Grrrrr fleas. My cats are strictly indoor creatures so... by process of elimination... I brought them in
I have diatomaceous (damn thats hard to spell) earth. Worked great last year or was it the year before. It's totally safe but it's slow. I got some lavender essential oil and eucalyptus leaves. I read that fleas hate those two things. So do I but I hate fleas worse. I got some Advantage II for the cats. Wish they made it for humans too
Now I'll have to try to trick the cats into swallowing worm pills too. Damn fleas...

[Yoda]

All my cats have died so I haven't got any fleas but I did find a tick on me today.

Awww I'm sorry Yoda. The coyotes was it? I wish I could bring you a few of the strays around here. The old tom that used to pick on Howie before I brought Howie inside has been coming around. Poor old guy has led a tough life. He loves to be petted but it's hard to find a spot that isn't scarred up or wounded. I'm thinking he may have lost his place at the top. Younger stronger toms around now. Probably his sons and grandsons

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by George H.

Grrrrr fleas. My cats are strictly indoor creatures so... by process of elimination... I brought them in
I have diatomaceous (damn thats hard to spell) earth. Worked great last year or was it the year before. It's totally safe but it's slow. I got some lavender essential oil and eucalyptus leaves. I read that fleas hate those two things. So do I but I hate fleas worse. I got some Advantage II for the cats. Wish they made it for humans too
Now I'll have to try to trick the cats into swallowing worm pills too. Damn fleas...

can def relate, George, and thanx for good info!

[lizardlady]

George how do you use the lavender and eucalyptus? The fleas are aweful this year!

lizardlady, one thing you could do is wash your laundry with detergent containing lavender scent. another thing i read is you can dip a pet brush into a solution containing water and a few drops of lavender oil and brush your pet with it. You can also dip your pets collar into lavenderoil. It's supposed to kill the larvae..good luck

What Chocmouse said. Also I read that you can add some of the lavender oil to olive oil in a spray bottle or spritzer and apply it to your legs and feet. That's what I'm going to try first. I'll let you know how it works out.
The eucalyptus... just spread it around is what I read. Maybe the fleas just get disgusted and leave
You can use the kind you get at a craft store or you can get 1/2 pound of the dried and cut leaves on ebay for $5... seems like the better deal to me.
I'll post back if that helps too.
The diatomaceous works but its slow and messy. It's safe for pets and humans though which is +1 for me.

[Perna]

Noooo! Don't tell me they're here/back/awake yet. After last summer's 4-5 months of hell when my two cats and husband got them (he and one cat were allergic to them) and we didn't know for over a month (so had a huge problem by then) and we had to spend well over $1500 to get rid of them (not to mention the cost in sanity for me), I've kept the cats gooped with Advantage every month but they were due for June/July's a couple days ago, I'd better get with it.

My lifesaver was the Victor flea traps: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Victor-Ul...1#.UbssG_lvNP4 they show where the biggest problems are (you move them around) so you can concentrate on those areas.

I'd be willing to try one of those... I'm only seeing them in my bedroom. Right now I seem to be the bait

Where I live my vet said ticks are bad this year and fleas aren't so bad this year (yet)...we need to be able to pull up a map of one's area to check such things, like how they are always talking/showing on a map the pollen count here in the US in the spring.
I wanted to second (or third, or fourth...) the idea that fleas are nasty little creatures (loathe them), and if you have an outside animal, please don't forget to check for ticks like on areas like bellies, a place my vet mentioned is common for them.
Hugs to everyone fighting the flea/tick war, and it's esp. awesome using natural ways to do it. I had never heard of any of those ways, George. Kick some flea ***!
Oh, and if you have a lot of mosquitos around outside (like I do where I live), inside cats need Heartguard too (and of course outside cats!), because mosquitos are nasty little creatures and always sneak in! Cats can get hertworms now as well; luckily the Heartguard must be like cat crack, mine love it. (This is the end of my public service announcement. )

[seeker1950]

I spent $100+ on Frontline a month ago, and treated my three pets: two dogs and one cat. I have been watchful since that initial treatment, and today I saw Yellow Kitty acting "itchy," which is like he is licking himself obsessively, so I used the flea treatments for the second time. Can't abide fleas in my house! I hate the expense, btw, but what else can one do, seriously!

Originally Posted by seeker1950

I spent $100+ on Frontline a month ago, and treated my three pets: two dogs and one cat. I have been watchful since that initial treatment, and today I saw Yellow Kitty acting "itchy," which is like he is licking himself obsessively, so I used the flea treatments for the second time. Can't abide fleas in my house! I hate the expense, btw, but what else can one do, seriously!

it only lasts a month anyway, right?

I applied it to my calico once and she TORE around the house because she is obsessed with grooming and could feel it but not get to it...it kind of scared me how freaked out she was, she could have hurt herself the way she was running around. Other cats have responded fine to it but that was a NIGHTMARE.

[lizardlady]

I had Callie at the vet for her post surgery check-up today. We got talking about flea control. She gets really lethargic for days after I use Advantage or Frontline on her. Given her condition I don't want to stress her using either. On the other hand I don't want fleas chewing on her. I bought a new kind of flea collar. Sorry can't remember the name. It's supposed to be good for EIGHT months. I'll let y'all know how it works.

I already wash my laundry in lavender scented soap. I like the idea of using the spray around the house and on the dogs.

Here is what I bought. Very Fragrant Lavender Essential Oil BULK (100 Pure Natural) FREE SHIPPING! Very Fragrant Lavender Essential Oil Bulk 100 Pure Natural Free Shipping | eBay
Eucalyptus Leaf Dried Cut Sifted 1 oz 1/2 LB Cold, Flu Respitory Relief Eucalyptus Leaf Dried Cut Sifted 1 oz 1 2 lb Cold Flu Respitory Relief | eBay
I already had the DE... bought it on amazon along with the advantage II and worm pills.
sorta_fairytale, my mother had a cat once that got tape on her paw at Christmas. The cat absolutely flipped out. Thought she was going to hurt herself or have a heart attack before I could get her down and get the tape off.
Liz... you can put DE on cats. It's totally safe. People even eat or make a tea using it. I've read that farmers give it to animals for internal parasites too. Not sure about the effectiveness. I did use it on Howie when he had some sort of odd parasites on his back. It worked very well.

[Nammu]

George, Perna thanks for the good info. I prefer the natural stuff and like your links.

I love lavender and use natural cleaning oils with lavender plus add baking soda for extra scrub power for some things. Maybe thats why Sir and I have avoided the fleas so far. They are very bad this year according to the news, I've been watching my guy w/ an eagle eye.

Okay... first impressions. Fleas aren't all that averse to lavender or eucalyptus
Neither cat comes into my room much these days so the fleas could just be very very desperate for a meal
They seem to dislike the eucalyptus moreso than the lavender.
I do seem to be winning the war though. War of attrition?
I need to vacuum and put down fresh DE and more eucalyptus.

But I seem to be winning It's too soon to declare victory but I haven't had a flea on me today.

[kirby777]

Originally Posted by George H.

Grrrrr fleas. My cats are strictly indoor creatures so... by process of elimination... I brought them in
I have diatomaceous (damn thats hard to spell) earth. Worked great last year or was it the year before. It's totally safe but it's slow. I got some lavender essential oil and eucalyptus leaves. I read that fleas hate those two things. So do I but I hate fleas worse. I got some Advantage II for the cats. Wish they made it for humans too
Now I'll have to try to trick the cats into swallowing worm pills too. Damn fleas...

I have read Neem oil works for fleas & ticks. Am planning on trying it for my dog. It is natural, so I know they sell it for human use.

[Otter63]

I haven't seen any fleas on my dogs, but I did get my ankle chewed up pretty good a few days ago. I bought the flea stuff that Walmart advertises as being the same as Frontline.

I like the idea of dipping the brush in water with lavender oil. I bathe my dogs often, but the one with long fur tends to smell again within a week, so I'm thinking kill two birds with one stone

[lizardlady]

Otter, I tried the stuff Wal-Mart sells and says is the same as Frontline. I was totally ineffective and a waste of money.

I'm having mixed results with the new kind of flea collar. I think the brand is Sertera, maybe Sertero. I can't remember. I put one on Callie. I found one flea on her since I put the collar on and it was dying when I found it. I also bought a "large" dog one for Ivan, my Rottie. The company defines "large dog" as over 18 pounds. Ivan weighs in around 100 pounds. He doesn't have any fleas on his head or the front half of his body. His lower legs and but are another matter. It seems like all the feleas on him have moved to those areas. I'm guessing that the active ingredient doesn't spread that far. I'd say the collars are effective for smaller animals, but not the big boys.

Ummm... killed 3 fleas as I sat here typing this
Okay I think it was all a mistake about fleas and eucalyptus/lavender. It isn't fleas that hate it... it's cats I'm going to keep vacuuming and using the DE and maybe the eucalyptus.
Liz I bet this is your collar: Seresto
You think Ivan would go for a tail collar?

[Perna]

I hated when they got in my bed last year, from my own little naked legs getting in to go to sleep. Lots of fun; I have dark gray sheets so those buggers could be hard to find. I'm not getting them again, have applied the Advantage faithfully mid-month from then to now. They are not coming back! If they do, it will be, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and the cats will be gone. I can barely take care of them now, add one more grain of sand and my castle will fall over.

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by George H.

Ummm... killed 3 fleas as I sat here typing this
Okay I think it was all a mistake about fleas and eucalyptus/lavender. It isn't fleas that hate it... it's cats I'm going to keep vacuuming and using the DE and maybe the eucalyptus.
Liz I bet this is your collar: Seresto
You think Ivan would go for a tail collar?

Yep, that's the collar George! I was joking around earlier today and said I should get two and hook them together around Ivan's middle. I noticed one of the reviews on the Amazon site said it took awhile for the collar to be effective on the writer's dogs. Ivan's only been wearing his for a week. Maybe I need to give it more time.

Not so sure a "tail collar" would stay on Ivan. His tail is docked. Before anyone start yelling at me for docking his tail. It was done for mediacl reasons after a horse stepped on his tail and almost severed it when he was a puppy. I told the vet to save as much of the tail as he could. I am VERY opposed to docking for cosmetic reasons.

I can happily say that I have won and the fleas are gone

[MuseumGhost]

Congrats, George. It can be done, but it takes tenacity and consistency.

Don't forget to do follow up on the places you critter sleeps. 2-3 weeks is the length of the larval cycle. GOTTA do it or you'll have them again.