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As you know I am a very proud cat and dog mommy. I love my furbabies and would do anything for them. A year ago we adopted Mina. In the past year, she has gone from a scared and basically feral kitten to the most loving cat in the house. Unfortunately when we got Mina, she brought a few friends along with her: fleas.
My plan was to keep Mina separate from the other animals until she could be seen by a vet, but that plan fell by the wayside, and unfortunately Mina shared her flea friends with her new cat and dog siblings. As a result, we have worked very hard to get rid of the fleas on the animals and the house. It is a very difficult process, because even as you kill fleas on your animals, you also have to work to kill them in the house, so that new fleas don’t just jump back on your pet after you’ve killed others.
Today we are going to talk about the first part of this equation: killing fleas on your cats and dogs. I’ve used several methods and products, and today I will tell you what we’ve tried, what works best, and what specific products we like.
Flea Pills – Capstar Flea Pills are a very effective tool at kill existing fleas, and the pill can start working within 30 minutes. We have used these and have literally been able to see the fleas dying. They also use this particular flea pill at our veterinarians office, so that makes me feel good about using it on my furbabies. We also buy Greenies Pill Pockets. These are treats that the pills go in. Your pet will never know they are taking medicine. For our own convenience, we use the cat pill pockets for our cats and our dog, but the company does make these for dogs too.
Topical Treatment – It is recommended that you use a topical flea medicine once a month. And even if you are using a flea pill, it is a good idea to follow it up with a topical medicine, because these kill flea eggs, while many flea pills do not. We like Frontline for Cats and for our small dog. I also recommend Pet Armour for cats and dogs. It is comparative to Frontline and has the same ingredients, but is less expensive.
Dish Detergent – If you want to get rid of fleas in a hurry, and you are on a budget, Dawn Dish Soap is the answer! We bathe our dog in Dawn, and it kills the fleas instantly! If you have a cat that you can’t bathe in the tub, then you mix a little Dawn with some water. Then dip a comb in the soapy water and comb it through your cat. Then comb through with some plain water or use a wet cloth to rinse them.
Flea Sprays – They also have sprays that kill fleas. I’ve used these on our cats in lieu of a bath. You do need to be careful about using the sprays, along with a topicals, shampoos or other remedies. If you use too many products at the same time, it can irritate your pet’s skin. You should also read the labels and reviews before buying. I almost bought a “natural flea spray” because I love essential oils and any product that is organic, but then I found out the product had peppermint oil, which can actually make your animals sick. For my cats, I’ve used Advantage. The smell of it isn’t great, but it works very well at killing fleas.
Shampoos and Dips – After trying Dawn, I totally swear by that, but we also found that a Flea Dip worked rather well on our dog. Again, if you use this product on your pet, you should wait a few days before trying another remedy. For general bathing, we like to use a flea and tick shampoo. After all, if you are bathing your dog anyway, you may as well attempt to kill fleas. We have Sentry Hawaiian Ginger Shampoo This product is very affordable and it smells great! We’ve also used Adams Flea & Tick Shampoo. It is for dogs and cats, and it has a clean orange scent. You do need to let it set for about 10 minutes for it to be most effective, but it is a good product for bath time!
If you have a method or product for killing fleas that you would like to recommend, I welcome your comments on this post also welcome your emails!
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