Tag Archives: Hygiene

How to fight against fleas in a natural way

Recently, Claire suspected me (inequitably) of having fleas. All this because I scratched myself with too much insistence. Me. Pixie.

I was very hurt, and I went to hide under my front-roof. Claire is stubborn, she inspected with a magnifying glass ALL our beds and ALL our baskets in the house, and petted us against the nap, almost deloused like little monkeys, to see if she found a track of these parasites. Nothing at all.

As she’s a big follower of the precautionary principle, she has implemented the last natural trick she discovered : diatomaceous earth. She learnt recently that it was great and harmless to fight against fleas.

What is diatomaceous earth ?

Diatomaceous earth named « calcined », used to clean swimming pools, is to ban ! We speak here about diatomaceous earth of feed quality, named « amorphous », or « not calcined ».

The amorphous diatomaceous earth (dioxide of silicon) consists of very sharp marine microscopic fossils of seaweeds. It has an insecticidal action and without side effects ; strongly abrasive and drying, diatomaceous earth attacks the shell of numerous parasites and crawling insects which empty of their humidity and die by desiccation. It’s necessary to use it with caution because it can irritate eyes and respiratory tracts. It’s harmless for animals in case of licking.

How to fight against fleas with diatomaceous earth ?

Sprinkle beds, baskets, sofas, carpets … diatomaceous earth to clean them up. Avoid putting it too much, and distribute well uniformly. If possible, tap to bring down the surplus of powder. Let act a few hours before vacuuming.

You can also apply diatomaceous earth directly in the coat, against the nap (every 2 days in case of infestation). Avoid the nose and the eyes. Don’t make in and out movements which could create a cloud of powder : diatomaceous earth can be irritating for eyes and respiratory tracts. However, Claire would not do it, because it seems difficult to her to avoid a cloud of powder by applying Diatomaceous earth on a cat who is wriggling …

Diatomaceous earth is generally used dry, but it’s possible to create an anti-fleas spray :

A soup spoon (approximately 5gr) of diatomaceous earth
One liter of water
A bottle spray

Mix ingredients in the bottle. Spray beds, baskets, sofas, carpet,… Once dry, tdiatomaceous earth finds all its properties back.

Diatomaceous earth can also be used for dogs and birds. It also allows to fight against unwanted insects in the house.

Did you already know this natural way to fight against parasites ?

How much costs a cat ?

It’s useful to know it BEFORE adopting a cat, right ?

All the indicated amounts concern Switzerland, where life is rather expensive. If you don’t live in Switzerland, read first this example of household budget : it will allow you to put in perspective amounts given in this article.

Cat price

given or found : 0 CHF
shelter : 150 to 250 CHF
breed : 1000 to 2000 CHF

Identification microchip

pose and recording at AMICUS : 80 CHF

In our opinion, it’s essential !

Veterinarian

neuter (male): 80 to 100 CHF
spay (female): 170 to 200 CHF
vaccines = > 1x a year : 60 to 90 CHF
worm treatment = > 4x a year: 40 CHF
flea treatment => 4x a year if needed, or if your cat goes out : 50 CHF a year

The vaccinations expenses are higher first year for a kitten, because a reminder has to be done 3 weeks after the first vaccination.

Don’t forget that your cat can get ill or have an accident as our poor Angel Loupi : it represents additional veterinary expenses which can be important.

Insurance

120 CHF per year

A hospitalization or an operation is expensive ; an insurance is very useful to face these spending.

Food

bowls = > at least 2 for food and 1 for water : 12 CHF
food : 50 to 150 CHF a month

For the long-term health of your cat, avoid low-end food from the supermarket ! We teach you here how to read labels to better choose your cat’s meals. You can also choose to prepare him his meals yourself or to give him raw food, but then watch out the nutriments balance !

Toilet

litter box : 10 to 40 CHF
shovel : 2 to 5 CHF
litter : 10 to 20 CHF a month

Zorro is super economic : he does everything in the garden !

Basic accessories

transport box : from 25 CHF
cat tree: from 50 CHF (80 cms in 1m) or from 100 CHF (1m20 and more)
brushes and combs : 5 to 40 CHF
claws scissors : 5 CHF
diverse toys = > according to needs and renewal : variable
basket : from 20 CHF

According to your lifestyle, you may need maybe also a necklace, a harness, a leash, a pension, a cat-sitter, a passport, …

In summary, how much costs a cat ?

The first year, besides the price of the cat himself, it’s necessary to plan an additional budget from 400 to 700 CHF for the microchip, spay/neuter, the first vaccines, and the acquisition of basic accessories.

A healthy cat costs then between 120 and 250 CHF a month, all included.

Please, don’t adopt a cat if you can’t afford the basic expenses it involves !

Used with permission

Beautiful RouXy, red acrobat with three legs, crossed the Rainbow Bridge between Wednesday and Thursday. He was going to be 16 years old. We send soft purrs to his humans and the humans of our buddy Frimousse who took care him so well for several years.

Soft Cat litter from Schulze Heimtierbedarf

We were delighted to receive the Soft Cat litter to test on behalf of Schulze Heimtierbedarf. We didn’t know this brand at all ; the Soft Cat litter is a litter of vegetable origin, very absorbent, and clumping. It’s ultra-light.

This is what we can read on the label :

We liked this litter a lot. It’s pleasant under the paws, and it keeps its promises : it smells nothing and is very absorbent. Our wee-wee are transformed into well agglomerated compact balls which release no smell. We didn’t throw them in the toilets because we have a compost. The Soft Cat litter is also economical, and it’s enough to complete regularly the litter box instead of renewing everything. We didn’t need to change our box during several weeks.

The only drawback which we found is its lightness : if you like scratching strongly in your litter box, it risks to have it spread almost everywhere … It is better to have a litter box with enough high edges.

You will find the Soft litter Cat here (Europe) or here (Switzerland).