The purpose of making an essential oil flea collar for cats is twofold.
Firstly by making a flea collar using essential oils, you will avoid using a cat flea collar
that is laced with chemicals.
Your cat or someone else’s cat you know, may have had an allergic reaction using a chemically based cat flea collar.
This is often the reason that people turn to natural options for treating fleas in cats.
Secondly, the other highly compelling reason to make a flea collar using essential oils is cost. Flea collars can be expensive.
You can make a cat flea collar using essential oils, for a fraction of the price compared to buying a commercially made collar.
There is initially an outlay for purchasing the essential oils. The oils last for a long time and we are talking about using drops, so a little goes a long way.
Essential oils also have a myriad of other uses in the home so a win win, once you have made the initial outlay.
How To Make An Essential Oil Flea Collar For Cats
What You Will Need
- ½ teaspoon alcohol – vodka – unflavored
- 1 drop cedar-wood essential oil
- 1 drop of lavender essential oil
- 1 drop of citronella oil
- 1 drop of thyme essential oil
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable, almond or apricot kernel oil
- A fabric collar
How To Make The Infusion For An Essential Oil Flea Collar
This natural flea collar provides a mild deterrent but may not be as effective as vet approved flea treatments.
How To Make The Infusion For An Essential Oil Flea Collar
1. Stir all the ingredients together.
2. Soak the collar (see below For Notes About the Collar) in the solution to absorb the oils.
3. Lay the collar flat to dry. When the collar is thoroughly dry, it is ready to use.
4. Re-soak or replace the collar as needed – every two weeks or so or when you notice that the collar is losing some effectiveness.
5. Depending on the size of the collar you may need to add another teaspoon of the carrier oil.
About The Fabric Collar – Make or Buy!
Make A Fabric Flea Collar
If you are crafty you could always make the collar.
If you are comfortable using a sewing machine, this is a particularly good video showing how to make a collar.
It has easy to follow directions and gets straight to the point. Yay!
The demonstration shows a collar for dogs, however the same basic principles apply to making a collar for your cat.
Or Buy A Readymade Collar – Reflective Cat Collar – Set of 6
Buy a soft fabric collar.
These ones come in a bulk pack of 12 which is useful because you can make two at the same time. This gives you one as a spare or back up.
You would still have spare collars to use as needed. Plus they are inexpensive.
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Specifications
These cat collars are reflective and come with bells (can be removed if desired).
The cat collar is a breakaway collar. The size is adjustable from 19 – 32 cm.
This is a 12 pack.
Note: You may prefer to buy or make a collar made from cotton fabric, as one reader suggested. Nylon will be harder wearing, however using cotton may be your preference.
Suitable for small dogs also. Can be used for indoor cats and outdoor cats.
Another natural option for controlling fleas is Neem oil. Neem oil is a natural product and has anti bacterial properties. Neem oil repels a number of insects and bugs.
Why Is Alcohol Used In An Essential Oil Flea Collar?
Alcohol is used because it creates sillage.
Sillage is a term most often used when referring to making perfume.
Sillage refers to the degree that a scent will linger in the air.
The alcohol helps the odors from the oils to dispel through the air more effectively.
The Carrier Oil
The apricot kernel oil in this recipe is used as a carrier to dilute the essential oils.
This means the collar will be soaked evenly.
It would be very difficult to apply the essential oils just using the essential oil drops without using the carrier oil.
Almond oil would also be a good choice or a vegetable oil.
Note: Don’t use more than the recommended amount of carrier oil or you will end up with an oily flea collar.
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Cautions About Using Essential Oils
Do not apply 100% strength essential oil directly on to the fur or skin of your cat, as essential oils are highly concentrated.
Unintentional misuse of essential oils can have disastrous consequences.
This link to the Pet Poison Helpline outlines the essential oils that cats have trouble metabolizing.
Please observe the cat carefully when the collar is first applied, to ensure that there are no allergic reactions or skin and fur disturbances.
What are the best natural choices to control fleas in cats if we don’t want to use chemicals for flea treatment?
What About Garlic?
Fleas do not like garlic, so it may be assumed that garlic would be a good inclusion for natural cat flea control, however cats cannot tolerate garlic and it can be fatal.
Although a cat is unlikely to have severe consequences from an unintended lick of a sauce containing garlic, it is still best practice to avoid garlic altogether.
Don’t be tempted to use garlic as part of flea control for your cat.
Refresh the essential oil flea collar weekly, with a few drops of the essential oils to keep it active and working to control fleas.
You may need to do this more often depending on how well the oils are working to contain the fleas.
Just a quick wipe with non toxic cat flea wipes and there will be an extra layer of protection from fleas
The Oils You Will Need
Cedarwood Essential Oil
- 100% PURE & NATURAL CEDARWOOD OIL – Handcraft Blends oils are exactly that! Many oils being sold make…
- PREMIUM GRADE & QUALITY – All Handcraft Blends Essential Oils are tested by an independent lab to test…
- HIGH QUALITY GLASS BOTTLE AND DROPPER – Our essential oil comes in an amber glass bottle to keep out UV…
- VERSATILE FOR DIY PROJECTS – Perfect for aromatherapy, massage, skin care, and DIY soap making…
Thyme Essential Oil
- Travel Bottle: 10ML travel bottle with dropper, easy to carry out and share with friends
- Nourish the Skin: Thyme essential oil is often used to nourish the skin. Dilute 1-2 drops of thyme…
- Make Your Hair Better: The properties of thyme essential oil can promote hair growth, reduce dandruff…
- Purify the Air: Add 1 or 2 drops of thyme essential oil to the diffuser to purify the air. The herbal and…
Lavender Essential Oil
- 100% PURE & NATURAL LAVENDER OIL – Handcraft Blends oils are exactly that! Many oils being sold make that…
- PREMIUM GRADE & QUALITY – All Handcraft Blends Essential Oils are tested by an independent lab to test…
- HIGH QUALITY GLASS BOTTLE AND DROPPER – Our essential oil comes in an amber glass bottle to keep out UV…
- VERSATILE FOR DIY PROJECTS – Perfect for aromatherapy, massage, skin care, and DIY soap making…
Citronella Essential Oil
- Ingredients & Aroma: Sourced from Indonesia and extracted using traditional steam distillation, our…
- Multi Purpose: Citronella essential oil is a versatile naturopathic ingredient that can be used not only…
- DIY: Add citronlla essential oil to aromatherapy, massage oils, diffusers, humidifiers, sprays, laundry…
- Multiple Usage Scenarios: Add 1-2 drops of Citronella essential oil to the washing machine to wash…
Last update on 2026-03-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Hi, would this work to prevent ticks as well? Thanks for the guide!
Q. When I hit the link for the 6-pack of collars on Amazon, I see that the collars are made of nylon. When I think “fabric,” I think of cotton, linen, etc. Will nylon work for the DIY flea collar?
Thank you for pointing out the cautions. People don’t realize how dangerous essential oils can be for cats.