My kitten is very calm, but it helps to do it right when she's waking up because she is still really docile. I'm not sure that will work for all kitties, but it may help someone. Fleas are the worst
Minor correction: The dish soap does not 'break down the exoskeleton.' It breaks the surface tension of the water so that the fleas will sink and drown, as opposed to just floating around alive.
That’s definitely part of it to drown the fleas. thevets.com/blog/does-dawn-dish-wash-kill-fleas/ and a few others speak to it breaking down the exoskeleton and “if this becomes impaired water can enter the flea’s respiratory tract, drowning them”.
@@ringothecat4593 "Zoomies!" I really like that term + an gonna steal from you too! Very good instructional video; I like how you emphasize checking the warmer areas like hind-legs in front shoulders too. Plus, RIngo is a VERY cute lil Tuxedo Kitty!
Time and trust. I don't work so i can rub my face in my kittys belly as long as i want and i know she'll never attack me for it. Omg i love it and just grabbing hsndfulls when its bed time and she lays across my chest (altho now i understand how cats accidentally kill bsbies by laying on them 😱😭) my kitty is almost too heavy for my adult chest !
Hoping next time my kitten will let me do her belly easier too . I only got one comb done. She was like that for under her chin tho until all of a sudden she raised her head so I am hopeful her belly will be easier next time. I also did this as she was getting ready to sleep for the night! :D
Thank you so much, I recently got a kitten and I don’t want to use any chemicals or spend 20 dollars on flea medicine. One thing that I’ve found with this method is make sure your cat is sleepy and cuddly at the time you do this, they’ll usually be too tired to attack you. But this helped so much, I’m so glad people like you educate the ones who don’t know this stuff ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! We were the same way. And you are definitely right to wait until the cat is in a more relaxed mood before bathing or using a flea comb. When they are on edge and excited it can make the process difficult!
You get more fleas with a dry comb and then you dip it in the soap solution you don't want to get your cat all wet after you dip the fleas in the soap solution you want to have a paper towel preferably white and Pat it dry and then come your cat again that is the best way to do that and don't brush the cats hair backwards specially when you have a wet soapy calm that will irritate their skin please try this I've been working with the fair with feral cats for 40 years trust me this way works a whole lot better don't hurt your cat don't irritate the cat skin
I wish I had read your message before I tried this. My kitten got all sneezy after I put that soapy water on him. I m still panicking. He’s so small don’t want to give him a bath as he’s so small. Don’t know what to do.
@@nidan3280 just run water. i took a my kat a flee bath with the ADVANTAGE flee shampoo brand and i thought the shampoo was like other shampoos, slightly like dish soap or goo, but then i pourd some from neck to tail and it came out like water and some got in my cats face and she was sniffling and breathing hard that i literally sucked the liqoud out her nose
There’s probably more than one way to do it. We just shared what worked for our cat. 1-2 drops of dish soap diluted in water isn’t going to irritate the cats skin. Being careful around the eyes, ears, and nose should eliminate a lot of issues. Are you still working with fairs? I bet that was wild with the cats running around.
@chrissylouise3226 It helped in addition to vacuuming and mopping surfaces and washing linens. We naturally got him with zero fleas! A lot times flea meds are no longer working because the fleas are immune to them. Give it a try!
Yes I deffinatley do . Kinda like a gorilla picking bugs off her baby lol. I love knowing I'm helping her feel better tho . I also got a natural peppermint spray online I'm not sure how well it works but it makes my cat smell pretty
Thank you thank you ! My cat took months to trust me again after bathing her and I don’t want to stress her out like that again. I will do this instead , again thank you so much !
just came away from flea combing my kitten . at first it was like NO . then she must have felt some fleas stopped moving on her and she relaxed and even at the end lifted her chin as if to say "get those!" lol Thank you! Love this method of helping her get rid of her fleas!!
I tried to brush my cat to get rid of fleas but when I got one it started to jump and I got scared. I didn't put it into the water but in next time I'll definitely try this. Thanks for making this video ☺️
Awesome job for trying! It took me a little bit to get over how gross the fleas were. They are tricky and will try to get away! Give us an update how it goes!
put flea drops on then wait a couple of days the fleas are more docile brush the cat and put the brush in the boul as quickly as possible. it should work out better for you hopefully. good luck
You're "lucky", the cat who lives in my house is all black and she is VERY uncooperative. Not violent for the most part, just willing to enforce what she wants with whaps. (No claw control either, so whaps usually means blood)
Thank you for the demonstration. I’ve not been dipping the comb in the dish soap water first then combing. I’ll do that tomorrow morning and see what happens
You need another bigger bowl with clean water to RINSE the soapy comb out each time then change the water again. If you dont rinse the comb oit each time the fur baby will have soap in his fur which is not safe or good for them.
If that works for you and your cat, go for it! We shared what worked for Ringo. The amount of dish soap is so small (1-2 drops diluted in water) that Ringo was never bothered by it. If someone is really concerned about it, then they could use the flea comb and rinse the cat with water after using the flea comb.
Thank you! That will work with my older cat, up to a point, but my younger cat has a really thick fur coat. To make it worse, she appears to be allergic to flea treatment (a little bit of fur missing from the treatment site). I'd never get flea comb through her thick fur. I have a brush that she likes, so maybe I'll try that, but it probably won't trap the fleas.
thank you so much! i didnt realise tat you need to use the brush in a scoopng motion - or that the little buggers will jump off the brush so fast X-X but got so many of them today thank u
The water bowl is a good trick. I have been trying to squish them but it's quite difficult as they jump quickly and can take a lot of damage before dying lol
Add a drop or two of Dawn to the water, and it will really drown them quickly when you dip the comb into it. They can squirm quickly out of the comb, so keep your water nearby. I use an old drinking glass with warm water and the comb gets totally covered with the water/dawn mix. Be sure you get any fleas off the comb and into the water before you comb again. It does help to do this, but I have 8 cats, so I also buy the flea killer drops for their necks.
Wow ! Im definitely checking my cat we just move from Hesperia California to Tennessee and although I put medicine on her to prevent it she sure is scratching we didn't have fleas in a high desert so thank you for that
thank you, my cat was an outdoor cat, for a year now, never had flea problem, until when my cat went missing for 3 days and came back, itching so much, i tried so many methods, sprays, anti reppellent, they help in the long run, but flea combing regularly is such a fast way to get rid of them.
What a lovely little boi! Thanks for the tips, definitely gonna try a comb and medicine combo. Never had fleas in the house before, until we got our cats. Now it’s been nonstop, and I’ve also been victimized by the little assholes.
Saved a bunch of stray cats. They're all neutered and well fed, but they often have fleas. Two of them are overwhelmingly fluffy, so it's harder to comb them. Been using this method for months, but the devil fleas keep coming back. But, it's oddly therapeutic to remove them. Luckily, no flea bites on us yet.
My little Tabby is three years old and she got flees for the first time in her life! It's so annoying! I brush her more then once a day sometimes, AT LEAST, once a day, and there is always 1 or two of them. They must be hiding somewhere or mature very fast! I used Zodiac Tic and Flea Shampoo on her and it helped a lot, but I finding it hard to get rid of these last few arse holes. I also vacuum EVERYDAY! The Entire house. I'm wondering if they are coming from somewhere else.
I got flea comb at petsmart I did start combing my cat and there were 12 fleas yuck!!! So I'm doing it everyday cant stand my cat itching everytime and I got few flea bites so I had to do what's the best for her.
How often do you need to do this? I’ve done my cat 3 days in a row now and I’m still getting new fleas that I missed the days prior! Is this something I should do every day for a month straight to make sure no new ones come?
We did the flea comb fairly frequently. It is probably a good idea to do a flea shampoo bath and make sure the house is cleaned from any infestation on any soft surfaces.
I just knew I had to watch a video on how to flea comb for tips. I've been flea combing my cat daily for awhile now just dry with a nice comb I got and it still does work great .. I only tried making the comb wet but never kept doing it that way and I didn't know about the specific soap . The scruff around the neck Is where I regularly do it on my cat since she sits on my lap all the time anyway I just comb her while she's there. I also have natural peppermint spray . I'm not sure how well it works tho since the source of fleas isn't going away because those people don't actively clean there cats so it always comes back on the carpet floor and gets on my cat. My cat wouldn't even have fleas if it wasn't for the asshole who live below me in my house .
😅 That’s how cats be sometimes. My favorite is when Ringo wants me to pet him, then he lets me for about 2 seconds and then starts biting me before he runs off…”thanks and now I bite you”.
Another reason for using they detergent dish soap is because it breaks down the water surface tension and allows the flea to sink down instead of resting on top of the water and possibly eventually making it to the edge of the container and escaping. The surface tension of the water actually prevents something as light as a flea from breaking through and sinking to the bottom. If the surface tension of the water is not lessened, then the flea may eventually work its way to the edge where the water meets the container and the dastardly flea could possibly escape to wreak havoc once again! 🫠 the detergent molecules break apart the forces holding the water together. The flea is no longer supported and so sinks to the bottom!
I just got a flea comb. Tried getting one last weekend and all stores were empty! I treated my cat almost a week ago and been cleaning and spraying house. I noticed you didn’t comb the sides of kitty. Is that cause fleas don’t like it there? I’m going to try all over my kitty first. Thanks for the video!
The question is how do you do this with a cat who loves you but will turn into a combine harvester if you try to hold him in anyway other than what I call 'The God Grip'? :O
my cat would claw the hell out of me to try and brush its belly but we used to do that with outher cats I've had and washing up liquid dous the same job the fleas cant get out the boul.
My 15 yr old indoor somehow got fleas! We’ve given her frontline (vet recommended) and will try the comb tomorrow, she’s been through enough.. did anyone’s home get infested?? And if yes what did you do?? The vet said we will need to get our home treated. Eggs may hatch and we could get a big problem!!
Oh no! Hopefully things are going better now after the treatment. We made sure to vacuum regularly and clean any fabrics our cat frequented. We didn’t have any lingering problems afterwards.
I'm not sure my furry friend will let me hold him on my lap. I will try though as something has definitely bitten me, but only on one leg. I've put the mats etc on a hot wash cycle. At least Buddy will let me comb him
This may seem obvious but today my vet reminded me to be careful using dawn soap if you give your cat topical flea treatment bc it will strip it right off
I already ordered the comb with the much longer teeth on the comb. Should i order one like this if my cat has about same cat hair length as your pretty kitty. ?
well both my cats have fleas, I feel scared. Buying two Seresto collars tomorrow and giving them a bath with the shampoo. I plan on fumigating and excessive vacuuming. Both my cats are long-haired I'm expecting the worst. I know I am in it for the long haul, wish me luck. Any tips on cleaning the Cat tree?
@@ringothecat4593 I was definitely being dramatic and went overboard but better safe than sorry. The main infestation seemed to be in one of their tails. I think we are on the other side of this thankfully
Thank you for this video. I've never had to deal with fleas before and I've been at war with fleas for two weeks now. I feel like we live with them now and I'm trying everything.. ill continue to brush em and hope this ends soon.
Treat your home with indorex Sofa, bedding between crevices. You need to treat the home as much as possible. Also vacuum the house especially bedding etc. The vibrations will likely increase the likelihood of eggs hatching and being in contact with indorex flea killer I have been beaten by fleas. They seem to like me. Getting rid of them is multi angled approach.
@zahraansari3710 thank you for the advice. I've been spraying, vacuuming, and washing everything every other day and I brush my cats a few times everyday. I tried giving them baths and that was a nightmare so I'm trying to find alternatives.
Yes, If you’re using soap in a bath. For combing there should not be too much soap. If there’s soap residue in their fur it might be good to use a wet rag and wipe down the fur after combing
I find that I'm never able to rid my cat of fleas and ticks. I try to use flea medication on him every once or 2 months, use medicated shampoo once in a while too. Maybe it has to do with the area I live in, cause we have tons of mosquitoes and cockroaches too. My last dog died because of a heavy pest infestation which led to anaemia. That's why I'm very careful and super protective of my cat now
@@ringothecat4593 yeah he's doing really well. I give him tick medication every month and also bathe him properly. He has much less itching now, just licks his body like any usual cat does. So it's good so far ❤️
Someone else here commented that getting a dehumidifier is helpful in keeping home flea free. I'm at the coast so all those pests are rampant in summer
It’s a minimal amount of soap (1-2 drops in a bowl of water) and our cat didn’t have any issues. You could always comb and then bathe to rinse out any soap if you’re really concerned about it.
I have a question. My cat had fleas she gave borth to kittens and now they do too but theyre only a week old is the dishsoap going to be safe for them?
You should only use a little bit of soap. So yes there may be some soap residue left in the fur, but not enough to do any harm. If you’re concerned about it you could try rinsing the fur with a bath.
I'm surprised you can get them into the bowl before the hop away. I have gotten so many fleas this way, but I have to put them in a paper towel because they hop away so fast. My hand is killing me squeezing them. I want your way to work so bad!
Sorry to hear about your dog getting an infection! Spot treatment could be better if it’s caught early and only a few fleas in a concentrated area. Ringo had them all over so we felt this was the best option for him.
We've used a spot on every month without fail, but it stopped working after 3 years. We're now waiting to change him to a stronger one which goes on every 3 months. But vacuuming, flea combing, washing everything regularly plus a household treatment is all needed if you want to stop fleas taking over.
I have a flea comb for my cat and try to do this, but the fleas tend to get trapped between the teeth of the flea comb and do not come out when I dip it in the water. So I end up going in with my fingernails to scrape the flea out and most times I do get it out eventually but then the teeth of the comb get bent permanently. Is there a better way to get the fleas out of the comb or do I just need a better quality comb? Idk what to do. My cat has fleas pretty bad. We're giving her topical treatments on the back of the neck once a month and spraying down our furniture with a natural flea spray, but she still has some left over.
The flea comb should trap the fleas like you’re saying. Sometimes it takes using your finger to slide the fleas down and out of the comb’s teeth as opposed to pushing the flea through the comb. Hopefully that makes sense and you get rid of the fleas quickly!
@@ringothecat4593 Thank you. I actually got just bought a sturdier comb. The one I had before was plastic but this one is stainless steel. It works MUCH better. And yes, I do know you have to kind of push them off the comb. It's so gross but... for the sake of my furbaby it's worth it to give her some relief.
Did you have to clean out your whole house? I only saw one flea on my cat and some flea dirt. I looked at all the places he goes and don't see any fleas there, only some dirt. I'm scared they are all over my house and I'm feeling paranoid. Did you fumigate your house or anything?
Wash your cat's bedding (and yours if your cat sleeps by you). Vacuum daily. I vacuumed every single day for about 2 weeks straight. Especially carpeted areas where fleas like to hide. Remember to empty the vacuum contents in an outside bin that has a lid. I did this when my cats had fleas and it worked
We did not fumigate the house. But like CW replied, we did vacuum 1-2 times each day. Cleaning any fabric toys and bedding is also a good thing to do. We did use some basic indoor pest control spray that’s safe for animals and applied that too.