Conference misery::feline_v1

I have never had a flea problem, but when tics are really bad I have a 
jar of alcohol handy to drop them in as I'm going over my dog.  If alcohol
kills fleas, maybe that'll work.

Becky, Tsunami and Kala(dog)

I am combing my cat nightly now with a flea comb trying
to keep the population down without pesticides, so here's
the easy answer:

You use a bowl of water with  a little dishwashing detergent in it.
The soap breaks the water tension so that the little buggers sink
instead of floating.  They seem to die pretty quickly.  Yuck.

it helps if you put the soap in gently after the water so you don't
get suds.  I also started keeping a bowl of clean water and a towel
handy, because if I can't push the flea off the comb into the soapy
water (usually that works) then I dip the comb to try to get it into
the soapy water before it jumps off.  But I don't want
Kenai to have to clean the soap off her fur, so if I dip the flea
comb, I rinse it in the fresh water and then against the towel before
the next stroke.

have fun.  It's easier in front of a warm, sleep-inducing woodstove...

--carrie

    I have a plastic bag, regular food storage size available in boxes
    of 100 for cheap, along with a little spray of flea spray inside the
    bag when I comb my cats.  I just push everything off the comb into the
    bag, where they die within seconds from the pyrethrums spray.  Then I 
    just tie the bag closed and in the trash it goes!  No mess and no
    escaping fleas! It's easy to follow escaping kitties this way too,
    as they "flee" from room to room to avoid the dreaded combing.  (some
    cats, that is). Good for those moments where you find yourself combing
    a cat on the floor, in the back of a closet, on top of the fridge, etc.
    
    
                                  have fun......Denise

    Take a paper plate, take a sponge, soak the sponge, which is on
    the paper plate, with flea spray, comb the cat, take the comb
    with the hair and fleas on the comb, and lay it on the very
    wet sponge (wet with flea spray).  This slows down the fleas
    so they can't jump, gives you a chance to remove the hair from
    the comb, and put the hair on the paper plate and soak that.
    You can stand there and watch the little buggers DIE!
    Sometimes I spray the comb and then comb the cat, if the
    cat doesn't like the sound of the spraying.
    
    E.T.

    
    I put a paper towel on the grooming table, comb the cat, after each run
    through with the comb, remove hair and fleas from comb, place on paper
    towel and kill fleas with fingernail.  Sound gross but after doing
    this for 3 years I've got it down to a science.  If fleas on animal
    are real bad to start with, I might spray the comb with flea spray
    before each comb through.  It helps to have some hair on the paper
    towel cause the fleas will stay trapped in it long enough to kill
    them.  If there is no hair/fur they tend to jump.  Good Luck!
    
    MaryAnne
    

    
    	If you don't want to use the flea bombs or anything try this.
    	(we had a severe flea problem not to long ago and this helped
    	immensely)
    
    	Take a bowl of water and put a bit of soap in it.  Put this 
    	directly under a bright light. (we put the bowl on the floor
    	and leaned an old lamp minus the shade on the bowl)  The fleas
    	will jump toward the light, fall into the bowl and DIE!
    
    	Good luck!  I know where you're coming from.
    
    	JJ
    

    Use the professional spray.  We had an incredible infestation.
    We purchased the spray from an exterminator for $12.80.  (It doesn't
    come with the service or guarantee, but it's the same stuff they use.)
    
    I believe it was called Certox.  Though you'll never completely rid
    yourselves of the fleas, we see about two or three a week, rather than
    ninety a night...
    
    

    
    
    I think the method I've been using might be simpler than some of the 
    others mentioned here...
    
    Fill a bowl with *hot* tap water - doesn't have to be boiling, just 
    good and hot.
    
    Dip the comb in the hot water.  Fleas fall off and die instantly.
    
    You don't have to push them off the comb, try to kill them before 
    they jump away, or anything.  No chemicals or dish soap are required.
    
    That way, you can put the comb right back in the cat with no inter-
    mediate steps.
    
    Try it -- it works great.
    

    I just got a Flea comb this weekend...and I am really impressed
    with how it works.   First it takes off alot of the lose hair...
    and I even found two fleas on my Barkley.
    
    It's easy, fun and the cats loved it.  I won't ever ever be
    without one again.
    
    Sandy

    I use a flea comb all the time to groom my gang - especially at the
    shows.
    

	Yup, I find the flea comb excellent this time of year, when it's 
	warming up, and they're starting to moult.

	I comb them once or twice a week most of the time, and nearly every day 
	in the spring.

	Heather