I’m so worked up about natural flea control that I wrote a whole little book about it, but here are my key prevention tips one handy post.
Surprising facts about cats and flea control
Does your cat hate getting a chemical flea treatment? Do you worry about the safety of flea treatments? You are not alone.
- Even the EPA has started questioning the safety of chemical flea treatments.
- Even the product manufacturers will tell you not to use chemical flea treatments on animals who are ill or elderly, but so often our cats don’t show they are ill until it’s too late.
- The flea treatment could really cause serious damage if their immune system is compromised by something else.
- Only recently has it come to light that a couple of popular natural flea remedies are also toxic to cats in particular. I’m referring to garlic and to essential oils.
Why cats have special needs when it comes to flea control
It turns out that cats actually lack the ability to adequately detoxify many compounds.
- Cats are deficient in a liver enzyme called glucuronyl tranferases that is essential to a detoxification process called glucuronidation. Glucuronidation is what most animals, including humans, use to safely process things like the terpenes in essential oils.
- This means that components of essential oils, and many other types of toxins, can rapidly build up in cats bodies and become toxic to them. Essential oils may be toxic to cats through skin and even through breathing.
An easy natural flea repellent for cats
I stumbled on the B-vitamin repellent method long ago and, to my surprise, it worked. Many years ago I was giving my cat a B-vitamin tablet made for pets and she didn’t get fleas even though another cat in the house had them.
The product we were using at the time doesn’t exist anymore, but I found a new one that I’m even more excited about because they have a money-back guarantee. It’s called Flea Treats and you can order it on Amazon.com, or Fleatreats.com, or get it at holistic pet food stores.
Here’s how to safely and naturally prevent fleas:
- Flea Treats are easy to use because most cats love the taste. Just give it to them with their food each day – especially during flea seasons — and the repellent ability kicks in about 10 days later.
(Don’t worry–I do not sell Flea Treats and these are not affiliate links.)
I can alternatively recommend brewer’s yeast as a B-vitamin repellent, though I don’t know as much about its track record. Be very careful not to give cats any brewer’s yeast that includes extra iron or additives. That could be toxic. The only really “clean” brewer’s yeast I’ve found for cats so far is Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast. Mix 1 teaspoon in food 1-2 times per day, at least during flea seasons.
But does your cat have a yeast allergy? Flea Treats have yeast in them. A few pets, like people, have allergic reactions to yeast (eg, digestive issues or skin flare-ups). If this is the case with your cat, you can use a simple, clean B-complex instead: Mix a 1/10th capsule of Jarrow B-Right into food daily (divided over 2 meals is ideal), at least during flea seasons.
If you are in the middle of a flea outbreak right now
In the middle of a flea outbreak, you should start the B-vitamin method, but it takes 10+ days to start repelling fleas so you’re going to need something more.
Here’s what to do in an outbreak:
1. Get that B-vitamin thing going, as described above.
2. Put a flea trap in one or two infested places. (These are usually dark places.)
Flea traps are cheap and easy and they really do catch fleas. You can get a good one for less than $15 online.
3. Get a flea comb (inexpensive at pet stores or online) and comb your cat daily until you no longer see fleas or flea eggs on the comb. Each time you catch fleas or flea eggs in the comb, dip it in some warm natural soapy water and wipe the comb off thoroughly.
After 10+ days the B-vitamins will start making your cat unattractive to the fleas, and many fleas will be already be eliminated by the combing and trapping. Any straggling fleas, including any new hatchlings, will find their way out of the building because they need food.
Final tips
- For what to do in case of a severe flea infestation, and for a complete guide, see my booklet, Natural Flea Control for Cats Made Simple.
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This is great, I *must* try these flea treats. One of my cats is allergic to fleas and flea medications. She loses patches of hair and gets welts
I’ve been looking for something to help her. I hope this works, I’ll be so excited!
Pj, oh good i hope it helps your poor kitty! The only downsides I’ve seen so far with Flea treats are 1) that it can take up to 10 days to take effect and 2) some animals–dogs more than cats–might have a yeast allergy.
On the off chance your cat reacts to the yeast in Fleas Treats, you can still use the B-vitamin method with Jarrow B-Right B complex: Mix a 1/10th capsule of Jarrow B-Right into food daily (divided over 2 meals is ideal). You need to pull the capsule open and take an approximation of 1/10th of it for each dose.
Some fish oil with her food might help her skin inflammation and ease the allergies too!
best wishes
Thank you so much for answering my question about natural flea treatments that won’t hurt my cats. I’m going to the store tomorrow to pick up what I need. Another question that I meant to ask you last night was about natural treatments for roundworms. Thank you again for your help. Have a nice evening….
Hi Shirley, good question about the round worms. Best advice I can find is from Dr. Pitcairn’s book. He says to get FOOD-GRADE Diatomaceous Earth (VERY IMPORTANT: DON’T get the pool-grade kind though!) and, being careful not to get it in anyone’s eyes or lungs, mix about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon to cat’s food daily for 3 – 4 weeks. That should do it, but he says have them checked just to make sure. You can find it at natural food stores. Let me know how it goes for you guys.
Here’s an article about it in a dog magazine (note – I dont’ recommend DE externally because it can so easily get in eyes and lungs): http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/benefits-diatomaceous-earth/
Hi!
I found one of the best all round flea controls for the house is my trusted ‘Steam mop’(the triangular type that gets everywhere) if there is an upsurge I just blast the whole house with it.including cat beds/cat trees etc.The plus is it knocks out the larva as well,with 3 cats & a large hairy dog it’s & definite “must have” for me.
Easy peasy & non toxic!
Cool tip Julie, I will have to check this Steam mop out. Is there a particular brand name you use?
Hi Liz
the one I bought on E-bay is a generic of the original steam mops,quite cheap & effective, but I dont think the ‘H20-M’ will be available in US.try this link which gives you an idea of prices etc.The triangular ones are great cos they get in the corners.Try & get one that has a ‘glider’ on it this is a detachable plastic thingy which you use to go over carpets (makes it easier to glide)
Since I started using it the flea population has just kept on decreasing,last year I only found 1 flea all summer!
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefloors/tp/topsteammops.htm (or just Google ‘steam mop’)
Good luck!
Just checked the link myself & found the H 20 http://housekeeping.about.com/od/productreviews/gr/steam_H2O.htm
& here is the generic version
http://www.sterlingtime.com/h2omopbysh.html
Hi Liz,
I’m already feeding my cats Daily Best by Pet Naturals: http://www.vitacost.com/pet-naturals-of-vermont-daily-best-multi-vitamin-for-cats-chicken-liver#nutritionFacts
This product seems to have a fair amount of B vitamins in it and my cats love them. The company has taken out the sodium bisulfate since learning it could be a problem for cats, even though it is still listed on this website as an ingredient (it is not on their current packaging – I called and they reassured me it is no longer in there.) I’m wondering if these treats may already supply enough b vitamins or if I should still supplement with the Jarrow product you recommend in your Natural Flea Control book.
Thanks so much for all you do to help us keep our “kiddies” healthy!
Best,
Julie
Hi Julie,
The good news is that the Daily Best does have enough thiamin in it, and the other B amounts look like they might be enough to repel fleas too, though not exactly the same amounts as trusted Flea Treats. The only complaint I have is that Daily Best includes Menadione, which is considered synthetic vitamin K shown to cause problems in high doses, so TruthAboutPetFood advises against Menadione in general.
Hi Liz, thanks for your insights. I looked at the package of Daily Best and I don’t see that ingredient on it. I wonder if the seller just hasn’t updated the ingredients list? It is so hard to stay current on all of these products!
Hi Liz,
The Little Big Cat website brought me here and I’m very interested in your book. Since the ebook is not available in Asia & Pacific, I’m gonna order the paperback version.
One quick question, can lice and fleas on cats be treated/killed in the same way? Someone told me my cat has lice but when I look at my cat’s fur and skin, I couldn’t tell the difference.
The treatment for flea control cats is necessary for the persons who are having pet animals in their home because fleas are very dangerous as they cant control without necessary treatment.