flea

flea
How To Kill Fleas

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Can You Count On Flea Collars

Can you count on flea collars and do they work?
Flea collars are less expensive than other flea eradication methods but do they work?
That depends on several conditions and the type and brand of flea collar you use. Riding your pet of fleas is a never-ending job but one that has to be kept up with.

Fleas collars can cause more problems than the fleas.  They can irritate the cat’s neck, your cat can be allergic to the chemical use in flea collars, and it’s possible for cats to get tangled in trees and shrubs, all due to their flea collars.  Some flea collars have a quick release and others have elastic built in to the straps.

There are studies that prove the chemicals such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen, and insect development inhibitors (IDIs) such as lufenuron work at killing flea eggs and prevent fleas from reproducing.  These chemicals work on preventing the larvae from turning into adults and most brands say they are nontoxic to pets and people.

The growth inhibitors released by the flea collar are spread through the coat of your pet.  Sometimes you may have to use a spot-on product if your flea infestation is heavy.  The flea collars that contain methoprene are effective for 4 to 6 months and depending on the size of your cat, sometimes up to a year.

Using a flea collar for your cat might not be possible because they will have a reaction to the chemical used.  That reaction may be worse than the fleabites.  In that case, there are natural herbal flea collars that will work.  Back in the olden days, they used the herb pennyroyal and eucalyptus to keep insects away from homes and animals.

A more modern solution is Skin So Soft from Avon.  After bathing your pet, use Skin So Soft on their coat to help keep fleas and other insects away from them.  A natural flea collar is a safe alternative rather than a chemically treaded collar.

Flea collars – do they work?  You will have to try them on your pet to see unless you want to take them to the vet and have an allergy test done.  That can be very expensive.  A better way to see if a flea collar works on your pet is to try it for a couple of days and see if they have a reaction then go from there.  
Using flea collars is one more step to knowing how to kill fleas