Tar soap for fleas on cats: effective and safe

Various medications are now sold to rid pets of fleas and other parasites. However, some owners still prefer to use folk remedies. One of the most popular is tar soap.

• 2 Effectiveness of flea control
• 3 Applications of tar soap

  3.1 Video: removing fleas from small kittens with tar soap

Composition and properties

Tar soap is used not only to combat fleas in cats and dogs, but also in the treatment of various dermatological diseases. And although there are now a large number of antiparasitic drugs on the market, the folk remedy is in demand. It includes the following components:

1. Birch tar is a natural component that has antiseptic and wound-healing properties. It contains benzoyl, which has a detrimental effect on the receptors of parasitic insects.
2. Sodium salts help maintain the water-salt balance of the epidermis and prevent its excessive peeling.
3. Alkali and phenol cause burns to parasites and can destroy fungi and pathogens.
4. Citric acid can repel fleas.

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

The product does not contain insecticides and cannot kill insects, although it has a negative effect on them. It is effective against adults, but does not help get rid of eggs and larvae, since the specific smell simply scares the parasites away from the animal. For application to give positive results, soap alone is not enough.

Why does tar soap repel insects?

Owners of furry creatures, encountering bloodsuckers for the first time, are wondering about the advisability of tar soap. Over the past two decades, veterinary science has made great progress. However, a simple drug is still used to this day in solving the flea problem and helps well.

The main element is birch tar. A viscous, sharp-smelling liquid with an oily black consistency. It is released when birch bark is steamed in special boilers. Gives the detergent a specific odor that is intolerable to fleas.

By repelling bloodsuckers, tar fights skin diseases, bacteria, and fungus. Improves the condition of the epidermis and coat, heals superficial abrasions and scratches. In addition to the listed areas, it is used in the treatment of sore throat, osteoporosis, respiratory tract, benign and malignant tumors.

Tar soap is available in solid and liquid versions. In addition to tar, the composition includes sodium salts, citric acid, and auxiliary substances.

Tar soap is available in solid and liquid versions

Which soap is better - liquid or solid?

Now on store shelves you can find liquid tar soap in pieces. Each release form has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it is difficult to say which is better. Hard pieces are more common. They contain only natural ingredients, but the disadvantage is that they are inconvenient to use. They don't lather well, so they need to be soaked and prepared in advance.

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

You can now see the current price of soap and buy it right here from Yandex Market with fast delivery:

Tar soap in medicine (video)

Tar soap cannot be considered a highly effective product. But as a preventive measure, it has no value - if you wash your pet with it regularly, then no fleas will want to settle in its fur. The dislike of fleas for the smell of tar can be used with great success, saving significant money on the purchase of pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of fleas.

What can I tell you new about such an old product that has been proven for generations? Nothing new or special. Therefore, I will simply list in what cases tar soap helped me out and how its properties can be strengthened and softened. Ready? Then let's get started

I have always treated tar soap calmly: the smell is not irritating. I washed my face with it a couple of times a week, and could replace shampoo in a fit of struggle with oily hair. My husband and father-in-law wash only with tar soap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ General information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tar soap, in addition to its characteristic aroma, has a number of useful properties

:

• disinfects;
• regenerates and restores the skin, which means it is suitable for the treatment of acne and inflammation;
• cleanses well and is therefore used to prevent fungal diseases;
• used in the fight against fleas and lice;
• reduces oily hair and treats dandruff.

Soap has all these wonderful properties thanks to birch tar,

which is about 10% in soap.

Weight

– 140 grams.

Smell

– birch tar. It may seem harsh the first time you use it, but it wears off quickly and therefore does not irritate throughout the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Methods of use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

The first trips to my father-in-laws, to the Republic of Tatarstan, I could not figure out why my face was stained and dandruff appeared in my hair, and the charms of thrush simply drove me crazy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Making tar soap at home ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

If the most important ingredient is tar, and it can be found at the pharmacy, why not make your own soap? The main thing is ventilation

We need:

1. Soap base / baby soap without fragrances (but easier with the base, less fuss and hassles).
2. Birch tar from the pharmacy.
3. Dried calendula flowers.
4. Olive oil or any oil that suits you (1 teaspoon per 100 grams of soap base).
5. Soap mold, keep in mind it can absorb the smell. I have several silicone ones just for this purpose.
6. A container in which the soap will melt.
7. Stirring stick.

“Softer” version of tar soap:

1. Melt the base in the microwave or in a water bath.
2. Add tar (1 tsp) and mix.
3. Add vegetable oil (at the rate of 1 tsp per 100 grams of base, it just won’t take more. And since the base is without oil, it washes gently anyway), mix.
4. Pour the mixture into molds and leave to remain.

Variant of tar soap with enhanced properties

1. The first 2 points are similar.
2. Dried calendula flowers (anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties) kneaded in hands. You can simply pour it into a mold, you can mix it with a soap base... The petals may settle. So I combine both options. I simply fill the petals with tar base. I let it set for 10-15 minutes, scratch the first layer with a fingernail or toothpick and fill it with the base with petals and tar.

How to use?

If you decide to use tar soap for cats, follow these steps:

1. Pre-lather the soap (you can soak a piece in water). If you use it in liquid form, these manipulations will not be necessary.
2. Wet the animal's fur thoroughly.
3. Lather the cat, avoiding getting the foam into the ears, mouth, and eyes to avoid irritation of sensitive areas.
4. Without rinsing off the foam, wrap it in an old towel and hold it for 5-7 minutes.
5. After this, rinse the wool thoroughly with water and dry it.
6. Gently comb the animal, removing parasites and their eggs.

If the infection is severe, then after the first soaping you need to wash off the foam along with most of the parasites, and then soap again and leave for 5-7 minutes. The procedure must be repeated every 2-3 days until the insects disappear completely. It is advisable to carry out the procedure together, since cats usually do not like bathing, so they try to run away.

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

To eliminate the possibility of re-infection, it is advisable to use a collar before walking outside, unless there are contraindications.

Disinsection of premises

Rules for disinfestation of premises:

1. If you have an animal, you need to wash the floors in your house every day. To eliminate flea larvae in an apartment, add vinegar to the water. Use the resulting solution to wash the floors and wipe the furniture and bedding of the animal with a damp cloth. For 1 liter of water you will need 1 tbsp. l. vinegar.
2. It is recommended to place fresh wormwood and mint in the corners of the apartment. This smell repels insects.
3. To re-treat the room, it is recommended to add chlorine-containing products to the water.
4. After getting rid of fleas, the animal's bedding must be thoroughly washed at a temperature of 90 degrees. Then iron it with an iron.
5. To prevent the reappearance of fleas, it is recommended to spray the room and furniture with a soda solution. For 1 liter of warm water 1 tbsp. l. facilities.

Fresh mint is a good remedy for killing fleas in an apartment.

Attention! If the animal has a lot of fleas, then professional help may be required to thoroughly disinfest the premises.

Contraindications

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

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

The only contraindication is individual intolerance to the components. If irritation, redness or itching occurs, you should stop using the product further and look for an alternative.

Precautionary measures

Just like humans, cats may exhibit individual sensitivity to certain drugs.
Rarely, but it can also be associated with tar soap. If your pet exhibits unusual behavior while using the product, you should immediately wash off the composition. If symptoms persist, contact your veterinarian. Frequent sneezing, coughing, excessive drooling, or fainting of the cat should alert you. You can test your cat for sensitivity by applying a little soap to a place where she will not lick it off. For example, on the skin of the withers. If after a day there are no negative symptoms, the product can be used to combat fleas. Another danger is soap suds getting on the animal’s mucous membranes. This can cause irritation, and if the cat eats the soap, it can cause stomach upset.

To avoid getting it in the eyes, you need to soap it very carefully, and also carefully monitor that the cat does not swallow the product.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages 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:

• strong unpleasant odor;
• the need for re-processing;
• complexity of the procedure (animals usually do not want to bathe).

In addition, the product does not act against flea eggs, so additional measures must be taken.

Product effectiveness

The main advantage of tar soap is safety for the cat. Unlike special means for combating fleas, it can be used on pregnant animals and kittens at any age (insecticides - only from two months).

Also, the tar in the composition has a healing effect on inflammation resulting from flea bites.

Other advantages:

• cheapness;
• beneficial effect on the skin and fur of the cat;
• soap can be used if the animal has wounds and scratches, unlike many aggressive chemicals.

Tar soap also has disadvantages:

• does not always get rid of fleas completely;
• repeated treatments are required;
• unpleasant odor for some;
• difficulty of use due to the need to wash the cat

There is a special tar soap for animals, “Clandestine,” which relieves pets of fleas.

Owner reviews

Alexandra, the kitten's owner:

“My daughter brought a cute kitten from the street. I was constantly itching and found fleas. They were afraid to use special drops because the kitten was very small (about a month old). They bathed with tar soap. When lathering, fleas jumped straight out of the fur. After repeated treatment 4 days later, Murzik stopped itching. An affordable and effective remedy, however, it is very smelly.”

Anna, owner of a 2-year-old cat:

“Our cat began to itch constantly. In some places it even scratched the skin. We went to the clinic, the doctor recommended German antiparasitic drops, but they did not help us. The cat continued to itch. On the advice of a friend, I bought soap with tar. After the first bath, the pet stopped itching, and the wounds began to heal.”

How safe is this soap to use?

When used, tar soap very rarely causes even minor side effects.

In addition to drying out the skin and fur of the animal, tar in soap can extremely rarely cause allergic reactions. However, this risk can be called purely hypothetical, since today there are no known cases of severe allergy to this drug in animals; they have been described only in humans. It is noted that such allergic reactions are extremely rare.

Most likely, in your particular case, neither a dog nor a cat (including a puppy or kitten), tar soap will cause any side effects.

Safety of use

1. If there are signs of an allergic reaction, both in animals and humans, stop using the drug immediately.
2. Disinfection is not recommended for women expecting babies. Sensitivity to any of the components may cause nausea and vomiting.
3. The room where anti-flea therapy is carried out must be ventilated. Since the smell remains on the wool for 24-48 hours, it is necessary to maintain air circulation to avoid headaches, dizziness, and disorientation in space.

If you find fleas on your pet, you should not rush to buy newfangled drops, powder or sprays. Drug intervention is not always justified. Proper use of tar soap will help your pets recover from illness in a simple and painless way.

Instructions for use

There are no special instructions. Flea soap is used in the same way as any other cosmetic product.

• The dog's coat must be moistened and the product must be applied. It should be noted that tar soap is sold both in solid form - in bars, and in liquid. Liquid soap makes it much easier to use. And for those animals that cannot tolerate bathing procedures, you can foam it in a separate container and apply the finished foam to the wool.
• After this, you need to thoroughly massage and distribute over all parts of the body. Particular attention should be paid to the area behind the ears, on the chest, belly, and near the tail. Make sure that the product does not get into your eyes.
• Leave to act for 15 minutes.
• Rinse off.
• Comb the fur and remove any remaining insects.

What else do you need to know?

There are some other recommendations and secrets for effectively using tar soap against fleas:

• if there are other animals in the house, then everyone must be washed, even if it seems that some of them do not have fleas;
• It is also necessary to treat the entire house with soap: carpets, floors, hard-to-reach places under furniture, baseboards, places where animals spend a lot of time;
• after bathing, pets need to change their bedding to clean ones, either throw out old ones or wash them well in hot water;
• even if pets do not have fleas, it is possible to use tar soap for prevention, since its smell repels parasites.

To get rid of fleas, you need an integrated approach using tar soap and some other means:

• Use wormwood, the smell of which repels animals. Use a broom of this grass to sweep the floor and spread the branches throughout the home.
• Lavender and eucalyptus oils are also effective due to their pungent aroma. There are different ways to use them: place them in an aromatic lamp, drip them onto the animal’s withers, dilute them in water and spray them around the house.
• Place garlic or geranium around the apartment, but only in places where pets cannot reach them.

Of course, this product has its drawbacks, but when asked whether tar soap helps against fleas, you can safely answer in the affirmative if you have patience and do everything correctly.

The result depends on the number of pests and the efforts of the animal owner. In dogs and cats, infestation with parasites can be noticed already at the initial stage, therefore, having noticed the first signs, you need to immediately begin pest control.

Many owners do not want to poison their pets with insecticides, putting them in danger. They choose a natural remedy, the use of which requires a lot of effort from them, but is harmless to the animal.

Expert opinion

Irgutanova Nina Nikolaevna

Practicing veterinarian, 13 years of experience.

It is also important that you can help kittens and puppies that have become infected with fleas from their mother; for them, pests pose a particular danger and it is simply unbearable to see the babies suffer.

Analogs

Instead of soap, tar flea shampoo or products with a similar effect can be used.

• Green soap. Strong natural insecticide. It is applied in the same way. Should not be left on fur for more than 30 minutes. Do not use on kittens or puppies until 8 weeks of age.
• Dust soap for fleas in cats is used once a month. Does not have a prophylactic effect. Suitable for therapy. Dust soap for fleas on dogs can be used every week.
• Laundry soap against fleas is a safe product that has no contraindications. Does not cause an allergic reaction on the skin of pets or humans. Strong antiseptic, but does not have insecticidal properties. Laundry soap for fleas is left on the cat's fur for about 30 minutes.

Expert opinion

Burmistrova Alena Valerievna

Breeder, 7 years experience.

Does tar soap help against fleas in cats? Pet owners tell dogs.