Best Flea Collars for Cats

Imidacloprid is a pesticide that was created to mimic nicotine in insects and disrupts normal nerve functioning, essentially shutting down the nervous system. Flumethrin is a type of pyrethroid insecticide that fights ticks explicitly. Pyrethroids are a form of man-made pesticides comparable to the natural pesticide pyrethrum or pyrethrins.

Cedar oil blocks octopamine, which is needed by insects to regulate heart rate and metabolism. A mosquito study conducted in Thailand found that lemongrass essential oil at 10 percent concentration killed 100 percent of three types of mosquitoes within 24 hours of exposure. Citral is the main component of lemongrass with biological effects on insects.

Geraniol is related to citronella and found naturally in plants and studies report it causes dehydration and suffocation. A larvicidal and ovicidal (egg killing) effect was also documented for some species, in addition to geraniol being repellant of ticks and mosquitos.

Citronella oil repels insects rather than actually killing them. Citronella works by masking scents insects find attractive. Therefore, insects find it challenging to locate their target to feed.

Ticks attach to and feed off animals by their mouths. There are several diseases associated with ticks, not just for your pet but also for you and your family. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is among many of the illnesses that ticks can transfer through bites. Symptoms of RMSF are excessive fatigue, sluggishness, and, of course, high fever.

Ticks are most known for carrying and spreading Lyme disease. Lyme disease is also spread through tick bites and can become a chronic condition. Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, overwhelming fatigue, severe headaches, and rash.

A flea might be small, but they can provide massive health risks. Not only can they make you and your pet itch like mad, but they’re also a frightening conduit of some serious diseases. All it takes is a single bit to contract an illness from a flea, and when you have an infestation, your pet can be covered in flea bites.

If the fleas fed off of infected rats, squirrels, or other rodents in some areas, they pose the threat of plague. That’s right, the “black death” or bubonic plague is still active today. In some parts of the world, it’s been a recent problem watched by the World Health Organization. However, it’s not just in remote areas. Western areas of the United States have the plague, and fleas are one of the easiest ways for it to spread.

Once fleas enter your house or apartment, getting rid of every last one requires an intensive program to destroy the infestation. Eradicating your home of these tiny insects will require you to take steps that include daily vacuuming, thorough washing of all clothing and bedding, killing the fleas on your pets with medicines and shampoos, and if needed, treating areas in your yard that your pets like to rest or play.

Preventing fleas and ticks can be far less hassle than dealing with hundreds of these tiny insects taking over your home, or worse, contracting a disease from them. If you’ve tried the sprays or your cat does not handle monthly one-dose treatments very well, a flea collar is worth a shot.