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Natural, Low Cost Flea Treatments

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Low Cost Flea Treatments

When I was young and we had cats that were indoor/outdoor, we got fleas frequently.  My mom’s solution was to bomb the house and put flea collars on the pets.  I hated when we bombed the house because we’d have to seal up all of the food to make sure the chemical didn’t get in it.  Afterward, we’d have to do a thorough cleaning to remove all of the chemical.  The whole process didn’t feel safe to me, and I wished we had used natural, low cost flea treatments instead.

When I moved out, I decided that my cat would only be an indoor cat, and I’ve lived happily for 20+ years with nary a flea.  However, a family friend who was terminally ill recently  asked us to take in her cat.  I specifically asked if the cat had fleas because when I was petting her, I could feel scabs all over her back.  I was assured that she did not.

BUT SHE DID!

About two months after we adopted the cat, we saw a flea run across her belly where her shaggy, thick fur was thinner and white.  I was horrified!

After all my diligence, the adopted cat, our cat we already had, and our house had fleas!

I’m pretty “crunchy” and don’t like to use chemicals unnecessarily.  I certainly didn’t want to bomb our whole house as my mom used to do.

Natural, Low Cost Flea Treatments

Instead, I scoured the Internet obsessively for a few days before I started using a variety of natural treatments to rid our home of fleas.

Here’s what we did:

Initial Strategy

Give the cats a bath with Dawn soap.  Dawn soap is safe for the cats, but it kills the eggs and fleas currently on the cat.  We made sure to put a ring of soap around the cat’s neck so the fleas couldn’t high tail it up to the cat’s head, as they’re prone to do.

Salt the carpets.

Yep, you read that correctly.  Our house has carpet in the living room and three of the four bedrooms.  We bought 8 round canisters of table salt and generously sprinkled the salt on the carpets.  Ideally, you should leave the salt on the carpet for 8 to 24 hours.  Make sure to get the salt near the corners and baseboards where flea eggs and larvae may be hiding.

Why salt?  Salt dries out the flea, and it dies.  (There’s even a video on YouTube to illustrate this!)

There are a few warnings with this strategy—your cats (or dogs) shouldn’t be allowed on the carpet during this time.  Also, you’ll want to make sure to vacuum vigorously to get up all the salt so that it doesn’t damage the carpet.

Low Cost Flea Treatments
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

Mop with essential oils.

I found many recipes online mixing essential oils with water to use to mop tile floors.  The oils repel the fleas.  I ended up using a variety of oils including Geranium, Tea Tree, Citronella Java, and Lemongrass.  My only complaint about this technique is that I’m sensitive to smells, and the essential oil smell was overwhelming to me.  Remember to mop all of the crevices, where the floor meets the baseboards, and the baseboards themselves.

Wash and dry all bedding on hot.

We didn’t wash the pillows, but we put them in the dryer on high for 30 minutes.  Everything else was washed and dryed.

Follow Up Strategy

After the initial blitz, we had several activities that we did every day for about three weeks:

Brush the cats with a flea comb.

This got out any fleas that may have jumped on the cats after the bath as well as the eggs the fleas might have laid.  I had a glass nearby with water and a dab of Dawn dish soap.  As soon as I put the brush in that, the flea died.

Bath the cats every three days.

Yep, our cats loved baths by the time this was over.  Not!

Vacuum daily.

We vacuumed thoroughly every day including all the nooks and crevices of the couch and the baseboards.  This is necessary to vacuum up any flea eggs before they hatch.  Make sure to do a thorough job and vacuum not only the carpet but the baseboards and any cloth furniture as well as in the cracks of the furniture where the cushions go.

Mop every other day.

We mopped every other day with the essential oil mixture.

Wash the bedding the cats are on every other day.

Low Cost Flea Treatments
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Since fleas will be on the cat, you’ll want to pay special attention to their bedding and wash it every other day on hot and dry on hot.

Wash all other bedding twice a week.

An Easy Strategy in the Summer

If you live in a warm, dry climate, I discovered a very easy way to get rid of the flea problem once and for all.  We live in Arizona, and our air conditioner died on the 4th of July.  For three days, we had no air conditioning, and our indoor temperature reached a sweltering 100+ degrees.  Of course, we stayed in a hotel during that time, but when we returned home, our fleas were completely gone.  Fleas cannot survive in temperatures over 95 degrees.

I’m not sure how well this remedy would work in a humid environment.  However, it doesn’t hurt to try.  If you can go somewhere else, turn off your air and let the summer heat bake the inside of your home.  If you have a humidifier, set it to make the inside of your home as dry as possible while you’re doing this.  When you come home, your fleas might all be dead.

Final Thoughts

I’m not going to lie, this process was time consuming and a total pain.  Although these were natural, low cost flea treatments, they weren’t easy to do.  If you’re able, I’d highly recommend trying the strategy of heating up your house as high as it will go to kill the fleas.  That is definitely the quickest, most efficient method.  We are glad we avoided filling our house or our cats with chemicals, and we got rid of the fleas.

Here’s to hoping I never have to deal with fleas again!

Read More

Prepare for These Expenses When Buying a Dog

Going on Trips with Fido (and Other Pets)

8 Easy Low-Costs Fixes to Help You Sell Your Home Fast

 

 

Prepare for These Expenses When Getting a Dog

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Have the kids been begging you to buy a dog?  Or, are you a couple looking into getting a dog before you’re ready to tackle having kids?  A dog can be a great companion and faithful member of the family, but if you’re not prepared for the expenses, you may be shocked.  Before you commit yourself, make sure you prepare for these expenses (expected and unexpected) when getting a dog.

Prepare for These Expenses When Getting a Dog

Initial Expenses

When you first get your puppy or dog, you’ll have a number of start-up costs.

Basic Living Supplies

Your dog will need some supplies immediately, from the time you pick him up, which include a dog crate, food, leash, a bed, and some toys.  This immediate outlay will likely cost you several hundred dollars.

Heartworm & Flea and Tick Prevention

These medications typically cost anywhere from $25 to $50 for a three to six-month dose, so between the two, you’ll be spending a couple of hundred dollars a year.

Regular Expenses

Once you’ve paid for the initial outlay of preparing your home for a pet, you’ll then be facing regularly, recurring expenses.

Food

The price of food varies greatly depending on how large your dog is and what type of food you buy the dog.  If you buy specialty food, you’ll likely be paying much more.

Nail Trimming

While you can attempt to trim your dog’s nails on your own, most people don’t, especially if your dog has black nails.  In general, plan on $15 every 6 weeks for this service.

Grooming

Prepare for These Expenses When Getting a Dog
Photo by Edson Torres on Unsplash

Some dogs don’t need regular grooming, but certain breeds such as poodles, Portugese Water Dogs and Pulis, to name a few, need grooming regularly.  Depending on the size of your dog and the breed, you could be looking at roughly $30 to $90 every time you take your dog in for grooming.

Extra Expenses

Many dogs require extra care beyond the basics, especially if you work out of the home or have a particularly energetic or anxious dog.

Dog Walker

A dog walker can come to your house and walk your dog during the day, allowing the animal to relieve himself and to burn off some energy, not to mention getting some human companionship while you’re gone.  Depending on who provides the services and what area of the country you live in, hiring a dog walker could run $15 to $45 a day.

Doggie Daycare

Dogs are social animals and like to be around others.  In addition, some dogs have special needs that are best addressed by doggie daycare.  For example, our family friend had a golden retriever that was so energetic, she took him to doggie daycare just to tire him out.  Doggie daycare is also a good option if you have a particularly anxious dog who doesn’t do well home alone.  Expect to pay $12 to $38 for a full day of doggie day care or $240 to $550 a month.

In addition to these expenses, you may also want to pay for pet insurance, kenneling when you travel, and obedience class, if necessary.

Having a dog can be a good experience for your family and the dog; indeed, a dog can feel like a member of the family.  However, before you buy one, make sure you’re aware of the full range of expenses when getting a dog and how much you’ll likely be paying every year for the privilege of dog ownership.

Do you have a dog?  If so, how much do you pay per year for all that your dog needs?

 

Going on Trips with Fido (and other Pets)

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When you take a trip that’s going to last over night or longer, and you have pets, you are faced with a decision to make.  You’ve either got to find somewhere for your pet to stay or take your pet with you.  If you don’t have a family member or friend that will watch your pet for you while you’re gone, you’re faced with finding a kennel or pet hotel to put your pet into until your return.  Anyone who has boarded a pet will know that it isn’t a budget friendly thing to do.  The frugal thing to do is to take your pet with you on your trip whenever possible.

Taking trips with your pets can be just as cringe-worthy for those without any experience in doing so.  When we went on a week-long trip recently, I was more nervous about taking our dog with us than I was about any other part of the trip.  The longest trip we’d ever taken the dog on was a two-hour ride, and the trip we were taking was an 8-9 hour trip followed by another 7-8 hour trip the next day and then doing it all over again at the end of the vacation.  There was even a hotel stay on the way and one back.  When it was all said and done, there was very little to worry about with the dog.  He was a champ! (that’s him below)  I thought I might share a few things that I learned about traveling with animals with you.

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  • Hotels.  I had this huge preconceived notion that there were very few hotels that would allow a dog in the hotel.  I was kinda wrong.  While many of the nicer hotels don’t allow pets, many of the more budget friendly (not dives) hotels will usually allow a pet for a small nightly deposit or fee.  Some, like Kelly Inns, are extremely pet friendly and allow pets for no charge.  If you know what city you are going to end up in for the night, do a little research and find a pet friendly hotel ahead of time.  Then make reservations.  We did this on our way to our destination.  On the way back, we didn’t know where we were going to stop, but I was able to use the browser on my smart phone from the road to find and make reservations at a pet friendly hotel.  Once you’re in the hotel, remember that your pet is in a strange place and will likely experience some anxiety if you all leave the room without your pet.  If your pet doesn’t handle anxiety well, plan to leave your pet in your car while your away from the room.  Many of the pet friendly hotels will have policies against leaving your pet unattended in the room because animals that have anxiety problems tend to take it out by chewing and digging.  Both are bad for hotel furniture and carpet.
  • Riding Room.  Your pet is going to need somewhere to sit.  Don’t overpack to the point where you have to push and shove so that your dog can sit on top of the pile of luggage.  If you wouldn’t be at least slightly comfortable riding there, neither will your pet.  Different pets will have different requirements.  In our case, we took a big comfy blanket and laid it out in the back of our Suburban for a bed for our dog.  He then squeezed himself in between the two child seats on the bench seat and rode with his backside on the seat and his head on the console between the two front seats.  Once you’ve taken a few longer trips with your pet, you’ll likely get a feel for where he/she likes to ride and be able to adjust accordingly.  Once we figured out our dog wasn’t going to ride in the back on the blanket, we just made sure he had a path from the back to the seat without climbing over all the luggage and left it at that.
  • Food and water.  Most importantly, make sure you bring plenty of food with you.  If you’ve got the room, bring a bowl too that you can just leave out in the car or in your hotel room.  Everybody’s schedule is likely going to be a bit screwed up, so your pet might not adhere to it’s normal eating schedule.  Water is a bit trickier since it’s a bit harder to contain and still make available.  What we found to work pretty well is to have a bowl and a large bottle that we could cap to hold the water.  Whenever we stopped, we’d pour a bit of water into the bowl for our dog to drink then could pour out the extras from the bowl back into the bottle or onto the ground and not have to worry about spills.
  • Entertainment. If you’ve ever traveled with kids, you know that entertainment for the trip is of utmost importance.  It’s not as important for pets, but it can be very helpful.  Bring along a few of your pets toys for him/her to play with at your destination.  A favorite chew bone for in the hotel, and a ball to fetch at our final destination for instance.
  • Potty breaks. Unless your pet is really, really good about telling you when it needs to relieve itself, you’ll want to schedule regular breaks for a quick walk.  Our dog is pretty good about this and is used to going 4-8 hours without going outside during the work week, so he was pretty good on our trip.  He’s also a big dog, so has a larger capacity than some smaller pets will.  If your pet is asking outside frequently at home, he/she will likely still need breaks during your trip that are nearly as frequent.  We found that anytime we stopped for gas, taking our dog over to a grassy area did the trick.  Most interstate rest areas have an area to take your pets to.

Taking trips with pets can be a stress inducing idea, but if you take the proper precautions, it can also be very rewarding.  It can also be easier on the pet that would have to stay at a boarding kennel otherwise.  We’re glad we took our dog with us.  I know he enjoyed being with us and playing up in the mountains with us.  As an added bonus, he turned out to be a bit of entertainment for the kids too.  Just like anything else, planning can make or break your trip.  So take the time to plan ahead, and take your pet with you on your next trip.

Photo Credit:Thatedeguy on Flickr