellifica 3x, Urtica urens 3x, Pulsatilla 3x, Sulphur 6x, Lycopodium clavatum 6x, Ledum palustre 6x, Mezereum 6x, Pulex irritans 12x." Newton Laboratories offers a Flea & Bug Bites formula. According to their website, it "helps relieve pain, itching, and swelling from bug bites and stings such as fleas, wasps, spiders, ants, mosquitoes, horseflies, and bees. To reduce flea sensitivity and susceptibility, it is recommended that you also use the P25 Detoxifier every evening. Directions: Give dose every 15 minutes until symptoms dissipate.

For general flea sensitivity, give one dose daily. Ingredients: Arnica, Apis, Hypericum, Ledum, Formica rufa 15x. Pulex irritans 12x. Echinacea, Solidago, Hamamelis, Arnica, Calendula 3x. Alcohol 15%." To treat your cat homeopathically with single remedies, consult a qualified veterinary homeopath.

The flea comb is also a basic weapon in the war against fleas. Combing your cat with a flea comb will remove fleas; clean the flea comb with sudsy water, which will drown the fleas. Dusty Rainbolt says that she has successfully prevented flea infestations most years simply by flea-combing her cats daily; but flea-combing alone is not nearly enough to deal with a serious infestation. As far as flea collars and products that are applied topically to your cat, be careful. Many of the natural flea collars contain herbs and essential oils that are fine for dogs, but dangerous to cats. Kristen Leigh Bell is a certified aromatherapist who has a decade of experience with aromatherapy for cats. According to Bell, "Cats cannot tolerate or metabolize essential oils.

Their use can lead to symptoms of toxicity or even death. Why can cats not tolerate the oils? There are several reasons. The major one is that they cannot metabolize them the way that dogs or humans can (they also cannot metabolize certain herbs or allopathic meds, either). This means that they are not efficiently excreted by the body and can build up to toxic levels. Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite, and lack of energy. The next one is that cats have very thin, delicate skin. This means that essential oils can be absorbed more rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream.

Cats also dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents—even highly diluted essential oils." Bell recommends hydrosols (which are by-products of the steam distillation process that produces essential oils) as a safer alternative. Bell’s company, Aromaleigh, offers Aromaleigh Feline Aromatherapy Flea Spritz, a pleasant-smelling flea spray made with hydrosols. Two citrus extracts, limonene and linalol, are often used as flea control agents, either in collars or topical solutions, or in household treatments.

Though they are natural products, they still can have serious side effects if used improperly. Also, they are not recommended for use with cats, because (as with essential oils) unlike dogs, cats’ livers cannot break them down effectively, so they can cause toxicity. (Limonene and linalol are some of the active components of many essential oils.) Natural Animal makes Herbal Cat Flea Powder, which is made from powdered dried chrysanthemums (pyrethrum). I have used it successfully on my cats, with good results and no side effects. They recommend that you both apply it to your pet and use it to treat infested areas such as carpet and bedding, vacuuming a day later (the carpet and bedding, not your cat).

There is some concern about potential toxicity to cats of pyrethrin, the active ingredient, although it is much less toxic than conventional chemical pesticides such as pyrethroids (synthetic pyrethrin) or permethrin, which must not be used on cats (and we wouldn’t recommend using them on dogs, either, because they are also potentially toxic to dogs and humans). If you want to use the natural flea powder but are concerned about potential toxicity, you might wish to apply it to your cat, wait about ten minutes (which is long enough for it to "knock down" the fleas, but not long enough for it to be absorbed through your cat’s skin), and then bathe your cat. Bathing your cat will also kill off the adult fleas.

There are plenty of flea shampoos, both commercial and herbal, but they are really not necessary, as gentle shampoo and water will cause the fleas to suffocate and drown. Fleabusters also makes a specially formulated pet shampoo that does not contain chemical or herbal insecticides. A relatively new product on the market is Gentle Touch Flea Drops for Cats, from Farnam pet products (known for Feliway pheromone spray). This is a product that you apply to your cat’s back (in a similar fashion to chemical "spot-on" flea-killers such as Advantage), but the active ingrediens are sodium lauryl sulfate, a coconut-based ingredient common in shampoos for both animals and humans, and citric acid (as in lemon juice). According to Farnam, it is non-toxic and works by "suffocating the fleas and dissolving their protective outer shell to eliminate them." Treating Your House Super-cleanliness is key to a flea-free house. According to Robert Yarmuth, president of Fleabusters, vacuuming your carpet daily can reduce the flea population by 25 percent.

If you are trying to get rid of fleas, you should vacuum your carpet daily, but be sure to empty the vacuum filter or dispose of the vacuum bag (or put it in an airtight plastic bag and store it in the freezer between uses) so that the fleas don’t escape from the vacuum and start the process all over. Water-filter vacuums and steam cleaners are great, the fleas will be sucked up and drowned. You can also use them to clean the drapes, carpet, and bedding. To prevent fleas, you should also wash your pets’ bedding every 2 weeks. To get rid of fleas if you’ve got them, it helps if you cover the bedding with a towel and wash the towels every day. Diatomaceous Earth Diatomaceous earth is frequently recommended as a household treatment to get rid of fleas in the carpet. It consists of fossilized skeletons of microorganisms called diatoms, composed primarily of silicon dioxide, with trace minerals. It is used to coat grain after harvest to prevent infestation by bugs, and used in organic gardening for pest control. The microscopic sharp particles cut the exoskeletons of insects, and cause death by dehydration. However, care must be taken if you choose to use it.

There are two grades: natural ("food-grade") and pool filter. Avoid the pool filtering kind. It is can be dangerous, because it is so finely powdered, the particles become airborne very easily. Yarmuth says that the particles "are like microscopic razor blades," and that with long-term exposure they can build up in the lungs and cause silicosis. If, like me, you’re not willing to use clay or silica cat litter because of the risk of silicosis, you probably won’t want to use diatomaceous earth, either.

If you do choose to use it, be sure to be sure to get pure, natural, "food-grade" diatomaceous earth; otherwise it is sometimes mixed with chemical pesticides, which is unnecessary and dangerous. Never apply it directly to your cat, as it will cause dry skin, which may increase the risk of fleas, and more importantly it can cause internal bleeding if your cat ingests it (by grooming, for instance). Diatomaceous earth must be handled with care, as it can dehydrate your skin if handled with bare hands; it also poses an inhalation danger (the silica particles are too heavy for lungs to efficiently remove), so you must wear a dust mask when applying. And after all that, simply vacuuming your carpet will remove the diatomaceous earth, so it is not a lasting treatment; plus it can cause your carpet to wear faster and may void the manufacturer’s warranty on your carpet. Supposedly it is not a risk when applied to carpets (after the dust has settled).

But honestly, considering all of the safety concerns, I would not use it in my house. Sally Bahner recommends using it only outside, by placing "a light sprinkling around the foundation of the house, under the deck and in other protected areas–those that are moist, but do not receive direct rain." She adds that it should not be applied in areas that your pets are likely to frequent. Borax/Boric Acid/Sodium Polyborate Another recommendation I have frequently seen is to treat your carpets with Borax or boric acid.

This kills fleas physically, by dehydration, not by chemical means as traditional pesticides do; so fleas cannot build up a resistance to it as they can with chemical pesticides. But Yarmuth warns, "Borax is a laundry booster containing lye, which can ruin your carpet and invalidate the warranty; it has a pH of 10 (roughly the same as ammonia). Boric acid can also stain your carpets, and it has a pH of 4.7 (highly acidic). It has a granular consistency like salt, and vacuuming will remove it from your carpet." Yarmuth’s Flea Busters Rx for Fleas Plus® is a proprietary sodium-based blend (sodium polyborate). It is less toxic than table salt, and is pH neutral, so it is not a problem for your bare feet, or your pets paws.

It kills eggs, larva, and adult fleas, and it takes 2–5 weeks to finish off a flea infestation because of the pupae. It is a fine powder flakes like talcum powder, and when it is applied it gets worked into the carpet matting/padding, so vacuuming won’t remove it, but steam cleaning or shampooing will. Unlike Borax or boric acid, Fleabusters doesn’t void the warranty on carpets (from DuPont, Scotchguard, etc.).

Fleabusters offers service in many areas, or you can buy their products through their website. A cannister that covers 5 average rooms (1000–1200 square feet) costs $39.95. Treat carpets, well areas of furniture (for example behind and under cushions on couch), and baseboards and area rugs in uncarpeted rooms. Treating Your Yard The recommended treatment for your yard is beneficial nematodes. They are microscopic worms that are environmentally friendly and are used in organic gardening to control pests. To use them, you must presoak your yard with water because they need moisture; according to Yarmuth, they will live up to 90 days in yard if conditions are right. Fleabusters offers nematode service in some areas.

Nematodes are also available from Dr. Goodpet under the name Outside Flea Relief. Annoy Fleas into Leaving? There are several electronic products that claim to use ultrasound to drive fleas away from your cat and/or your house, but despite manufacturers claims, they have been found to be ineffective. At best they might work on adult fleas (which are only 1 percent of your total flea problem), but certainly they will not work on other stages. When Dusty Rainbolt reviewed flea control products for WCJ in October 2000, she said that with the electronic collars and brushes she "saw no difference between the number of fleas before and during the test." Ouch! What to do if you are being bitten by fleas, while you are working on making your home and pets flea-free? Fleabusters’ Robert Yarmuth recommends Avon Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil, which has been popular for years as a mosquito repellant.

The Avon website says "Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil is a moisturizing bath oil; it is not an insect repellent. Since it is not an insect repellent (and therefore not registered as such with the EPA), we may not make insect repellent claims about it." However they did pick up on the popularity of it and now offer Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535 Insect Repellent Moisturizing Lotion. According to their website, it is "DEET- and PABA-free, so it’s the smart choice for the entire family; effective against mosquitoes, deer ticks, black flies, sand flies, gnats, no-seeums and biting midges; dermatologist-tested; hypo-allergenic; does not need to be washed off after use; awarded the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval! IR3535® is effective against mosquitoes and ticks, which may transmit West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease." According to the EPA website, "IR3535 [3-[N-Butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester] has been used as an insect repellent in Europe for 20 years with no substantial adverse effects. Toxicity tests show that the IR3535 is not harmful when ingested, inhaled, or used on skin. . . . no harmful effects to humans or the environment are expected" from its use, and adds that it is effective against "mosquitoes, deer ticks, body lice, and biting fleas." Resources "The Basics of Natural Flea Control" by Susan G. Wynn, DVM, at AltVetMed New York Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticide’s "Common Sense Flea Control" University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service’s "Reduced Chemical Management of Fleas" Kristen Leigh Bell. Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals. Celeste Yarnall. Cat Care, Naturally.