Tar soap kills fleas. The use of tar soap in the fight against fleas

Tar soap is considered relatively safe and non-toxic for cats. Plus, it's cheap. Thus, compared to expensive chemicals, which act as killers on fleas, tar soap is very beneficial if the cat does not have an individual intolerance to the components.

That is why the use of tar soap is allowed even for kittens 5-7 weeks old, although toxic drops and sprays are prohibited for them.

Unlike many anti-flea products, tar soap does not dry out the skin. However, after it, the coat becomes stiff.

Is it efficient?

wash the cat tar soap very simple. First, follow the instructions for washing cats in general. Secondly, unlike concentrate shampoos, tar soap can not be pre-diluted in water, so that it can then be applied to the coat. They can foam the cat right away. Many people run the soap directly over the wool to lather it. Soaped cat needs to be held for 5 minutes so that the components have time to act. After that, everything must be thoroughly washed off so that the cat itself does not eat tar during the licking process.

During the drying of the cat, fleas will need to be selected and combed out. Many of them will be in a semi-active state, so this is easy to do. A comb for combing fleas should be with very small gaps between the teeth.

Tar soap can also be used as a prophylaxis, for example, after walking a pet on the street. If a couple of fleas got on it, the problem will be solved before it even occurs.

We are talking about the well-known tar soap, which has long been used by people in the fight against lice. It should immediately be noted that the ability this tool killing the latter is nothing more than a myth.

The fact is that tar has a calming effect on the skin, accelerates the healing of wounds from insect bites. This is what caused the soap to be used for pediculosis. It does not help with lice, but it can alleviate the patient's condition.

Birch tar, which is part of the soap, contains small amounts of phenol and some other toxins. They have a negative effect on the body of the flea, but long-term exposure is necessary to achieve this goal.

Compared to others modern drugs(drops, collars, tablets) tar soap for fleas in cats has a rather low efficiency. However, the tool is used for pets quite often.

Benefits of birch tar soap

Along with a significant drawback in the form of not being able to kill fleas, tar soap also has a number of advantages:

• it does not enter the bloodstream, acting locally, and thus does not affect the animal's body;
• there are no side effects;
• the healing process of wounds inflicted by fleas on a cat is accelerated;
• has low cost and high availability.

Unlike many others, more effective means, tar soap can be used if we are talking about pregnant and lactating cats. Cubs are allowed to be treated with the product, starting from the age of four weeks. People who are afraid to harm their cat choose tar soap. However, removing fleas in this case will be much more difficult and longer.

How is soap used?

Tar soap is available in the form of solid briquettes or in liquid form (like shampoo). Before use, the cat's fur should be wetted. warm water and then apply the product.

If the animal does not tolerate bathing, you can beat the foam and thoroughly coat the whole body with it. pet. In this case, care must be taken that the product does not get into the eyes of the animal. It is recommended to pay special attention to the neck, the area behind the ears and the abdomen.

Then wait five to seven minutes and wash off the product under running water. The next few days the cat will exude bad smell, which will force insects to leave her coat. Then the procedure must be repeated.

At the same time, the owner must understand that the scattered fleas will not die immediately. They will crawl around the house, hide in carpets and other things, waiting for the moment when it will be possible to return back. Human beings will become their source of food. You need to get rid of fleas by treating the home by special means by vacuuming it thoroughly.

Thus, it is possible to rid a cat of fleas with tar soap. It is available and harmless. However, you will have to be patient, spend a lot of time and effort.

VETERINARY CONSULTATION REQUIRED. INFORMATION FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

Auxiliary components are water, thickeners, stabilizers and other substances. Birch tar, which is part of the composition, gives a specific smell and dark brown color.

Which soap is better - liquid or solid?

Now on the shelves of stores there is liquid tar soap and in pieces. Each form of release has its advantages and disadvantages, so it's hard to say which is better. Hard pieces are more common. They contain only natural ingredients, but the disadvantage is the inconvenience of use. They do not lather well, so you need to soak and prepare in advance.

Soap liquid containing tar has the same properties and effect. It is convenient to use (just press the pump one or more times), but often includes surfactants (surface active substances). They dry the skin excessively, which is especially noticeable with frequent use.

You can see the current price of soap and buy it now right here:

How to apply?

If you decide to use tar soap for cats, follow the steps in the following sequence:

It is equally important to treat the premises and prevent re-infection. To do this, the bedding is changed or washed, dishes, a house and other items of the animal are treated with steam. In the house, special insecticidal agents are used, giving Special attention places near the baseboards, under the bathroom, behind the cabinets.

To exclude the possibility of re-infection, it is advisable to use a collar before walking on the street, if there are no contraindications.

Contraindications

Tar soap has no contraindications. It can be used for kittens from 5 weeks old, for pregnant and lactating cats. Swimming is not prohibited if there are wounds, cuts or other injuries on the skin. Birch tar has an antiseptic effect and starts regeneration processes, accelerating wound healing.

Soap does not have a toxic effect on the body, so it is well suited for fighting fleas in debilitated and old animals, as well as those who have undergone surgery or serious illness.

The only contraindication is individual intolerance to the components. If irritation, redness or itching occurs, further use of the product should be abandoned and an alternative should be found.

Advantages and disadvantages

The benefits include:

• availability and low price (about 50-60 rubles);
• high efficiency;
• natural composition;
• absence of harmful substances;
• possibility of use for small kittens.

The disadvantages are the following:

• a strong unpleasant odor;
• the need for reprocessing;
• the complexity of the procedure (animals usually do not want to swim).

In addition, the tool does not work against flea eggs, so you have to take additional measures.

In reality, things are a little more complicated...

Nevertheless, if the safety of the animal is put at the forefront, then it makes sense to use tar soap. This is especially true when breeding fleas in cats (they are generally more sensitive to insecticides than dogs), as well as in weakened animals, pregnant or lactating females.

Safety includes, among other things, a low probability of development side effects, which are far from uncommon for various insecticidal drops and sprays. Here are typical examples of adverse effects from the use of insecticidal drugs:

Feedback on the use of anti-flea drops:

“... No need to praise these drops. I gave them to my cat and kitten. Fortunately, everything is fine with the cat, but the kitten does not get up for the second day, does not eat anything, only meows when you touch it. It feels like it hurts when touched. I processed it according to the instructions, I bought drops at a veterinary pharmacy ... Now my conscience is tormenting me that I myself practically killed a kitten, but just recently I was jumping and playing ... "

Elena, St. Petersburg

And one more tip about using flea drops:

“I bought flea drops for my kitty. Inflicted. Oh my god what happened here! Runs around the house like a madman, yelling wildly! Tries to lick…”

Svetlana, Samara

Thus, the problem of safely removing fleas in cats and dogs is far from far-fetched, and in this respect, tar soap is really of interest. About what you need to consider in order to save your four-legged friend from fleas with it, we will go on and talk in more detail ...

Tar soap as an insecticide

Generally speaking, tar soap can be called an insecticide only with a big stretch. The main ingredient of this soap is Birch tar(contained in an amount of about 10% by weight) - is not able to quickly and effectively kill insects, including fleas, even with direct contact with the integument of their bodies.

On a note

Birch tar contains a certain amount of phenol, cresol and other toxic compounds that can have a detrimental effect on living organisms during long-term exposure. However, the poisoning effectiveness of tar soap is tens (or even hundreds) times lower than that of specialized modern insecticides (for example, from the class of pyrethroids).

At the same time, a pronounced deterrent effect of tar soap on most insects is known. Birch tar itself has long been used as a repellant in gardening, and in ancient times, people who lived in the taiga used tar to protect against mosquitoes and midges.

The photo below shows birch tar:

Indeed, both tar and tar soap prepared with its use have a very strong specific smell. Many people consider it unpleasant, although this is rather a consequence of the high concentration of tar in soap (about 10%). But it is the smell that helps to repel insects, including fleas, and not some other properties of tar.

It turns out that if tar soap helps against lice, then it is still capable of killing insects - which means it will also help against fleas?

The point here is that tar soap against lice practically does not help. Traditionally they were treated various diseases skin, including on the head - tar really contributes speedy healing scratches, wounds, various abrasions, it also relieves itching from insect bites. And it is not surprising that they washed their hair with tar soap for pediculosis - when lice bite, the head itches in the same way as with many other dermatological diseases.

In fact, there are no prerequisites for the fact that fleas can be poisoned with tar soap. In the literature there is no mention of the insecticidal activity of either tar or soap from it - only studies were conducted that confirmed the presence of pronounced antiseptic efficacy in tar (that is, it is able to destroy bacteria).

A few words about the properties of tar soap

In addition to the strong and not the most pleasant smell, tar soap has several more characteristic properties:

Another important feature of tar soap is its low price. One piece of it, which is quite enough for several baths of the animal, costs about 50 rubles (although in online stores you can find various versions of this soap that cost up to 600 rubles). Liquid soap with tar (or shampoo) is also suitable for removing fleas.

Given the availability and low cost, you can try to use tar soap against fleas as the first remedy, and if it suddenly does not help, then even then use a specialized more powerful tool containing synthetic insecticides. In addition, tar soap can be used in addition to other preparations, especially given that it is safe even for kittens and puppies.

How safe is this soap to use, including on puppies and kittens?

Tar soap, when used, very rarely causes even minor side effects.

In addition to drying the skin and coat of an animal, tar in the composition of soap can rarely cause allergic reactions. However, this risk can be called purely hypothetical, since cases of severe allergy to this agent in animals are not known today, they are described only in humans. It is noted that such allergic reactions are extremely rare.

Most likely, specifically in your case, neither in a dog nor in a cat (including a puppy or a kitten), tar soap will not cause any side effects.

“I have heard a lot about the benefits of tar soap, but I really don’t like its smell. I only take out fleas from my dog, she sometimes finds them on the street when she plays with other dogs. I used to use imported shampoos, and recently I tried tar soap on the advice of the seller. It turned out that it is about the same effective. After 1-2 baths, the fleas disappear completely, the dog feels good.”

Olya, Moscow

The procedure for removing fleas in dogs and cats using tar soap

So, in order to remove fleas from an animal using tar soap, you should proceed according to the following scheme:

1. The pet needs to be put in a bathroom slightly filled with warm water;
2. All animal fur is rinsed clean water until completely wet;
3. The animal is thoroughly lathered with tar soap until foam is obtained. It is highly desirable to lather, including the head, otherwise some of the fleas will simply move here and wait out the whole water treatment on dry hair of the head;
4. Then the foam is washed off with clean water (already at this stage, some of the fleas will be washed into the drain);
5. The procedure is repeated, but this time, after whipping the foam, the animal should be allowed to sit with it for 5-7 minutes;
6. At the end of the procedure, the animal's hair is rinsed with clean water several times, after which the pet can be dried with a towel.

Approximately 1-2 days after bathing, the animal's hair will continue to smell like tar (cats that have a less pronounced scent of their own smell especially long). Due to the smell of tar, fleas will not jump on the pet during this period, and at this time it makes sense to fight fleas in the house.

“We were very surprised when absolutely domestic cat found fleas. I don't know where he got them from. Maybe we brought it from the street. She put all his bedding in the wash, and the cat in the bathroom, she soaped it all with tar soap. It was evident that he did not like it very much, but he was calm with me, endured. Washed off, let go. I thought that it would stink for a long time, but no, the smell quickly disappeared. I washed it again two days later. And that's it, no more fleas."

Elizabeth, Moscow

An integrated approach in the fight against fleas (including in the apartment)

It is very important to remember that fleas can leave the animal's coat and live in an apartment outside the body of a cat or dog for quite a long time. Moreover, they can bite people for quite a long time and feed on their blood, and their small worm-like larvae can develop in garbage, in cracks behind baseboards, in piles of dust, in animal bedding and even in flower pots - wherever there is at least some organic matter that can be eaten.

“My neighbor advised me to bathe the dog (Bernese Mountain Dog) with tar soap to save it from fleas. And then she, poor thing, literally combed herself to the blood because of their bites. In general, a penny remedy turned out to be 40 rubles for one bar of soap. Already after the first bathing, the fleas became clearly smaller, almost did not itch. And after the fifth bath, all the fleas disappeared. Now I bathe my dog ​​once every month with tar soap. She constantly lives on the street in the summer, and there are no fleas on her.

Alena, Saratov

If you have experience using tar soap to remove fleas, be sure to share the information by leaving your feedback at the bottom of this page (in the comment box).

An example of bathing a cat with tar soap

And other pets against parasites. However, supporters folk methods recommend starting with "light artillery" and treating animal hair with tar flea soap. The obvious advantage of this tool is its cost and natural composition. How effective is tar flea soap in cats, reviews of its use are of concern to all owners of domestic animals who prefer natural preparations.

Advantages and disadvantages of the drug

Tar soap against fleas in cats was traditionally used by our grandmothers, when the range of insecticides was very limited. Appearance it resembles laundry soap only with a darker color. Its composition includes sodium salts, lemon acid, table salt, thickeners and main component- birch tar, which is a thick oily liquid with a pungent odor and black color.

On a note!

Tar soap is used not only to expel and repel fleas in animals, but also for, as well as in cosmetology. The tool helps to eliminate dandruff, acne.

The main advantages of using the drug:

How to use the drug

Tar from fleas in cats and dogs is available in the form of a solid, liquid soap, shampoo. For the treatment of cats, it is more convenient to use tar soap in liquid form, as it foams better and the bathing process will be faster. If the traditional hard soap from fleas, it is recommended to pre-soak a bar of soap in water until a thick foam forms. The use of a flea remedy is allowed in kittens whose age has reached 5 weeks, weakened and sick cats.

On a note!

It is not uncommon for pet owners to use laundry soap against fleas. But it does not have such a pronounced effect as soap with the addition of birch tar. Laundry soap from fleas in a cat, it is advisable to use if the pet is allergic to tar.

Used tar soap for fleas in the apartment. It is added to water for washing floors, treating walls, washing cat and dog accessories. It will not only help to destroy insects, but also thoroughly disinfect surfaces from microbes, mold. For the same purpose, green soap is used to kill garden pests.

You can not bathe an animal using tar soap for pregnant women and people with individual intolerance to smell. Due to the specific smell of the product, bathing the animal should be carried out in a well-ventilated area. Inhalation of tar aromas can provoke headaches, dizziness in humans and disorientation in animals.

Dustovoy soap against fleas

Dust flea soap in cats used to be very popular. The drug was universal for removing lice, nits, fleas and other pests. It contains a powerful toxic substance that can penetrate the chitinous cover of the insect and thereby contribute to its death.

However, 50 years ago, doctors in all civilized countries banned the use of preparations containing dust, due to the fact that toxic substances tend to accumulate in the body, which in rare cases leads to death.

For this reason, dust soap for fleas in a dog or cat is not used. Its use can lead to intoxication of the animal and even death. In parallel, it is recommended to conduct or independently process the premises using those available on the free market.