For cats, 1/2 clove garlic per day in their food is supposed to repel fleas. However, check with the vet first, because some sources say that members of the onion family (including garlic) can be toxic to cats (and dogs, too.)

For cats, give bedding a final rinse with chamomile tea to help repel fleas. The cats can be rinsed in chamomile too, if you can get them to co-operate!

For dogs: put some dried bracken fronds under their bedding to repel fleas.

And if you add some salt to the dog's bathwater, it will kill fleas.

You can make a tea from lemon peelings and sponge it over the dog, or use it as a final rinse after bathing.

Other teas which are useful include those made from:

tansy, fennel, basil or mint, pennyroyal or other strong smelling herb. Grow any of these herbs, or wormwood, pyrethrum, rue and marigolds around kennel areas.

WARNING: Be very careful with pennyroyal. Actually I don't recommend growing it where there are pets. It can cause seizures just by smelling it (animals and humans) and even the smell of it can cause abortion in animals and humans. Still - it's effective against fleas! I'd use any of the other mints instead.

You can use a eucalyptus wool wash to bathe dogs. No need to rinse.

Dust some derris powder (from garden suppliers) through the animal's coat, leave for half an hour, then comb or brush it out over some newspaper. Do not allow the pet to swim in creeks or ponds, as derris is deadly to fish, but it breaks down in sunlight after a few days.

HOME MADE FLEA COLLAR FOR DOGS:
2 tablespoons peppermint essential oil
1/2 cup rosemary essential oil
2 tablespoons white cedar essential oil
1/4 cup citronella essential oil
2 tablespoons eucalyptus essential oil

Soak a natural fibre rope in mixture and let dry for several hours. Tie around pet's neck. DO NOT use on cats.

WOW, you know I saw that someone had replied and I thought uh oh they are going to ask are u crazy lol.

Awesome such great advice, I really hate using chemicals period. I mean some of those chemicals have a residule of like 6 months and to treat for fleas you have to spray your entire carpet. My thing is well if there is a residule on the carpet for 6 months and its strong enough to kill a flea then is my body absorbing it while I walk on my carpet for the next 6 months barefooted. Ugg I would think so, so any herbs used instead of pesticide I believe is a good thing.

Another point is if its not safe for a human to have on our skin and the directions say wash skin immediately after use well what bout my critter that I just doused them with that junk, yeah like they arent going to lick themselves and ingest it. I have never met a cat or dog that did not lick themselves several times a day.

Thankyou for all of the advice I will deffintely have to give it a shot and see what happens.

Wow! The home made flea collar would be very expensive to make. My experience with essential oils comes from.making my own soap from scratch. The prices for essential oil costs from $4.00 per oz to $14.00 for 4 oz. I came across this recipe earlier in the summer looking for alternatives to using the monthly flea medication. It was too expensive for me to make..

Not an herb but most fleas will be killed on the animal by bathing using dishwashing liquid. My vet suggested Dawn but many use the same ingrediants. As with any flea soap you should leave on for a couple of minutes. I would suggest if you see any flea bodies left in the coat to pick them off and flush. You can use on both dogs and cats, if your cat will allow you to give them a bath.

Ditto on the Dawn. I have also used baby shampoo (the yellow kind) with some success in the past. They are great because they are safe to use, even on elderly and neonatal animals, whereas the drop-on kind specifies no use in neonates under 8 weeks, and to only use on very old animals with a vet's guidance. The trick is to let the detergent sit on the pet for 5 minutes or so before washing.

Best thing for fleas is to dust the amimal, the carpet and the yard with food grade DE. Careful not to inhale it as it is a fine dust.

A flea repellant can be made by boiling lemons with the skins and rosemary for about 10 min, straining and spraying on the dog. A tea can be make out of Eucalyptus and sprayed around the house and on bedding. Eucalyptus leaves can be placed inside dog bedding.

Also, a couple of drops of lavendar essential oil to a sprayer full of water.

Most important thing to consider is that fleas like unhealthy animals so the better food your dog eats, the less attractive they are to fleas. I have not seen a flea around my house or on my dogs in 5 years since I improved their diets.

Just a note...I would not use straight essential oil on dogs and it is even more dangerous for small dogs and can be deadly to cats. It can cause neurological problems.

Ania

We use a combination of peppermint, lavender and virginia cedar essential oils in a spray bottle with just plain water to spray rugs, mattresses and upholstery. Smells pretty good & doesn't bother anyone, doesn't run colors or stain.