Fleas in Backyard

First, if she does not have the cats spayed and neutered she will end up with WAY more than 15+ so that may be something to do first. Hopefully they would do a flea treatment on the cats when they are under so that would give relief for about a month.

I did some online research and apparently fleas hate salt and peppermint oil. Maybe dilute some peppermint oil with water and spray it over the lawn, that might help. Good luck, I know feral cats can be a problem, I recently had to take care of a mama and 5 kittens in my yard. Everyone is spayed and neutered now, with a good home, but it was a LOT of work.

Fleabusters is great and really works! My friend got a motion sensor sprinkler that would spray the cats that came into her yard; they don't come back now and she doesn't always have the sprinkler on any more. I think she got it at WalMart, but it may have been Home Depot or another big hardware store. I have read about a stinky plant that is supposed to repel cats, too, but I haven't tried that. If you Google cat repel plant, I think it comes up with the name.

I think it was a typo. If they were her cats she wouldn't call them strays. I think the sentence was intended to be, "...brought about by stray cats visiting her yard." by not my.

Anyhow, I'm sure someone who would come to spray for fleas would not spray up high where the fruit grows, but along the edges of the yard, down low, where the fleas live.

There are a number of things she can do to get rid of the cats. Trap them and bring them to the pound. If she doesn't leave her address, they can't give them back. If she really doesn't want to argue with anyone about the cats, she can cut the loss of the cages and just leave them all caged in the front of the pound and drive away. They will probably be destroyed as in this economy I doubt there are many people looking for another mouth to feed but it's an option.

She could buy a dog. One dog in that yard will cause those cats to find new stomping grounds. They hang out there because they feel safe.

You could get motion activated sprinklers to place around and when the cats come in the yard they'll get squirt and leave. This suggestion was highly rated as being the most effective aside from buying a dog. Here is a link to a popular sprinkler: http://tinyurl.com/338ku5h

You can buy coyote or wolf urine. You can buy it as a spray. Hit the top and bottom of your fence and all around the perimeter and the cats should stay away. Needs to be reapplied after it rains.

You can lay chicken wire where the cats like to poop and it should deter them from hanging around.

You can get chicken wire and line the top of your fence with it to keep them from jumping over. Dig a little tunnel directly below the fence; two inches wide and six inches deep, then fill the tunnel with quick cement, this prevents cats from digging their way into your yard.

Invest in plants that are repulsive to cats. Naturally repel cats by planting peppermint, geranium, rue, lavender, garlic, lemon grass and thyme.

Repel cats with citrus; oranges, grapefruit, lemons and lime peel. Eat the fruit but keep the peels. Dice the peel into smaller pieces and place in your flowerbeds. Then toss the peel wherever you want, cats detest citrus. Only one problem, you will have to replenish your peels once a week.

Brew some coffee, enjoy a cup but do not throw away the grounds. Sprinkle coffee grounds in your yard and flowerbeds. Not only does coffee repel cats, it also keeps the raccoons, slugs and snails away.

I have no idea if any of these ideas will work as I've found them suggested all over the internet. The only one I have any confidence in is trapping them and leaving them at the door of a shelter so they can either be adopted out or destroyed.

They make products to help keep cats away. One is a nasty smelling spray, another is a type of sprinkler/scarecrow. I suggest trying one plus getting something to treat the ground with. We treat our yard a few times a year for ticks, fleas, and grubs I don't know the name of what hubby picks up but it is safe for kids and animals to be around.

Here are some plants that are natural flea repellers. Maybe add them to the landscape.

Keep flea-resistant plants. Make the exterior of your home less attractive to fleas by growing flea-repellent plants. Plants like mint, rosemary and tansy have flea-repellent properties, and using eucalyptus mulch works as a flea repellent, too. Grow these plants near doorways and windows for added protection.

Read more: How to Control Fleas Without Chemicals | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_control-fleas-chemic...

I love Nicoles suggestions. We had issues with stray cats last year nad it was miserable. We had a momma give birth to 4 kittens under our deck so we waited until they were old enough. We fed them because we didn't want them to starve. Then we got a big metal cage and fed them inside it for a day. The next day they were all in there and I trapped them. I used twine on the door and had it going into the house. I quietly sat at the slider and then pulled the door shut once they were all inside. I felt bad but it had to be done. We took them to the animal shelter and they kept them. They do say that if they are skiddish they will get put down but we don't need more cats. Does she have a food source out back? That will draw them to her yard too. We have an outdoor cat and used to feed him outback. Thats how we ended up with that stray, along with neighbor cats wanting free food, racoons and skunks! YIKES! We have trapped 3 racoons. That was expensive. We now feed our cat in the garage and nothing comes in the yard anymore. Al though our cat has friended a stray kitten that we don't know what to do with.

We used Ortho flea killer, you attach it to the hose and spray. I know that's not what she is looking for. We had to do that a few times before we could finally play in the backyard again. My son and I would get eaten alive, our daughter was blessed with dads blood, they hardly get bit by fleas or mosquitos. =)

We always used Sevin Dust when we had fruit trees. Fleas can be very detrimental to people so it is a good product but should be used properly.

Here's a link:
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_kill-fleas-sevin.html

Another thought:
We have some stray cats in my neighborhood and we don't mind a bit. We used to have a big mouse problem and don't anymore.

I would tell her to drop the cats off and not give them a return address! Just found this for you also...
http://www.petplace.com/keeping-your-cat-out-of-the-sandb...

You can also purchase nematodes that ingest flea larvae. That is another natural way to control flea populations. I would look in the garden section of Home Depot/Lowe's etc or your local nursery. The diatomaceous earth also sounds like a good idea that may help control things naturally.

Besides fleas you have to worry about other parasites the cats may be shedding. Roundworms (ascarids) and toxoplasmosis may be shed in cat feces. Both of these can be zoonotic (infections people acquire from animals). Trapping the cats and surrendering them to the shelter where they will most likely be euthanized should be considered. The only problem being that any remaining cats will likely reproduce and "fill any gaps" quickly. Using the "rain bird" motion detection sprinklers may be a good way to deter cats from the area. One other person posted some other natural ways to deter cats - citrus oils, coffee grounds, etc. Haven't tried those personally but they would definitely be safe and might help as well. Good luck!

The area where I live is saturated with fleas. It's an area thing, and has nothing to do with any animals. We learned long ago that we cannot control the fleas outside, but just keep vigilant care of pest control inside. I live at a motel, and we have regular twice a week spraying done for pests. The spray is non toxic, and will not affect your health. I had a white fly infestation on my tomato plants two years ago and they would spray directly on the plants without hesitation. Once in a while we get a flea inside so I just clean and vacuum, including inside and under all the furniture. I also keep fresh flea collars in my vacuum bag/containers so they will be attracted to those and not come out of vacuums.

As to the cats (which I believe are not the problem) if she wants them not to come to her yard I sugest a "scarecrow". This is a battery powered, motion sensitive, sprinkler. Works for keeping away raccoons and deer too. Just hook it up to your hose, set the sensitivity, and walk away.

You say "your" stray cats. If they are indeed your stray cats, you should take them in and have them fixed and treat them for fleas. That would help, I'm sure. I am wondering if you really need 15 stray cats - maybe you could take them to the Humane Society and let them be adopted??
That would eliminate the source of the flea problem...
That said, fleas come from outside... She will have to treat her yard to eliminate them.
LBC

Hi A. -

I would try some essential oils - I know this sounds crazy, but if she watered in her back yard once in awhile with a water jug and essential oils added to it, it would soak into the ground. I don't think she'd have to use it all the time. Contact me for specifics.

The essential oils would be able to take care of inside for sure.

The other thing she might do is go online and look at 'companion gardening' - there may be some info on what to plant near and around to repel the fleas.

Blessings,

B. C.
Holistic Wellness Coach
Certified Applied Aromatherapy Instructor
Hypnosis Cert.
and more..........

I've heard that Borax works. I'd go to a garden center to ask about both the cats and the fleas. You might carry a water gun to spray the cats so they won't want to go into your yard.

Research and see if DE powder would help. I have read that it helps with ants....and it is put in swimming pools, so is earth and human friendly. It stands for Diatomeceous (spelling?) Earth.

Put Eucalyptus all over the ground.

Fleas are not only brought about by the stray animals,it can be the area in which she lives as well. We used to live with a bird estuary as part of our back yard and we got fleas in our house that I just couldn't understand. When I contacted a vet to get flea bombs for my house they told me everyone in our area got them.

This won't help with fleas, but if she grows catnip in the yard, the cats will usually go elsewhere to do their business. Cat's don't poop where they eat and play, so she may be able to control the amount of cat debris left behind with a patch of catnip on the edge of the fence the cats use to get in/out of her yard.

15+ stray cats sounds like an infestation of cats to me! That many animals competing for space can mean they have more problems than just fleas, and they've got to be pooping somewhere. The Humane Society might be humane, but it won't be long before someone (any neighbor could call at any time) calls animal control and they might trap the cats and put them up for adoption, but the animals that are too sick will be destroyed. Crowding animals is never good for the animals.
Additional: Fruit trees? It might be ticks more than fleas. Cat problem aside, ticks can spread some pretty nasty diseases (Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, etc). She might have to trim/prune undergrowth and get some control of her yard.