How to Get Rid of Fleas

John was really worried about the health of his favorite kitty. It was scratching like crazy. John just didn’t understand what’s wrong with his poor kitten? Suddenly he noticed the small crawling insects in the corners of the room. And he realized that those were the fleas, which had made his cat restless. He immediately started the mission for getting rid of those small beasts.

Almost every pet owner might be facing the same problem. These tiny insects might have troubled you and your pet a lot. Well, how did John get rid of fleas? What did he do? You also must be eager to know about it, right? Read on to know how to get rid of fleas and what are the preventive measures?

Fleas are one of the most common skin parasites found in cats and dogs. There is a wide variety of species of flea including cat fleas, dog fleas and human fleas. When the pets are infected by fleas, they start scratching due to fleabite. A skin reaction typically appears as a red, itchy, slightly raised spot. The eggs left on the pet’s body fall off and accumulate in various places such as carpet, bed, clothes, car and wherever the pet goes. These eggs hatch within 1-2 weeks and the larvae live in bedding or carpet for about 200 days. Many people are allergic to fleabites and may develop severe allergic reactions. Fleas also can transmit various diseases. Hence, it is very essential to get rid of fleas as early as possible for the sake of your and your pet’s health. Well, how to get rid of fleas?

Getting Rid of Fleas

There are two ways for getting rid of fleas: eliminating the fleas from the environment and removing the fleas from the pets. Whenever you notice the crawling fleas in the carpet or bed, the very first step you should take for flea control is to clean your home. Wash the beddings in soapy water, which kills eggs and larvae of fleas as well as adult fleas. Use of vacuum cleaner is the right way to make your home free from fleas. Get the vacuum cleaner to all the hidden areas of your home such as under sofas, chairs, tables, near windows and doors. Don’t forget to dispose of the cleaner bag after vacuuming. Then treat the home with insecticide to kill the adult fleas and insect growth regulator (IGR) to stop the life cycle of fleas. Fogging is another effective way to kill the fleas. You can also try some natural powders such as diatomaceous earth or borax to stop the life cycle of fleas.

While making your home free from fleas, you have to undertake one more important task of removing the fleas from pets with adequate pet care. Clean the pet with a flea shampoo. For natural flea control, use of some natural flea repellents such as eucalyptus oil, lemongrass or lavender oil is effective. Regular grooming of your pet with a flea comb is also necessary. Use of flea collars that consist of insect growth regulators is another effective way to get rid of fleas. Some oral medications are recommended by the veterinarian for your pet for the prevention of fleas. Wash the pet bedding using hot, soapy water to remove flea eggs and larvae. Although your pet is free from flea problem, a regular checkup of your pet is essential. Before you take your pet outside, clean the backyard and trim grass so that fleas are exposed to sunlight.

With an extreme care of pet’s health and maintaining a hygienic environment, you can easily overcome the problem of how to get rid of fleas. Rather, with proper preventive measures, you will never face this problem.