Diatomaceous earth pictures are unusual for a cat site. But are they? I think this is an underrated product for cat caretakers whose cats go out.
My cat goes out into the garden and picks up small fleas. I don’t know why they are always small. Perhaps it is because I always flea comb him and catch subadults! They haven’t grown up yet…
Anyway, I have purchased a box of the stuff from Amazon and I intend to try it out by dusting the area where he exits and entrances my home and I am going to judiciously put some into his fur as well.
Diatomaceous earth can be food grade. This means it can be eaten and farmers use it to manage intestinal parasites in livestock. Humans can also eat it.
It is an extremely versatile product. In respect of cat fleas it works by cutting the exoskeleton of the flea. The exoskeleton is the external skeleton. The outer surface of a flea is hard and it keeps the flea in the shape that it is. For us the skeleton is bone and it is hidden behind skin (and a bit of fat!).
Once the exoskeleton has been cut by the sharp edges of the microscopic diatomaceous earth its porousness absorbs the fluids inside the flea and kills it through dessication. This is a very clever way of killing fleas and I think it is a much safer way that using chemicals. However, I don’t know how efficient it is. That is why I have bought some.
I am reluctant to try Frontline or some other chemical on Charlie. I have a fear that it might hurt him. I’ll update this page after I have tried it out.
Pictures: I have taken the liberty to use two diatomaceous earth pictures that would appear to be usable on this site for educational purposes. The microscopic image comes from http://www.princeton.edu – thank you. And the “as seen” image comes from a page on Kathie’s Fitness Blog. In both cases I have provided a link and I claim fair use for the reason stated and because there is no commercial loss (perhaps gain) for the providing websites.
