9 Easy Ways to Prevent Fleas on Cats Naturally

How to prevent fleas on cats naturally

Fleas can be a devastating experience to both cats and pet owners. They tend to infest your cat’s fur and multiply! They also hide in mattresses, clothes, and other furniture. It’s essential to find effective ways to prevent the spread of fleas, especially to your beloved cats.

These parasites bring with them different kinds of diseases. Kittens and fleas are not a very excellent combination. Kittens are particularly susceptible to harsher conditions as they’re not equipped to deal with prolonged discomfort. Fleas target your pet cat’s blood and can cause severe anemia, weakening your pet and making them lethargic.

Knowing the different ways to prevent fleas from getting to your cats is essential. Of course, we must ensure that our adopted methods are sustainable, doable, cheap, and eco-friendly. Here are the top 9 ways to prevent fleas on cats naturally:

1. Go groom and brush

Perhaps the most obvious way to prevent fleas from getting to your cat is if you stick to a daily grooming regimen and brushing. Use a special flea comb when removing live and dead fleas from your cat. You must focus on particular flea-prone areas such as the neck, the back of their legs, the groin, and the base of the tail. 

Check your cat’s ear and eyes; fleas can cause significant irritation if these areas are infiltrated. Make sure that the place where you groom and brush your cat is free from fleas. Use white cloths under your cat when brushing them so you can see if fleas or flea dirt are captured in the white sheet.

Opt-in for natural products such as aromatherapy spray, organic soaps, rosemary dip, lemon bath, multi-purpose neem oil, and coconut rub oil.

2. Go shampoo and bathe

It’s recommended to bathe your cat at least once every four to six weeks based on experts’ recommendations. While cats can groom themselves adequately, they usually rely on their pet owners for bathing and deep cleaning. 

Special anti-flea shampoos are not available to help alleviate itchy skin. However, you have to be cautious as it could sometimes cause dry skin. Research the best shampoos with natural products that can achieve the same results without any side effects on your cat’s skin.

Of course, you can hire professional groomers for your cat. Consider spending your cat’s professional grooming as an investment towards your pet’s health.

3. Go vacuum thoroughly

Daily vacuuming is a sure way to keep fleas away from your carpet and furniture. The idea is to root out fleas in all life cycle stages, from eggs, larvae, pupa, and adults. Vacuuming doesn’t discriminate and makes it difficult for fleas to keep in one place to breed and multiply.

Aside from daily vacuuming, consider disinfecting surfaces and furniture regularly. Keeping an antiseptic living space makes it difficult for parasites to flourish and thrive. 

In extreme cases of infestation, it would be best to invest in hiring a professional to eliminate and get rid of your fleas at home. It can be a considerable hazard not just for your cat but also for you and your family. 

Maintaining a clean home is the best way to live your life for you and your cat. While it’s not a complete guarantee, it’s a monumental and solid step in preventing fleas away from your cat and your family.

4. Go treat the garden

Plant lavender and marigold and use cedar chips for decoration. These are proven ways to repel and discourage fleas from going near you and your cat. If you have a garden and backyard where your cat loves to spend time, you must treat it against fleas to minimize the risk of your cat getting infested. Research for more flea-repellant plants that can be used and add them to your collection in the garden. 

These plants are also the basis for the idea of homemade flea collars. Dilute a few drops of lavender oil or cedar oil to your cat’s collar or bandana, and it could work as a great repellant to fleas anywhere they go! Since cats’ sense of smell is far superior to humans, it’s advisable to observe if your cat is okay with using anti-flea repellant oils. If you notice your cat’s sensitivity to the smell, it’s best to forgo this for your cat’s comfort.

You can also consider using boric acid or diatomaceous earth to treat larger areas against fleas. These have been proven effective in avoiding fleas without negatively affecting you or your cat.

5. To keep your cat indoors

Cats are natural hunters and so are used to adventures outside the home. However, if you wish to keep your cat safe from fleas, it’s best to limit their time outdoors. Cats can actually survive and thrive staying indoors. Keeping your cat inside the house gives them little to no access to flea-infested areas outside your home.

While keeping your cat inside can dramatically prevent it from getting fleas, it’s not a guaranteed method. Fleas may find various ways to infiltrate your home: visitors, items in your house, or other pets who have time outside.

But overall, keeping your cat indoors is one of the most effective ways of lowering the chances of fleas getting to your cat. If you intend to go this route, make sure that your cat continues to have enough daily exercise. You can keep them active by playing with them or letting them climb a makeshift tower from time to time.

6. To limit access to other animals

If you own multiple pets, one of the prudent ways to keep fleas away from your cat is to distance them from pets that have access outdoors, at least before you check that pet if they have fleas. Fleas can jump tremendous heights, considering their size. They can jump from one animal to another and are notoriously small that they’re almost invisible to the human eye.

When bringing your cat to the vet, keep it away from other pets. Minimize your cat’s contact with other furry pets to make sure that your cat has minimal exposure to potential flea carriers.

7. To be checked for fleas regularly

While fleas are almost unseen for the most part, they’re not impossible to detect. Pet groomers and vets will likely find them faster due to their experience handling pets. This means that finding fleas is something you can develop as a skill.

Fleas are generally pinhead-sized red, brown, or black insects. When you run your fingers to your cat’s fur, try to notice if there are tiny bumps that feel like little mini-beads. These are most probably fleas and ticks latching to your pet.

Make it a habit to regularly run your fingers on your cat’s back and underbelly. In other cases, defer to other pet owners, groomers, and veterinarians. If you become adept at detecting fleas in your cat, you’ll be able to stop fleas from breeding and spreading in your pet and to your home. 

8. To identify breeding grounds near you

Fleas love warm and humid places. This is one of the reasons why they enjoy feeding off cats and dogs their body warmth and a seemingly endless supply of food. Fleas can survive all year long when they’ve successfully latched to a cat or a dog. More than that, they’re enabled to reproduce and multiply, giving birth to generations of new fleas to infest your pet.

To stop this, you must actively root out warm and humid spaces in your home while checking on your cat to see if fleas have successfully latched to them.

Take out old furniture that can be a breeding ground for fleas. Wash your cat’s bedding regularly, and always use clean sheets. Be extra vigilant during humid months in spring and summer when the heat is at all-time highs. These are the best times for fleas to multiply and breed.

9. To talk to the professional

To discuss strategic plans to prevent fleas from successfully taking on your cat, it’s always wise to consult with your veterinarian. They know all about flea control products that are right for your pet. Vets would typically consider your cat’s personal information, weight, breed, and other unique characteristics before prescribing the right course of action to control fleas.

The objective of your discussion should center around finding ways to treat fleas all year round. The treatment must kill adult fleas and prevent their eggs from hatching. 

Once your vet has provided you with instructions, following them to the tee is essential. Any slight variance to the intended dosage can produce unexpected consequences when dealing with medication, ointment, chemicals, shampoo, and other products.

Conclusion

Fleas are definitely something to worry about, especially when it comes to caring for your cat. However, it’s not impossible to manage them as long as you have the right attitude and the eagerness to invest in your cat’s health and comfort. As pet owners, we are responsible for providing a wonderful life for our cats. Aside from providing them with food, shelter, and companionship, we must also ensure their health, comfort, and security.