On Facebook, and lotsa other places I look at, someone's always asking, 'My cat/dog/wildebeest has fleas. What can I do that's not poisonous, is affordable, and WORKS?'
We here at FullServiceBohemian have the answer.
First, my history with flea remediation.
For the most part I was fortunate not to have much flea issues with my cats, but once or twice I did see the little buggers, and got Frontline, Capstar, or one of the other big anti-flea names, all with limited success. Because either you have to put it on the back of kitty's neck, on the skin -- for which kitty has to hold still (good luck with that), or you have to pry apart his/her steel jaws to get the pill in. Another near impossibility. Unless you have pill pockets - google 'em.
Then there was the cost. Capstar is pretty affordable, but the prices of Frontline, et. al. can be fairly steep, if you're going the three month route.
'Ghost of a Flea' - William Blake
The first summer in our new home downashore, for some reason I will NEVER figure out - since by then my cats were 100% indoors, there was an EPIC flea infestation.
EPIC.
I decided to go another route, and this was the route that WORKED.
Here's what you need:
a flea comb
a bottle of Dawn
a bowl - best to use a ceramic or metal or glass bowl.
Doesn't need to be this fancy. Just any kind of bowl in your house that's not plastic.
and, lastly, water.
That's it. A flea comb, some Dawn, a bowl, and some water.
All of the above is obviously bo affordable. What you will be spending is time.
Here's that you do:
1. Fill the bowl with water, and add the Dawn. Swirl it around a little so the Dawn gets everywhere in the bowl.
2. Dip the comb in the bowl, then comb your pet. Or kitty. (In my case, a kitty.) The viscosity in the Dawn will help keep the fleas on the comb. Then dip the comb again into the water. The fleas will fall off the comb, and sink to their watery demise. Give extra focus to your pet's head. Fleas like to party in that area.
You will need to comb your pet multiple times - always dipping the comb in the water/Dawn mixture beforehand. In a really bad infestation, like the one I had, you'll need to do this for multiple days, and for multiple times a day, if you can. At the very least, you should do every day for for a week.
So that's the basic treatment, but there is more. Also very easy:
3. Vacuum vacuum vacuum. Every day until your home is flea free, and on all the surfaces your pets get on, so it's kinda important to be able to vacuum on upholstered furniture, beds, and like that. (Dog beds and cat beds and whatever other animal beds should either be washed in hot water, or trashed) When you empty the the vacuum cleaner and/or take the vacuum bag out, make sure to put it in a trash bag -- or two - and tie it TIGHTLY.
4. This is genius: Get a lamp - a smaller one works better - (and note that there commercial ones available just for flea destruction, but I used a short-ish office lamp) -- and overnight have it on the floor next to the bowl, which will contain the water/Dawn combination.
The light will attract the fleas, and fleas with lower IQs will end up jumping in the water, thereby permanently leaving the gene pool, so to speak. Make sure this lamp is the only light in the room, and that otherwise the room is dark. You want to lure the fleas to THAT light, the one next to the bowl. Many was the morning I woke to see another 20 or so dead fleas in the bowl.
Thank God - and I mean it - thank God, I have not seen a flea in my abode since.
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I did this, and you might want to consider it, although it can be somewhat expensive.
When Coco or Señor Fluffypants gets tapeworms, it's from fleas.
While I did not know for sure that my cats had tapeworms, they sure did have fleas, so I invested in getting anti-tapeworm meds for them. Each one got one treatment.
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FAQ
Q. What if my pet gets poisoned from the Dawn?
A. It won't. Not possible.
Q. What if my pet doesn't like being combed?
A. You could try to dip a grooming glove - google 'em - in the bowl. You'll obviously need a bigger bowl, and yes, the grooming glove should already be on your hand when you do this. I've never met a animal who didn't enjoy the grooming glove.
Q. How will I know when the fleas are gone?
A. When you do the combing and/or grooming glove-ing, and over an extended session, combing/grooming gloving all over the animal that no fleas appear on either the comb or the glove. Nevertheless, you should continue to to comb/glove using the water/Dawn mixture over the next few days to make certain.
That's it. That's all. Best of luck.
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