If your like me , you like trying natural cures for health concerns, instead of using pesicides. I have had flea collars that rubbed sore spots on my cat's neck or caused contact dermatitis.
Cats might chew on each others collars, while breathing in the vabors that these products emit. The powders can get on your furniture or transfer onto your hands and onto your food as well.
Flea bombs can fill your house with a poisonous flammable powder cloud, that could cause an explode if you leave your stove pilot lights lit.
Natural Flea Repellents include:
Using dried pennyroyal around the outside of your house and lawn. Or sprinkle around inside your home and under the cushion on your cat's bed. (Do not use the oil, as it could pose serious health issues for cats).
Sprinkle lavender oil on 2-3 quarts of rock salt and let the salt absorb the oil. Sprinkle under dressers and sofa, and on your rugs.
Feed your cat brewer's yeast. The yeast gives the skin an oder that fleas do not like. To prevent gas problems, put the yeast in small amounts in moist cat food.
A friend of mine rubs the brewer's yeast in her cats fur and says this too helps prevent fleas on her cats.
If your cat is allergic to yeast, buy rice-based B-complex vitamins at your local natural food store.
I'm particularly interested in the brewer's yeast method where you directly rub it on the cat's fur. The other methods you have written seem to require a lot of work though. Should be easy enough to find yeast in the market.
A friend of my sister recommended rubbing gin on cat's furs which stun the fleas but does not get rid of them. An immediate bath is required to easily get rid of the stunned fleas and eliminate the possibility of the gin being ingested by the cat.
I used Zodiac-brand flea collars once and instantly, both of my cats started foaming at the mouth. I took them off immediately and washed their fur. While it was scary, it didn't have any other consequences. That was the last time I ever used flea collars. It also made me wonder why I never thought how terribly uncomfortable they must be for cats: that stuff stinks.
I've heard of people using garlic pills to make a cat flea-repellent, but I would never do this. I know onion is terrible for both cats and dogs, and I believe even garlic can make them anemic. Sometimes, natural cures can be equally as dangerous as the pesticides. Scary article about garlic and onion toxicology in dogs and cats. I'd recommend that everyone be very, very careful about giving their cat anything, no matter how safe or natural it seems, or how many commercial websites promote it.
I've used Advantage a few times with no ill effect, but I still hesitate to use any flea treatments. Now I just try to keep them contained indoors in a flea-free zone; the chihuahua gets baths as needed. It seems to be working so far.
We've never used natural methods but I do like the sound of the brewer's yeast. We have two indoor cats, but after a nasty go-round a couple of years ago, during a particularly bad flea season, I'm pretty paranoid. I DON'T want to go through that again! My poor girl was miserable by the time I realized what was wrong (HOW could she get fleas, since she's always been ONLY an indoor cat? Well...I brought them home from a friend's house....and that person had an indoor/outdoor cat.)
Do any of these things bother the cat though?, I guess that's what concerns me too. I wonder if all of these strong smells might make them nauseous or uncomfortable. Lavender for example, gives me a headache for some reason - especially if its in the form of concentrated essential oils. I worked with a guy who would eat a whole head of garlic every day, and he would give off this awful smell that would make all of us miserable all day at work. I might keep an eye out for changes in their appetite or unusual behavior too.
Flea Free Cats 
