Arg, fleas! Those pesky little pests that will drive you and your pets mad come late summer. If you don’t want to carpet bomb the house and your furry friends with poisons, there are ways you can rid your home and cats of fleas naturally. Natural flea remedies take time and persistence, but they can keep you and your pets flea free.
Vacuuming
Nature does abhor a vacuum and so this is an excellent way to get rid of fleas in your home. Vacuum everything. Rugs, floors, furniture and bedding should all get a good going over every day. A good vacuum will suck up fleas and their eggs. Female fleas lay up to 50 eggs a day and these roll right off your pet and onto your floors and furniture.
Washing
Washing linens and bedding in very hot water will help to kill fleas and eggs. If you have a dryer, let them have it on the hot cycle.
Bathing
This isn’t a popular option for cats, but if you can get them settled, rinsing in a 50/50 diluted apple cider vinegar and water solution helps. Fleas don’t like cedar, lavender, eucalyptus, or citrus essential oils, so adding some of these to your cat’s bath water will help to repel those little suckers.
Combing
Getting a fine-tooth flea comb will allow you to comb your cat’s hair. As you comb, you will be removing fleas, so have something you can throw them into. Here a bucket half filled with soapy water will hold the fleas until you are ready to wash them down the drain. Put newspaper under your pet to catch any eggs that may fall off. Comb your cat from top to tail several times a day.
Sprinkling
Diatomaceous earth (DE) kills fleas and eggs. Sprinkle this around your home in sandy areas where fleas might breed.
Good luck flea warrior! May the odds be ever in your favor.