I have a 7 month old kitten. We just had an awful run-in with flea medication, luckily she survived fine and is in proper working order. I was wondering if there were any pet owners here who know a good non-chemical/organic flea medicine? Kiki must have flea meds since I visit my parents who have 4 dogs and a cat, and even with flea treatments generally have a bit of a problem, however I no longer trust my petstore to provide me with acceptable medication. I have never owned an animal on my own before, and I have no idea what is good and what isn't.

Thanks,

Sarah

What flea medication did you try before?  If it was just over the counter stuff then they can be deadly.  I use frontline and have in the past use advantage and revolution. Never had an issue with any of these products, just make sure they are put in a spot the kitten can not lick.

The problem with organic flea remedies is they dont kill the fleas they just repell them so it does not solve the problem. Flea collars can cause irriation to the skin and the cat can still have fleas around the back end as the collar does not work that well.

Hartz and Bio spot are two flea products I would avoid at any cost, and pets have died and gotten ill from their flea medication.

Thanks. I used Hartz and when I called the vet (she wasn't acting right) they didn't stop to ask questions, just told me to get there ASAP, and when I did, they rushed her back and left me in the waiting room for about 30 minutes. It was intense. I am extremely lucky that it was just a skin reaction, if I had waited it would have been a LOT worse. Thankfully, Kiki is back doing kitten-like activities!

I wasn't sure if Advantage was safe, I thought it was, but I wanted to make sure. My parents use it on their dogs- but they don't own a dog under 50 lbs. Anyway, thanks a lot! I'll get some next time I go by the vet's (or frontline, whichever they have). No more over the counter for me!

I have had pets all my life and my cat of over 9 years is healthy and happy.We never flea treat a pet,only the area.Pets can have the worst reactions to medications inside and out.They are your pets and you will do what you will but that is what we do.By treating where they sleep and live,we have always managed to maintain flea control without medicating the pet~ We also use non-toxic pet friendly items when we do.

meowy- this is a great idea but only works if you are able to do it.  I live in an apartment complex, and we arent allowed to spray anything around our frontdoor area (be it for ants, wasps or fleas) without going through there pest control people.   And it will depend on where you live in the US to how bad the fleas are. California and Flordia (any state that it does not get really cold) will have fleas all year around.

Just wondering what you use? And if it is safe for a cat to ingest as my two will sniff and lick anything they see. (Yes even if it smells nasty and tastes bad).

The problem with treating where she lives is that I bring fleas home with me everytime I go to see my parents, so they'll jump from me to her not from me to her bed. It's impossible to get through the door without her climbing up me, purring in my face, etc; much less trying to get to the bathroom to shower, treat my clothing, etc. Also, I live in South Carolina. We have fleas in December. They're a never ending problem here.

I just had a funny thought- if I treat where Kiki sleeps, I'll have to treat my face/neck. I can just imagine me holding my breath and spraying myself. Not that that is actually how you would treat yourself for fleas, it just popped into my head.