Any Non Chemical Way To Get Ride Of Fleas?

[wendylady 0]

Hi there,I am allergic to most man mad stuff and use home made cleaners. My new cat which we saved after getting hit on the road and we saved him. ( no we did not hit him , he got hit out side the main road to the home)the problem is he has brought more then a few unwanted guest with him. we have treadter him at the vet but now have flea in the floor. I tryed the dust and vaucm stuff but my noses would not stop running for days. So I am asking if any one have found a better way to get ride of them with out pesticides?

[shadowx 0]

What about some sort of acidic substance like lemon juice, vinegar etc... I really have no idea its just a guess! OR perhaps EXTREMELY Salty water. Again, just a guess.You could try leaving a few flea collars around and giving the cat one for a week or so, see if that helps?

[rob86 2]

I just asked a question about fleas around here the other day not sure if there was any replies yet. What I did read is you can build a little home made flea trap and it's as simple as hooking up a nightlight bulb to an extension cord and tying it up over a shallow bowl of dish-soapy water. Apparently the fleas jump to the heat and drown in the soapy water. I have no idea if this works but I'm going to try it myself. The instructions are pretty simple, you just dangle a small nightlight lightbulb about a foot or less (im not sure about the height) above the bowl of water and make sure the lightbulb doesnt fall in the water (zapp!) but if you need more instructions there are some if you search on googe..which is where i found it. You can buy flea traps too,, they aren't too expensive..never tried them either.

Edited July 17, 2009 by rob86 (see edit history)

[wendylady 0]

well we ogt the drops for him, and it working. I can't leave collars around as i have several kids and one of them is autistic so tell her to leave it be is not eazy. We had thought about it but decide not to. As for lemon juice it does not work as i use lemon and vinger mix to clean the home and such. I sparys rubbing achaoll and that seemed to help but in a day or so they were back ..

[rob86 2]

There's another solution that I've never tried is called uh.. diatomaceuous earth.. I can't remember how to spell it at all and I know nothing about it. It's a powder you sprinkle on your pets and it kills insects and apparently is harmless to pets. It's supposed to work good, but how would I know.. I don't even know how to spell it Something to look into though.. I have no idea if it's cheap as dirt (well it is dirt isn't it?) or costs a fortune.

[rob86 2]

I just want to add that I tried the home-made flea trap with the night light and a bowl of soapy water and it does indeed work. I captured (and drowned!) 16 fleas in one area in the past 9 hours. Whether that's a good amount or not I don't know, it's 16 fleas that aren't biting my feet at least. I don't know if it would lure fleas off of a pet but it does seem to get them off of carpet.I'm not sure if I'd want to leave a pet or child around it but it's relatively safe I guess. I'd be worried my pets would drink the soapy water..yuck! I've got the nightlight hanging from a sturdy miniature wooden chair. I attached it to an extension cord and gently wrapped the cord around a part of the chair so it's unlikely it would fall in the water.Edit: Since my last post three hours ago, I've exterminated another 22 fleas in the same area. I didn't even know there were that many. There's no doubt about it, that cheap flea killing method works.

Edited July 18, 2009 by rob86 (see edit history)

[Misanthrope 0]

Firstly, kudos to you for helping out this poor gatto who would have otherwise ended up dead were it not for your humanitarian effort. I had a similar experience (though gatto had not been run over) with a stray kitten who brought with him unwelcome gifts of a parasitic nature. What worked for my situation was the product, "Flea Busters." It is, I believe, a powdery concoction of boric acid, diamataceous earth, and something else I can't remember - but it incorporates a static charge that makes it cling to surfaces for up to a year. You can order it online or get it from a veterinarian for around $40 bucks, I think. What you do is sprinkle it on your carpet then work it in with a broom. Make sure you vacuum first because once it's on the floor you don't want to vacuum for about two days or so. It works by shredding the flea's exoskeleton. Some folks also swear by salt and borax, but these have to be reapplied. Whatever you do, do it soon before the damn things get out of control. You might also consider treating your kitty with mild shampoo of some sort while your treating the environment.

[wendylady 0]

We already gave him a dip and flea drops,

I will have to try the soapy bowl , and looking to the dirt., and pray it does not set my nose to burning like the other stuff has.

Rob: I looked up the Diatomaceous earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
Odd that is dynamite yet used with fleas.

when have been using rubbing achaol, and it seems to be slowing them down.

[rob86 2]

If you do happen to try Diatomaceuous Earth I'd be interested in the results, not only that but the cost of it. I don't even know where you can get the stuff. As for rubbing alcohol to kill fleas, what do you do with it? It seems like you'd need large quantities (ie: a bath) in alcohol and to me that sounds really unhealthy for a small animal to absorb that much rubbing alcohol. I don't know too much about medicine, so I have no idea just the thought of using such a strong chemical for flea control makes me question it's safety but if you read about it and it sounds safe then I guess I just worry too much! At the very least, you think it'd dry out the natural oils in their fur and skin which is important to them though.

[wendylady 0]

No not for the pet thou you can spray some on them. I want awater bottle with some hafe RA and hafe water . ROB: What i am looking for is for away to get rid of the one on my floors with out hard chemicals,SO far the RA works on the wood floors.