We have been battling fleas all summer, just awful. I have 7 cats, they do not go outside but the dog does. She is on Comfortis, which works good for her, but the fleas still manage to get in the house. I have a couple of cats I can bathe, but the rest of them, no thanks, I would like to keep my face.
In fact, my Honey, who is the sweetest, darlingest, just most precious kitty in the whole wide world turns into a screaming, biting monster at the sight of the kitchen sink. As soon as I wrap her in a towel, she starts to purr. Jekyll and Hyde.
I hate hate hate putting chemicals on my cats. They lick, so they ingest so much of it. Honey and Mo (my fetch kitty) are both allergic and have terrible reactions (not fun having to rush a foaming-at-the-mouth cat to the vet.)
So... I started doing a bunch of research on flea treatment and prevention that relies on a more natural approach. First I began adding apple cider vinegar to their drinking water (I used to do this for my horses in the summer time as well, helps keep the flies and mosquitoes away.) Second I started roasting garlic and feeding it to them once a week. These are good preventatives but I needed to KILL the suckers already on them. I flea comb them also but it is pretty time consuming to flea comb 7 cats.
I found a bunch of different websites that had different suggestions on what to apply to the skin and hair. I took the inspiration and made up my own recipe. I can't BELIEVE how good it works! The first time I used it on Honey, the way the fleas just dropped dead and fell off shocked me. It makes her smell awesome, makes her fur so soft and best of all - no foaming. AND no bite marks on me, either
So, here is what I do -
You need a 16 oz. glass jar. Spaghetti jars work very well. Take two whole unpeeled lemons, slice them very thinly and place them in the jar. Then, take a good sized bunch of fresh rosemary and add to the jar. Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of chopped raw garlic, and about two teaspoons of whole cloves. (*optional - add 5 drops of pure neem seed oil.) Bring some water to a boil and pour it immediately into the jar, over the ingredients. Allow it to steep for 6-8 hours. You can then pour the liquid off, boil more water, and steep it a second time. (I'm not sure if it can be reused a third, haven't gotten that far yet lol.)
I went to the dollar store and got a spray bottle. I can use it as a spray, or soak a cotton ball and apply it directly to the skin, which makes it awesome for carefully using around the face. (TIP- whenever you treat for fleas, treat the area around the neck and the throat first, creating a barrier between the body and the head. Keeps the fleas from fleeing (LOL) to high ground.) The fleas just drop dead. It is amazing.
Also smells like it would be REALLY good on chicken....
In fact, my Honey, who is the sweetest, darlingest, just most precious kitty in the whole wide world turns into a screaming, biting monster at the sight of the kitchen sink. As soon as I wrap her in a towel, she starts to purr. Jekyll and Hyde.
I hate hate hate putting chemicals on my cats. They lick, so they ingest so much of it. Honey and Mo (my fetch kitty) are both allergic and have terrible reactions (not fun having to rush a foaming-at-the-mouth cat to the vet.)
So... I started doing a bunch of research on flea treatment and prevention that relies on a more natural approach. First I began adding apple cider vinegar to their drinking water (I used to do this for my horses in the summer time as well, helps keep the flies and mosquitoes away.) Second I started roasting garlic and feeding it to them once a week. These are good preventatives but I needed to KILL the suckers already on them. I flea comb them also but it is pretty time consuming to flea comb 7 cats.
I found a bunch of different websites that had different suggestions on what to apply to the skin and hair. I took the inspiration and made up my own recipe. I can't BELIEVE how good it works! The first time I used it on Honey, the way the fleas just dropped dead and fell off shocked me. It makes her smell awesome, makes her fur so soft and best of all - no foaming. AND no bite marks on me, either
So, here is what I do -
You need a 16 oz. glass jar. Spaghetti jars work very well. Take two whole unpeeled lemons, slice them very thinly and place them in the jar. Then, take a good sized bunch of fresh rosemary and add to the jar. Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon of chopped raw garlic, and about two teaspoons of whole cloves. (*optional - add 5 drops of pure neem seed oil.) Bring some water to a boil and pour it immediately into the jar, over the ingredients. Allow it to steep for 6-8 hours. You can then pour the liquid off, boil more water, and steep it a second time. (I'm not sure if it can be reused a third, haven't gotten that far yet lol.)
I went to the dollar store and got a spray bottle. I can use it as a spray, or soak a cotton ball and apply it directly to the skin, which makes it awesome for carefully using around the face. (TIP- whenever you treat for fleas, treat the area around the neck and the throat first, creating a barrier between the body and the head. Keeps the fleas from fleeing (LOL) to high ground.) The fleas just drop dead. It is amazing.
Also smells like it would be REALLY good on chicken....
