Right now, there has been a serious out break of flea and ticks in southern california counties. I can not go outside with mimmi and my dogs without them being covered in fleas! Mimz and the dogs are on Advantage plus; to me I doesn´t seem to be working. Does anyone know any natural flea and tick repellents for cats? Also last summer I used frontline and i´m getting the same results as the Advantage. I also wash mimmi and the dog´s bed once a week and I have to vaccum everyday. Help!

Milly and Mimmi

sorry I don´t know any naturals stuff I know that here I use frontline and for me ( I mean my cats) it seems to work....I´m not sure if there is a natural VERY effective way to get rid of fleas...I suggest you don´t go outside just kidding....anyway before (when my cats were very young) I used only those collars...and they didn´t work at all (plus my cats lost hair around their necks...) so when they were old enough I used frontline and it works great so that´s all I know...I know I didn´t help but just wanted to say this

Try simple advantage, not the plus. I have found the plus not to work at all. That will take care of the fleas.

There is also a great Frontline spray, I used it when Skitz was a baby and had lice. It kills all fleas, and ticks too. Great stuff. You brush the fur up and spray down deep onto the skin.

There is also a number of oral treatments you could try. Personally I don´t like them, but in a flea infestation we have to try anything.

The other thing you could try is baths. That way you will kill the fleas and thru the washing will feel any ticks they have picked up. Have some methylated spirits on hand to kill the tick, or there is a tick spray for that too. And a tick prong thing, if you don´t feel confident with just tweasers. Just make sure you kill it first and get the head out.

As to natural remedies, there really aren´t any. Fleas only have one natural enemy and that is water. They drown. But I can´t see the cat sitting in a bucket of water for a good 30 minutes while they all drown.

Good Luck, if I come across anything other ideas I´ll pass them on.

You can take a look at this link... http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/fleas.html

I have also heard dawn dish soap works very good for adult fleas... I´ve never used it but that´s what I have heard.

If you spray a little lemon juice on them the fleas don;t like it. But other than that we have had the same probeblms as you and we live alot farter away ={

My rescue cat Sholin came with fleas from the shelter and they had time to multiply before I figured out what was going on. What worked for me was a combination of the conventional and alternative. So Sho had one of those (Frontline?) capsules (which you empty out just between their shoulderblades so they can´t lick it) but I also found a natural treatment involving pouring boiling water on slices of organic lemon, leaving it to stew and cool for 24 hrs and then using that liquid on his coat. He wasn´t too appreciative as you can imagine. There are also flea traps that are non-toxic and which are supposed to work well but at that time every website I tried had sold out, here´s a UK website but they must have it stateside as well: (http://www.lamp-post.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CH20139) Apart from that, keep vacuuming vigorously, especially carpets (apparently, they can resist by clinging to the carpet fibers) and in nooks and crannies where the larvae are. Also, there is a good natural flea powder - a mix of borax and diatomaceous earth which you sprinkle in the areas where there are fleas - BUT it has to be the NATURAL non-treated kind of diatomaceous earth, and also, the powder when inhaled can be dangerous for pets, so rooms which are being treated must be shut off to them. I also gave Sho a bit of organic apple cider vinegar (like a teaspoon in his drinking water and a couple of drops with his food for about 3 weeks) and there are websites which say you can put a bit direct on their fur to discourage fleas. I also put dried rosemary under the cushion in his basket, as apparently that discourages them too. Anyway, I don´t know which of those worked, maybe it was just the capsule! But whatever it was, got rid of them.

Thank you all for the great advice! I´ll keep everyone updated!

Milly and Mimmi

hey they have a new product out called promeris, i just got it hope it works will let you no. You can also get a spray and spray your yard., can get at Home depo or lowes.

hi there, i have just tried out Frontline on my kitty - although i placed the drops between her shoulder blades as advised, she still could reach it and lick some of it
what do think, shall i worry about this? anyone having the same experience? i feel soooo guilty about letting the cat have poison on her fur

I gave my cats a flea treatment (the capsules you empty out just between their shoulderblades) 6 days ago but it doesn´t seem to get any better. They are still scratching just the same. How long does this thing take to work? Could it be that their collars are itching them? Can anyone enlighten us here?

I had great success with Frontline and it seemed to start working in a day but getting it on the cats properly was a real problem. First I´d hold the cat on my lap and part the fur just between the shoulder blades, then squeeze the medication onto the skin. By the time the capsule was empty, the cat was usually thoroughly annoyed would would wriggle free. Once it was recaptured, I´d rub the spot for a minute until the medication was no longer clinging to the fur. These wrestling matches didn´t make me popular with them and they never seemed to realize that it was this undignified treatment that had made the evil fleas disappear.

I also use Frontline spoton. It works perfectly well on my cats.
Inoel, Mischa and Nikki

Frontline spoton has burned a hole in Vitia´s fur and skin. She had a wound that took a long time to heal. I am not posting this to scare - just to make you aware that if your cat suffers from allergies, this can happen.

I gave my cats a flea treatment (the capsules you empty out just between their shoulderblades) 6 days ago but it doesn´t seem to get any better. They are still scratching just the same. How long does this thing take to work? Could it be that their collars are itching them? Can anyone enlighten us here?
you will still get live fleas on them if they are in the environment around you. Carpets, curtains etc have to be treated and vaccuumed daily as the fleas lay eggs in the carpets and so on. prevention is better than cure. I treat mine all year round whether I see any or not and I don´t have any problems.

As for licking it off Zaramama, if they are able to, place it a little higher towards the neck.

Frontline spoton has burned a hole in Vitia´s fur and skin. She had a wound that took a long time to heal. I am not posting this to scare - just to make you aware that if your cat suffers from allergies, this can happen.
My cat Lily (long gone) had incredibly sensitive skin, I couldn´t use anything like that on her. She also couldn´t have anything orally. It would make her terribly ill. As did the spot ons. I had to resort to baths to keep fleas under control for her. It did the trick. Was just very time consuming.

I heard that eucaliptus oil helps, my friend puts it onto the collar by a brush every 2 weeks (for a big dog). Some people belive in vitamins B complex. Sorry, I do not know more details.
I use for my dog Frontline - spray. I am satisfied.
Lots of people complain about the capsule which you put between the shloulder so I think the spray is better

you will still get live fleas on them if they are in the environment around you. Carpets, curtains etc have to be treated and vaccuumed daily as the fleas lay eggs in the carpets and so on. prevention is better than cure.
I just don´t get it. The environment is flea clean as we have just redecorated, which means new floor, no carpets since it´s summer and no curtains (we have blinds). The furniture is brand new as well and I do vaccuum every two days. They can´t have fleas already! And they both are indoor cats.

What I wanted to know was how long it takes for the flea treatment to work and if you think it´s their collars that are itching them. They didn´t scratch so much before they had collars on!

if its frontline your cat should be proctected within 24 hours but check on the product packet. what sort of collars are they? you could take them off to see if there is any flea dirt under them. don´t use flea collars with frontline as it will be a bit much. Leave the collars off for a while and see if that makes a difference. Sorry I can´t be more helpful

what sort of collars are they? you could take them off to see if there is any flea dirt under them... Leave the collars off for a while and see if that makes a difference
They are accessories, not flea collars. These too are brand new, so they can´t have fleas. They are made of leather. I´ll try taking them off and see how the cats go with the itching. Thanks, it sounds very logical.

Edit: The treatment the vet gave them is called "Stronghold".