Homemade Herbal Flea Collar

It used to be that we just had to worry about the nuisance of fleas and ticks. Today, unfortunately, ticks come along with lime disease and rocky mountain fever, and fleas come with a whole host of diseases. Here in California, we have had a recent outbreak of flea related diseases. One of them affects not only animals, but humans as well, including plague, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague and flea-borne typhus.

About Fleas

A flea is a small jumping parasitic insect that lives by consuming an animal’s or human host’s blood. When the flea bites its host, it can transmit the disease.

Fleas are similar to cockroaches in that they outlive most other insects. They have a four stage life-cycle which is why it is difficult to kill them off. Additionally, the fact that fleas don't spend most of their time on the pet makes the problem of locating them and wiping them out even harder.

One interesting fact is that a flea egg can hatch in two weeks or lay dormant for up to eight months. Female fleas lay about 20 eggs per day, and up to 600 in a lifetime. Dogs and cats aren’t the only carrier of fleas; again, this is what makes it so difficult. Squirrels, rabbits, mice, horse, chickens, raccoons, possums, foxes, and of course us, are all wonderful living places for the flea. Eggs can be laid in the fur of animals, in carpeting, bedding, and even the family couch. The egg typically hatches from two days to two weeks. First it is a larva, which is blind at first. This can take about a week. Their food source is digested blood from adult flea’s feces, dead skin, hair, feather, and organic debris. Fleas mature within a cocoon type sac; this is built by using pet hair and carpet fibers. In anywhere from five days to two weeks, an adult flea can emerge. Now the hunt goes on for a host. After finding its first meal, the life cycle begins. This is why it is so hard to eradicate the flea – it has four stages of life, and at every stage it can lay dormant for several months. So when trying to eliminate fleas, it’s not just about the animal, it’s about your living environment, your mode of transportation, and your outdoor facilities. These are areas you’ll have to pay close attention to in order to really keep the flea and tick situation under control.

Eliminating Fleas

When getting rid of fleas, it’s very important to keep the cat’s sleeping area clean at all times.

To help with fleas in your home, try sprinkling borax powder into your carpet and on your furniture. Believe it or not, another great little tip is plain old salt. Sprinkle salt in your carpet and couch to help dehydrate them and eliminate them.

Please be aware that if you have severe flea and tick infestation, the best method is to either flea bomb your entire property, inside and out, or contact a professional exterminator. Bombing your house yourself can be very toxic, so keep in mind that you will have to have everything cleaned before you and your pet can enter again safely.

Homemade Herbal Flea Collar

If you don’t have severe flea infestation, and you’d like to try some natural remedies, you can make your own homemade herbal flea collar and wipes. Here is the list of ingredients you will need from an all-natural supermarket:

• 1 bottle of citronella oil
• 1 bottle of tea tree oil
• 1 bottle of rosemary oil

Use a length of cotton rope from any sewing store for the collar. I prefer the flat rope. You can also purchase plastic clips that you can weave at the ends and clip together like a collar.

In a glass bowl, blend one tablespoon of citronella and tea tree oil, and a half a tablespoon of Rosemary Oil. Then soak your cotton rope for 20 minutes. Take the collar out and let it air dry for about five hours. Once dry, you can put the homemade herbal flea collar on your cat. With the leftover oil, I like to store it in a glass jar to use after I give my pet a natural flea bath. Take a small amount of this oil, rub it into a towel, and then rub it lightly on the animal’s fur. With this homemade herbal flea wipe, your kitty will smell wonderful, yet keep fleas, mosquitoes and ticks away also.

Homemade Herbal Flea Spray

Another type of flea spray I like to make uses a 16 ounce spray bottle with two tablespoons of cider vinegar, one cup of Avon’s Skin so Soft, one cup of water, one quarter teaspoon of citronella oil and one quarter teaspoon of tea tree oil. Bathe your cat and then spray this into the coat for a homemade herbal flea spray.

Cedar Green Mist

It’s not fair for me to use this tip as a place to promote my line or products, but at the same time I would like to let you know that I do sell a ready-made product called Cedar Green Mist®. In all fairness, there are several ready-made products on the market that you can buy for an all natural way to help eliminate fleas. Watch for some other all natural pet tips in the form of food treats that help to bitter the blood so fleas won’t like what they taste next time they come on kitty to have a snack.

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