Natural Flea Collars-- Cheap, Easy and Non-irritating

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Fleas suck! Some dogs and cats are also very sensitive to flea control chemicals (like synthetic pyrethrin). Herding and toy-breed dogs, older animals and cats are especially sensitive to chemicals. These flea collars work best for pets who stay indoors most of the time and only go out side to play, walk and potty. Like most natural, organic products, these collars do not work quite as well as evil chemicals that have been rigorously developed and tested- But they do work suprisingly well for being so simple. These collars are also meant only to REPEL fleas- they will not clear up a pre-existing infestation. --WARNING-- Pennyroyal causes miscarriages when taken internally (like that Nirvana song), so if you're knocked up, or think you may be- stay away from pennyroyal altogether.

You shall require-
- a scrap of fabric wide enough to sew into a tube-shape and long enough to tie comfortably around your pet's neck.
- a small handful of dried or fresh pennyroyal (basil works too, but not as well)
- a needle and thread

Step 1: Get your stuff ready

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Get all your stuff together.

Step 2: Sew it up

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Fold your fabric in half, wrong side out and sew the long side up tightly.

Step 3: Flip it out

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turn your fabric tube right side out.

Step 4: Fill it up

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Hold the bottom of the tube closed and add the pennyroyal from the top (a funnel would probably be helpful here)

Step 5: Tie it on

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Tie your new flea collar around your pet's neck. There should be just enough room to comfortably fit two fingers between the collar and pet's neck. If you are ambitious, you could also sew a buckle, clasp or snap onto it, but you would prabably have to sew up the ends too. These collars will stay potent for 4-6 weeks. Please comment and tell me what you think!

thebugsquad says: Mar 14, 2013. 5:52 AM

I must admit, I dont usually recommend flea collars but this one is rather interesting. Although I wouldn't use Pennyroyal as its slightly toxic to cats, I am sure that something else could be used, I will have to check this out though as most essential oils are deadly for them.

However, I personally feel there are better flea control options then flea collars, even though they are fairly cheap. I know that some of the other free methods take a ton of effort, such as daily washing with dish soap and warm water (make sure you don your full armour suite :P), they are safe and effective. But as a pet owner, the decision is of course, completely yours but thats just my advice. Good luck!

soliphant says: Sep 25, 2011. 9:14 AM

This is incredibly dangerous. Plant extracts contain thousands of dangerous chemicals, and the effects are quite different on cats and on humans. A cat's skin is exceptionally delicate, and cats frequently have abnormal reactions even to well known remedies which have been properly tested and used on millions of occasions. There are much greater variations between the reactions to medicines of different individual cats than there are of humans. Plant remedies ARE DRUGS, it is not like using candle magic or crystals! There are probably a dozen different plants in the average garden which would give a skin rash to you or I, and different parts of the plant (petals, roots etc) would have different effects. In addition, herbalists know that different specimens of plants will have wildly varying concentrations of any active ingredient depending on soil conditions and weather etc. Look at the way different cats respond to 'catnip'! some love it, others clearly find it unpleasant. Some correspondents here are talking about human reactions to various plants - these will be totally different.

snobell says: Apr 26, 2011. 3:43 AM

True pennyroyal is toxic to most animals. Cats ingest toxins via their skins and by licking.
NEVER use essential oils, these act as neurotixins and can kill you cat. I use dried ground herb; Wormwood (Artemesia affra), Tagetes, Pyrethrum, Helicrysum and Lavender. Add to this some diatomaceus earth and cornflour. The herbs repel, the DE acts as an abrasive and grinds away at the flea's external skeleton causing it to die from dehydration. The cornflour helps to dry out flea eggs in the environment. Also maintain pet health with a natural de-wormer during flea infestations. For that I use ground dried pumpkin seeds mixed with ground dried carrot and some DE.

zanne101 says: Sep 6, 2010. 5:02 AM

I have been using red cedar oil (Cedarcide, Wondercide etc) for over a year now on my 2 cats. If you use the commercial flea/tick drops, it will reduce your pet's life by 25%. You do have to keep reapplying because it does not go into their bloodstream like the commercial stuff does. But if you're diligent and keep ahead of it, you should do fine, One thing in my favor, I don't have a lot of upholstered pieces of furniture - most have cushions I can wash. Otherwise I just spray wherever I think the little critters might take up residence. The red cedar oil (not all cedar oil is alike) works great on my cats and I also spray it lightly on my couch (where my cats like to perch) just in case they bring something back in with them, The red cedar oil is great for killing other pests too. With all the recent problems with bed bug infestation, if I were traveling and staying at a hotel, I would spray with the red cedar oil. It's totally non-toxic - just make sure you personally aren't allergic (everyone is allergic to something). Of course, everything smells like a cedar closet for awhile. :-} Bonus, you can spray on yourself/clothing (if you are not personally allergic) to repel mosquitoes/no-see-ums/gnats etc. I spray my lets before mowing the grass. I used to get chigger bites from the lawn - no more now!

littleangels says: Nov 5, 2008. 9:53 AM

Isn't the main ingredient for some commercial flea products made from chrysanthemums? Could one mine those and use them instead of pennyroyal? Or what about daiseys? Those stink.

Felicity the Ghost says: Aug 26, 2010. 12:05 AM

Chrysanthemums are also poisonous http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/17-common-poisonous-plants.html

Batness says: Aug 24, 2010. 4:09 AM

The idea to make your own "filled" collar is a great one, but pennyroyal is TOXIC to most common pets. Garlic isn't good either. Best thing to stuff the collars with is something infused with orange oil, eucalyptus oil (make sure the cat can't eat it though) or even lavender.

NanaMex says: Mar 1, 2009. 10:59 PM

Best flea AND tick control is a lot of garlic in their diets. 1-2 cloves per day is the target dose for cats. Easy if you make your own pet food, add increasing amounts until they get used to it, and add as late in the cooking process as possible for maximum effect. Use fresh where ever possible, but pre-prepared in a jar will do in a pinch.

anoderwanabe says: Jul 21, 2010. 4:09 AM

Garlic is highly toxic to cats. The N-propyl disulphide in the garlic basically shreds the cats Red Blood cells causing a kind of anemia.... Therefore, dont use it

Turtleholmes says: Apr 7, 2009. 4:48 AM

Seriously? Just the same as vampires, then? That's pretty awesome. Yet another piece of proof to go in my "Vampires are real, but Buffy staked Edward" book.

superMacaroni says: Mar 30, 2010. 7:58 AM

Pennyroyal is toxic for pets....

Go buy some "Flea drops". They're about 90 bucks, but it's worth it.

Green Silver says: Oct 17, 2009. 3:07 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyroyal
Dried pennyroyal should not be used as a natural flea repellent due to its toxicity to pets, even at extremely low levels.^[8]

handyman05 says: Jun 12, 2008. 7:28 PM

pennyroyal should not be used in these. pennyroyal is toxic, especially in pets. it may be considered an herbal remedy for any number of conditions, but it has been shown to damage the liver. it is highly toxic; even in small doses, the poison can lead to death. Complications have been reported from attempts to use the oil for self-induced abortion. In 1978, a pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital two hours after consuming approximately two tablespoonfulls (30 ml) of pennyroyal oil; she subsequently died. Dried pennyroyal should not be used as a natural flea repellent due to its toxicity to pets, even at extremely low levels. I only say these things so that people will be careful about using a potetionally harmful substance on their pets and then wonder why they died. Ask your/a vet before using this.

martian742 says: Sep 10, 2008. 6:01 AM

I wonder why nobody considers this aspect. Any herb should not be used if you don't know all its effects.

hishealer says: Jul 29, 2009. 6:28 AM

So true! My favorite sites for research are: http://www.umm.edu/ and http://nccam.nih.gov/ and sometimes http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html

bgrassmann says: Feb 6, 2009. 6:24 PM

Another good flea repellent is to add brewers yeast to your cats food. You can buy tablets in the vitamin section. Just soak them in a small amount of water then crush them and add to their food. I use this for my cat and it works great. It is totally safe my vet recommend it when my cat was having reactions to the chemical flea meds.

sandiemom says: Jul 27, 2009. 1:16 PM

Brewers yeast is very helpful in getting rid of fleas! I was giving it to my cats (crush and mixed into soft food). I also made my own 'carpet fresh' with baking soda and borax and it worked pretty good. We have since found out that one of the cats is highly allergic to flea bites and we have to use the flea 'meds' now. QUESTION?...We tore out all the carpet throughout the house and have the original 1920s wood floors...will fleas live in the cracks of the wood or behind the base trim?

bgrassmann says: Jul 27, 2009. 2:21 PM

They shouldn't live in the cracks or behind the baseboards. They need something living to feed on. I had less flea problems when we got rid of all of our carpeting. I would vacuum really well to make sure all of the eggs are gone so you don't have new ones popping up. Another tip to try, is place a semi large glass bowl full of water in each room with a light shining on the water, for some reason it draws the fleas and they hop in and drown. You could also mix in some rubbing alcohol in the water to make sure they meet their demise. Just be sure your cats can't get to it or they might drink it. Hope that helps sandiemom!

kadewei says: Apr 17, 2009. 12:27 PM

GARLIC is TOXIC to cats!!!!!!! see http://www.vetinfo.com/ctoxin.html

Nenona says: Apr 8, 2009. 7:46 PM

I actually use Cedarwood oil on the back of their necks for ticks...we don't have a flea problem, just some of our kitties like to roam and I hate picking ticks off them. AND it's safe.

pyro13 says: Feb 17, 2009. 3:35 PM

Hmmm hide your stash on your kitty?

Imber says: Feb 12, 2009. 2:34 AM

This seems like a neat project, but I have on problem with it. If you have a cat that roams around outside, then you should use a break-away collar instead of just cloth. You could make a solution with the herb and soak the collar in it, and it should still work. Cats collars can get hung up on the tight spots they crawl through, and the break-away could save their life.

kcgirlintx says: Nov 20, 2008. 5:00 PM

You should always tell your source of information and I believe that Handyman05 secured his information from this source; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyroyal
If you have concerns please go there and read what it has to say so, you can make an informed decision regarding your pets life.
If is wasn't a toxin it would be a great idea however, there are many other natural flea controllers that may be used in this way, chrysanthemums being just one of them a few others are citronella, rosemary and wormwood, which are the most common ingredients in natural commercial treatments and can be found at health food stores and lawn-and-garden shops. For more info see; http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1985-05-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx?page=4 or
http://www.greendaily.com/2008/05/13/theme-week-pets-natural-flea-control/.

manicmonday says: Oct 29, 2008. 2:43 PM

Where do you find Pennyroyal? Thanks

TraumaComet (author) says: Oct 29, 2008. 4:58 PM

Look at a natural food store or a gardening center that sells alot of herbs. Make sure it hasn't been sprayed with any nasty chemicals, because that would kind of ruin the whole point of this being a natural alternative. Pennyroyal is in the mint family, so if you plant it in your garden, it will run rampant and you will be set for life.

Babyshoes says: Oct 12, 2007. 9:24 AM

How about using some of that stick on velcro stuff for a fastening? That way it would be properly cat safe, as it would come apart if the cat got the collar snagged on something. I haven't tried the stick on stuff, but it was the first thing I thought of when I saw this design! I guess you could also use the sew on velcro if you wanted it to be more secure.

nightninja87 says: Oct 13, 2007. 8:45 PM

great idea great project i did it it works great

martian742 says: Sep 10, 2008. 6:05 AM

Consult using this herb with your vet, handyman05 may be right.
Commercial anti-flea collars do have pass safety test, but this self-help doesn't, so it could be dangerous.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyroyal#cite_ref-6

TraumaComet (author) says: Oct 12, 2007. 6:35 PM

Velcro!!! That would work PURRRFECTLY!!!

hilary007 says: Aug 1, 2008. 5:38 AM

I love the idea, simple and natural. I have such a large Rosemary bush I am going to try that. I wonder if that would also work on horses?

pammy727 says: Apr 28, 2008. 6:21 PM

I have never heard of pennyroyal. Where do you find it.

royalestel says: Oct 15, 2007. 6:06 PM

Love it!

rimar2000 says: Oct 12, 2007. 5:57 AM

If this is true, it is a very great thing. Thanks.

BTW, please see http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-take-clear-pictures-for-Instructables-with-/

thewoodcarver says: Oct 11, 2007. 11:33 PM

look here It is also beneficial in cases of spasms, hysteria, flatulence and sickness, being very warming and grateful to the stomach. hmmm maybe feed it to my smelly dog