Anyone got a natural way to remove fleas?

[ilovecaboose]

My house is overrun with fleas Our problem is that one cat has suffered an allergic reactions to flea treatments that go on the skin (fits and/or open sores) so the vet has searched out a new tablet treatment and will administer it while she stays in today. Can treat the other cat, but the problem is now that the house is overrun with fleas so they will just get them back.

I know you can get treatments for the house for the vets but the problems are:

The cat will react to those.
OH is a chronic asthmatic and I don't want anything to set him off.
Plus toddler in house so don't want anything that will be dangerous with him around.

Anyone got any ideas for anything natural that can get rid of them. Have tried airing bedding and hoovering everything including matresses and bedding etc. My family is covered in bites and I'm too embarassed to let anyone come round my house.

With the fleas, slugs and general wildlife I feel like I'm running a sanctuary here!

Fleas can only survive by hopping back on the host animal for a feed. Is there any chance that you can treat the cats and then send them for a little holiday to your mums or somewhere? It takes about two weeks for the fleas left in the house to die.

I havent heard of that tablet before but if that makes her immune to fleas then maybe that will be good enough and the ones on the loose in your house will die anyway.

Sounds like you are already doing loads of hoovering which is good but make sure you empty the hoover into an outside bin straight afterwards.

Cats ! they are more work than kids

no advice...but much sympathy as we got back from holiday yesterday eveing to discover house was full of fleas ( even though there hadn't been anything for them to feed on for over 2 weeks)...cue dash to shops for sprays etc...mad hoovering and washing...picking the little feckers out of ds's hair!!

Chopsticks.

Don't say that, Lorina - we're about to get a couple! I've been wondering what to do about fleas, since we're organic lentil weavers, so I'll be interested to see if anyone has any right-on solutions.

Don't know yet, Pamina - it's a mega-bribe, so in theory not yet a certainty. IF dc keep up their good work, they MAY get a kitten each at the end of the hols. I'll start panicking (and researching) nearer the time.

I was brought up with cats, but we lived in the remote countryside, and they never got anything - no special food, medication, flea treatments - except butcher's meat. They just fended for themselves.

Regular grooming with a flea comb is the best way to stop the fleas getting a grip. Especially if your cat is a hunter because every time they catch a mouse they catch its fleas too.

If you are very brave you can bath the cat.

I read somewhere that putting garlic in their food repels fleas. They were perfectly happy to eat it but it didnt work

I found garlic worked, as long as you can get enough of it down them.

I used garlic capsules, broke them open and poured the pure oil into the cat food. Very concentrated but luckily the cat seemed to like the taste.

Message withdrawn

Ok vwts has assured me that there stuff will be alright as long as cats/OH/ds are all out for the day. Cat hasn't reacted to flea treatment so will be coming home tonight. Thanks for the replies anyway. Might try cat on garlic anyway, but not sure she'll eat it. The other almost definately will (he's been known to enjoy marmite and chillis).

had fleas a few years back and it was bloody awful i was always covered with them (eugh) i know the council will do one treatment for free and the bloke who did it said that spraying fly spray kills them (didn't work for us tho but then i didn't get the proper flea treatment from vets just supermarket and thats shite) you won't be rid of them for a long time even if you get rid of your cats for a while (they can live up to 100 days and also when eggs are laid well they lay millions so they will keep hatching)

Sprayed my house this morning. Cats shut outside, OH at work and ds at grandparents. HAve been sat here for over an hour now and haven't been bitten once! The vets was right the stuff doesn't smell too strongly and it hasn't affected my (mild) asthma at all so think OH should be alright (I'm his canary thing- like in gas mines)

Was it the frontline stuff?

We had to user the spray when one of our cats died. There were fleas in the carpet and the sofa cushions, but it got rid oif it all.

I now use Frontline drops on the remaining cat every month, would never wnt to go through that again.

NO it wasn't frontline as that was what the cat reacted to in the first place. Up to now she's been fine with it as we were told that was the only one that didn't cause fits in them. Well it didn't - it caused open sores instead. Other one's still ok with it though.

Have can here - Virbac Animal Health Household Insecticide - Indorex Spray. Still haven't been bitten yet! Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I haven't jinxed myself. Couldn't smell it after 15 minutes or so and it didn't smell that strongly to start with so quite impressed. Apparently kills the adults and stops the eggs for 12 months.