Teach Soap

Hi there, hopefully some one can come up with some suggestions on how my daughter can treat her cat for flea's. A beautiful, very fluffy cat has adopted my daughter Laura and although she is very friendly she will not tolerate being caged or taken in the car. So she can't be easily taken to the vets etc. Laura has applied flea treatment but to no avail. We think that perhaps as she is so badly infested we may need to give her a bath initially and then apply a treatment. I have some Neem oil in a soap with lemon EO would it be safe to use this to shampoo her. Thanks

I wouldn't treat the cat with anything other than a vet approved flea med. If she doesn't want to use that, the only alternative is to get a flea comb and comb through the cat's fur at least 2x a day. You can put the fleas into a cup of rubbing alcohol to kill them. If your daughter has carpets in her house, she can sprinkle plain Borax on them, leave them for a couple of hours and then vaccuum well. This will kill the fleas. Unless she's going to use a prescription for the cat, it will take a couple of months to get rid of all the fleas because they will keep hatching out. Good Luck!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Linda is right, the topical treatments only kill adult fleas. When the eggs hatch you have to re-kill the adults etc. Phone your vet and ask how often to treat the cat for heavy infestation. When my girl was little she had to get a treatment every 14 days for about 4 months. You could also see if there is a local travelling vet! My fiance used to use one in Florida, they'd come to your home in a mobile clinic!

I worked in a vet's office for a few years and my personal suggestion is a good old fashioned flea bath, repeat in 14 days then again 14 days after that. After this wait for around a week then apply a topical. The most important part is to contact a vet though. A heavily infested cat runs risks of blood issues like anemia.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Also, if there are stuffed toys, pillows or anything fabric that the cat has sat on it will need to be bagged up in as air-tight of a bag or container that she can find, the eggs will be on these and will hatch and keep the cat infested......i remember going through this with my kitty, it was awful.

good luck
erin

You can put teddy bears and cushions in garbage bags and stuff them in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill the eggs! The bags stop the old eggs etc from falling off into your freezer

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

For tough flea problems you will probably need Frontline Plus for cats. Make sure you get the one for cats, it is especially formulated to be nontoxic to cats.

Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions and advice. I have printed them all out and given them to Laura so will let you know how we get on.

I work in animals rescue for SPCA and HALO and we give them baths in dawn, the blue dawn with nothing else in it. Make a ring around her neck with the dawn (do not get in her eyes) and it will kill the fleas on her. As for topicals we like revolution for cats it works very well. It is always wise to contact vets and never never use EO oils on cats.

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

Yes never use EO on cats!

Plus, a kitty that is so heavily infested with fleas might also have other problems, like worms, and really should see a vet. If kitty wont tolerate being put in a box, wrap that cat in a towel, and shove it in the box anyway. Its best if kitty sees a vet, especially if its a stray that has adopted your daughter. It needs a check up and a full health screen so that kitty can be comfy and safe in its new home.

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I had one that pooped in the carrier EVERY time. Hating having to take him anywhere!

_________________
~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist