Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Fleas on Your Cat

Finding fleas on your cat is one of the more daunting parts of cat ownership. Fleas are vile creatures and depend on your cat to serve as a host for food. They wreak havoc on you and your feline with bites that cause intense itching. Fleas can cause tapeworms when ingested and can infest your home. The worst part may be that fleas multiply at astounding speeds. One female flea can produce up to 20,000 eggs in a three-month span. Desperate cat owners will reach for the nearest repellent, but many flea treatments are toxic and may produce side effects in your cat. If you have children in the home, you may be looking for a natural home remedy for getting rid of fleas. Luckily, there are several natural home remedies to extinguish fleas from your home and your cat once and for all.

  1. Herbal Bath

    • Fleas drown in water. If your cat would comply with bathing, a bath with a lot of soapy water will kill the fleas on your pet̵7;s body. Herbal shampoos such as eucalyptus and citronella naturally deter fleas.

    Dish Washing Liquid

    • It may be the sweet-smelling scents from dish soap that make it a natural attraction for fleas. By leaving bowls of water filled with dish soap on your floor at night, you will attract many fleas that will dive right in and drown. Pick the water bowls up in the morning and discard them. Put out new soapy water every night for a few weeks until you do not see any fleas in the bowls anymore each morning.

    Apple Cider Vinegar

    • Fleas do not like the sour taste of vinegar and will stay away from the smell. Apply vinegar to your floors and carpets. Add a few drops to your cat̵7;s food, which will cause your cat to produce a sour taste that will repel fleas.

    Cinnamon Oil and Spray

    • Repellents with an organic cinnamon base also work in chasing away fleas. There are many available at your local pet stores, such as Sentry Natural Defense Natural Flea & Tick Spray for Cats & Kittens. These sprays can be used on all home surfaces, and since they are nontoxic, they can also be sprayed directly on your cat.

    Vacuum

    • You can get rid of fleas from your cat, but as long as the eggs are in your furniture, carpets and upholstery, your cat will be infested time and time again. Vacuuming has been known to kill up to 97 percent of fleas from your home. Vacuum frequently, and clean out your vacuum bag each time you vacuum so the fleas do not create a breeding ground inside the bag.