Can I use natural flea remedies for cats instead of monthly meds?

Unfortunately there is no proven natural way to get rid of pests like fleas in the environment nor on your kitties. You will need insecticides to rid fleas, this is the only effective way. I would recommend Frontline spray for the house and/or a flea fogger from Lowe’s or Home Depot and then Revolution topical or Comfortis oral flea preventative for the kitties. Best of luck to you and your flea issues with your kitties. Take care.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that any of these "natural" alternatives work well for fleas, and I have never seen any of my clients have much success with them. If you want to use a flea collar, I would recommend the Seresto collar - it's safe and non-toxic, and is usually quite effective for both fleas and ticks.

I am really sorry but to answer your question, there are NO natural remedies that are proven to work for fleas and ticks. They just don't work. If your dog did not do well on Bravecto there are many other products available that don't have the same active ingredient as Bravecto. You could try Simparica or Nexgard. Are you 100% positive the Bravecto caused the seizure? I hear this a lot from owners. They say the dog had a seizure a week or so after the Bravecto administration and peg that as the cause. It is highly unlikely to have been the cause that many days after ingestion. When dogs have seizures the most likely cause is underlying epilepsy. It is rarely due to medication administration. The other option is to try a Seresto collar. Many of my clients love this option and it does work well. One collar works for up to 8 months so it is cost effective too! ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Unfortunately, natural remedies don't work well. Here is a link about many lyths you will find online: https://www.petcoach.co/article/at-home-flea-and-tick-treatments-that-dont-work/ The only option is to hand brush and remove every flea you find with a flea comb. This will not work well because if the flea life cycle. Your best option is to treat all the pets in the home. Depending on the age and size of the puppies, there are likely product restrictions (aka not safe). Top products for adult dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard (some can be used on puppies pending age and size). Top products for cats are topicals such as Revolution and Cheristan. There is also an oral product called Comfortis that both dogs and cats can take. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I'm sorry to hear you've had trouble finding an effective flea med! Most over-the-counter options are not very effective in my experience, including Advantage - although it's probably the best of the currently available OTC options! Flea collars do not work well, and can often be toxic to cats. Instead, I would recommend getting a prescription flea medication like Revolution or Bravecto from your veterinarian. This will be safe for your kitty, and much more effective. If it's been at least 1-2 weeks since you applied the Advantage, it should be safe to go ahead and use a new medication from your vet.

Hi. Unfortunately there is no "all natrual" and effective flea/tick/heartworm prevention medications. It takes an actual medication and antiparasitic medication to prevent these. The natural products you see when you look in to these are not nearly as effective or studied as those recommended by your veterinarian. This is obviously completely your decision, but from a medical standpoint I do not recommend the all all natural medications or collars for this. If your pet is having reactions to vectra and interceptor, please discontinue them and speak to your veterinarian about other options such as revolution, heart guard, simparica or Brevecto. Good luck.

While fleas may simply seem like a nuisance, the reality is that they can pose serious problems. Heavy flea infestations, particularly in very small animals, can result in significant blood loss, which causes potentially lethal anemia. Fleas can also transmit a variety of diseases, including cat scratch disease (*Bartonella henselae*) and tapeworms (*Dipylidium caninum*). Many pets are allergic to the saliva injected during a flea’s bite, and can develop severe itching, hair loss and skin infections. Fortunately, most cases of fleas can be both treated and prevented at home with the consistent use of good-quality flea preventative medications. It’s important to remember to use a flea preventative that is labeled and safe for cats. Some flea preventives for dogs are not safe for cats. Some examples of over-the-counter products that are labeled for cats include Cheristin for Cats, Capstar for Cats, Advantage II, and Frontline Plus for cats. Other products such as Comfortis for Cats, AdvantageMulti for cats and Revolution for cats are available with a prescription from your veterinarian. However, more severely affected cats require evaluation and treatment by a veterinarian. If left untreated, flea infestations in cats can also impact human health with the possibility of spreading cat scratch disease, plague or typhus. Ultimately, it is best to avoid fleas altogether with the regular use of a good quality flea preventative medication. ### Cheristin is a trademark of Elanco or its affiliates.