Fleas can be a big menace despite being some of the smallest animals. These tiny insects can find a ‘safe haven’ in your dog, where they can feed on blood and multiply tenfold. Thankfully, your vacuum can be a powerful weapon when dealing with fleas. However, the big question is: can you vacuum fleas off a cat or dog? We’ll answer that in this guide and provide valuable tips to keep these pesky animals at bay.
Can You Vacuum Fleas Off a Dog?
Before we answer this critical question, let’s first discuss an interesting study by the Ohio State University. In this study, scientists concluded that fleas can affect humans, dogs, and cats. However, the scientists had some good news – fleas cannot tolerate vacuuming! It was discovered that vacuuming can kill these insects at all life stages.
According to the study, vacuuming showed a 96% success rate in killing adult fleas. In addition, the research found that vacuuming could eliminate up to 95% of eggs and larvae. They believe the brushes, suction power, and rollers can crush and kill fleas and their eggs. The scientists stopped short of specifying the fleas they experimented on.
So, yes, vacuuming is an effective measure to combat fleas on your dog or cat. You can make vacuuming part of your usual grooming schedule, and not a way to clean a dirty dog. However, you must do it carefully to avoid harming your dog. In the next section, we’ll discuss a list of dos and don’ts for vacuuming fleas off your dog.
Can You Vacuum Fleas Off a Cat?
Like your dog, cats have a body full of fur, making it imperative to regularly groom them to keep fleas at bay. However, cats are smaller or even more delicate than dogs. This can make it highly inconvenient to carry and clean your cat. In addition, you must be careful not to injure your cat while removing the fleas.
Due to their smaller size, you can consider other pest control methods. For instance, you can administer monthly or regular treatments using vet-approved products. You can also treat your felines’ bedding regularly to keep them flea-free. Overall, you can vacuum your cat, although the stakes are higher compared to dogs.
Risks and Safety Precautions for Pet Vacuuming
We can now all agree that vacuuming your pet, especially dogs, effectively eliminates fleas. However, there are certain dos and don’ts to remember to avoid harming your pet and make the vacuuming process more effective. Let’s list them below:
1. Use Low Suction
Most modern vacuums come with an option to adjust the suction power. Use the lowest possible suction to prevent harming your dog and blowing hair around the room. The last thing you’d want is to start cleaning loose hair in the room after cleaning your pet. Moreover, your pet can find the noise from the high suction power irritating.
2. Get Soft Brush Attachments
The best flea vacuum for dogs or cats should come with attachments for more efficient cleaning. However, you don’t want to use these attachments because they could create high suction and harm your pet. Thankfully, you can easily purchase a pet grooming attachment online or at the nearest store. These attachments often have soft bristles that should make pet cleaning a breeze.
3. Never Vacuum Near Sensitive Areas
This is one of the most essential points to keep in mind. Never vacuum your pet near sensitive areas like ears, eyes, nose, and genitals. That’s because your vacuum’s suction can injure your pet. Some pets can also find the loud noise in their ears irritating, triggering defensive reactions. Remember, dogs have excellent hearing and can find the vacuum noise unsettling.
4. Ensure Pet is Calm Before Vacuuming
Your dog can start to panic due to the vacuum noise. So, to avoid any defensive reactions, ensure your dog is calm before the grooming begins. You can reward your dog and praise it as you gradually introduce vacuuming. You can also start with the vacuum off and then switch it on once the dog is calm. Don’t forget to give your pet a treat and congratulate it after vacuuming.
Why Vacuuming Pets Alone Isn’t Enough
Unfortunately, vacuuming your dog alone may not be enough to kill fleas. While it can remove adult fleas, eggs, and larvae, it’s not a complete fix to remove fleas. The thing is that some adult fleas can hide in places where vacuuming cannot reach. These parasites can also repopulate from missed pupae and eggs.
However, don’t fret because there are several other measures that can help you effectively deal with these pesky insects. The most effective way to kill pet fleas is to use a combination of vacuuming and regular pet cleaning. You can regularly clean your pet using flea shampoos, which are readily available online or at the nearest pet shop.
While at it, focus on cleaning and vacuuming areas your pets spend most of their time. Ensure you regularly wash their dogs, rugs, or coats/jackets. You may also want to limit where your pet goes in your home as you battle the fleas. This way, you can reduce the spread of fleas in your home.
Don’t hesitate to call a pest control professional if fleas have overrun your home. These professionals can get access to the best insecticides and tools that wouldn’t be typically available to the public. They can fumigate your house to kill and eliminate adult fleas, eggs, larvae, and pupae. Remember, using insecticides without professional knowledge can be dangerous.
Combining Pet Vacuuming with Home Cleaning
One thing is certain: cleaning and vacuuming your home regularly can eliminate fleas. Daily vacuuming can suck protected and sticky pupae and kill any hiding adult fleas. In fact, some experts recommend vacuuming your space every day for a week to minimize flea infestation.
Sadly, vacuuming your home daily can be a stressful experience. That’s where technology comes in! You can get the best robot vacuums to enjoy a hands-free cleaning experience. These vacuums use modern technologies like AI and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to vacuum and clean your house without human intervention. You can even set daily cleaning schedules
The best robot vacuums from eufy also come with powerful suction, enough to suck and crush stubborn fleas. Most of these vacuums can deliver up to 8,000Pa of suction power, with some options hitting 20,000Pa. Interestingly, the best flea vacuum for cats or dogs can auto-adjust the suction power, depending on the cleaning surface.
Below are more features to look for in the best vacuum for pets:
- Flexible design and free pet cleaning attachments.
- Floor mopping capabilities with enough downward pressure.
- Self-maintenance capabilities like washing, drying, and refilling.
- Use secure and advanced filtration systems like HEPA.
- Low noise levels to avoid making your pet uncomfortable.
Alternative Flea Removal Methods for Pets
Besides vacuuming your pet and home, there are many other flea removal methods that you can implement. In this part, we want to share additional flea removal techniques to combine with regular vacuuming.
- Frequent Bathing: Bathing your pet regularly using medicated flea shampoos is one of the most effective flea prevention methods. Regularly bathing your dog can improve its coat and skin health by removing dirt, fleas, and parasites. Most experts recommend washing your pet every 4-6 weeks, depending on the dog’s fur.
- Medicated Treatments: Another trick is to use vet-approved preventive medication to keep fleas at bay. You can use monthly treatments, which can be taken orally or applied to the skin or fur. Alternatively, purchase a preventive collar for your pup to remove fleas, ticks, and worms. Prevention is always better!
- Purchase a Dog Flea Comb: A fine-toothed flea comb can help you with daily flea checks. These combs can help knock the parasites off your dog. You can use it in the bathtub to ensure the flea eggs and dirt are washed down the drain. Remember to ask your vet if you have any questions about using a flea comb.
Last Words
See, there are many different ways to kill fleas on your dog or cat. Vacuuming is one of those scientifically proven methods, as long as you do it carefully. Ensure you regularly vacuum and clean your home to prevent fleas from laying eggs and spreading. Of course, a robot vacuum should be handy if you want to clean your floor effortlessly. Hope this helps!
