Fleas & Ticks

Any kind of soapy water will kill fleas. You can also put a pan of soapy water underneath a light at night when you go to sleep. The fleas will be attracted to the light and will die in the soapy water. There are flea traps that you can pick up that consist of a night light and sticky paper, so they get stuck on the paper. I usually leave a small container of soapy water on the floor below this as well to catch any that don't make it to the paper. Aside from that, I don't really have any home remedies. I tried a couple of things that I read online, but we've been getting them really bad the past few spring/summers, so none were all that effective (ie: mothballs). We've had to simply continue to bathe the cats, and flea bomb the house or use the home spray (Hartz makes a good one, and also makes a very effective spray for the cats) in conjunction with the flea carpet powder. I agree on the flea comb though. You can pick one up for less than a dollar. While you're combing the cat, have a little bit of soapy water and dip the comb in that (wipe it off before putting it back on the cat). Also, if you have a bad infestation, be sure to continuously clean the surfaces of your home. The cleansers (be it something harsh, or simply Lysol/Clorox wipes) will kill the flea dirt before it can become actual fleas. As for ticks, a bit of olive oil put on the area where the tick is, and/or on the tick itself, will prevent the tick from breathing, then you can pull it off with tweezers. I always lock them up in tightly sealed ziploc/sandwich bags. Or, you can burn them. Unfortunately, nothing else really kills them.

If your cat has fleas, you would do yourself and the cat a favor by taking him/her to the vet and having the vet prescribe something. The stuff sold in stores isn't very effective and costs a mint. True, the stuff you can buy from a vet may be expensive, but it really does work. I have found this out from my own experience with two cats.

A bath always helps for fleas or a flea comb. For ticks I just heard a way to get them out that doesn't hurt or involve to much trouble. Put some vasaline on a tissue and put it over the tick, this stops it from being about to breath and it will pull its head out.

Hi there, you should try frontline. Just apply on your cat's back or nape so that he couldnt lick it. It will kill all of the ticks which sucked blood from him. Be cautious in using carbaryl or flea powers as cat's tend to lick themselves a lot.