Help me get rid of fleas please

[sowdie]

Lola has fleas. She's not infested, but she has a few bumps, and we've picked fleas off of her as well as combed out flea eggs from her coat. I really don't want to use Frontline or any of those pesticides. Does anyone have a home remedy to rid her (and the cat) of these fleas? I've tried a "natural" frontline type medicine, I've given her a bath in flea shampoo, I brush her all the time with a flea comb, we vacuum, wash blankets, spray furniture and carpet....we've seen improvement, but there're still some fleas. So I turn to you EBN, because you've never failed me.
I've heard of diluting tea tree oil and spraying her with it, i've heard of soaking lemons in water overnight and spraying her with that, I've heard that neem oil works great....
Can anyone vouch for any of these things, or anything at all besides a pesticide?

As always, I appreciate the help.

 

[Davidh]

I would have your yard sprayed for fleas to start with. We don't do anything for fleas because we give them Sentinel for Heart Worms and it also works for fleas by making them sterile so the eggs will not hatch and we have never had a flea problem. (knock on wood haha). Hopefully someone else can give advise on some home remedies.

 

[Vickiebarrios]

I know rosemary, eucalyptus, and olive oil combined worked in CA. In Las Vegas we don't have fleas. I'd there are we have never seen any in almost 12 years. Crush in olivé oil and apply to the shoulder blades. It won't hurt her and it doesn't smell horrible.

 

[2BullyMama]

Sorry - wish I could help. We feed raw which has garlic in it (keeps the pests away) and also give Sentinel for heartworms which also works on killing fleas. My sister had a real issue with them and had to get the exterminator in to get the house cleared ;-(

 

[LariP]

I used to feed my Sheltie Brewers Yeast about 35 years ago and it seemed to work. (I think....that's a long time to remember) That was back when they didn't have the monthly applications. I think I also used a flea collar too. I am VERY allergic to insect bites. So since we can we use the monthly chemical stuff now from the vet.

 

[Donna LeBlanc]

If you have fleas in your home Zodiac Foggers are AWESOME! We fog our home a couple of times a year. You have to fog once to kill the fleas, wait 2 weeks and fog again to kill any hatching eggs. I swear by Zodiac! We also spread Triazicide on our yard (paying special attention to the perimeter of your yard especially if you have neighbors with dogs) in the spring and again in the fall. We can usually go up until about July without seeing any fleas...if we do see fleas on the dogs from the yard in late summer, we use either Frontline or Advantage for a couple of months and they disappear. Good luck getting rid of these pests...they are a real pain!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

@sowdie - try this: flea traps. I'm not kidding. It's an additional tool in your flea arsenal - that doesn't require chemicals - and it works! It really does. I tried it because I was desperate and being overrun with the things, thanks to my mom's cat. I did this in conjunction with a good flea bath (dogs) and then installing BioSpot flea treatment on ALL the animals. But we had a serious infestation here. We don't now!

Low, wide plastic bowl, filled half way with water and ONE drop of liquid dish soap (to break the surface tension on the water). Before bedtime, put the water/soap bowl down on the floor in the infested area, near a small table lamp. Those plug in candles that people put out at Xmas time? Works great. The brighter (warmer) and more low to the floor the lamp is - the better it works. In the morning, dump out the fleas who have committed suicide in your flea pond.

If you want to check to see if you have a flea problem - this is a good way to find out.

I laughed too. But it works and there's nothing toxic to spray around. I have a parrot. I can't spray anything here.

Good luck!

Oh! One more thing. I got some "Diatomaceous earth" - but haven't tried it yet so I can't speak to it's powers. Many people swear by it. http://www.earthworkshealth.com/