If your furry friends have ever brought ticks home, you may well have decided to go medieval on those little blood suckers with the most heavy-duty treatments you could find. And who could blame you? They carry disease, are tricky to remove, can lead to infections, and will make your little pal needlessly uncomfortable.
Before you reach for the nuclear options, consider the potential downsides for your pets. Strong chemicals found in tick-repellent collars, sprays and drops may cause skin irritation, respiratory reactions, lesions, and sometimes even worse.
Instead, you could opt for Natural Patch, or NatPat — a brand that’s dedicated to stopping ticks in their tracks without the need for harsh chemicals with its Pet Tick Repellent Stickers. You can pick up a pack of 48 for £19, with discounts applied on the bundles, and even more savings to be made if you subscribe for a regular delivery.
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These little stickers are designed for attachment to your pet’s collar, preventing on-skin contact and meaning they won’t be washed away if you give them a bath. They’re powered by natural ingredients including: fractionated coconut oil, geranium, cedarwood, and vetiver essential oils. The stickers themselves are made with bamboo fibres, and their patented Aroma Weave technology ensures the oils maintain their potency and keep your pet protected.
NatPat also produces Pet Zen Calming Stickers (for the same price) which help to soothe your pet and minimise their stress. During the festive period, cats and dogs alike can feel terrorised by regular fireworks outside, especially if you live in a city — rather than plugging a chemical-based soother into a socket, give these all-natural patches a go and see if they don’t keep your pet as cool as a cucumber.
NatPat has a solid reputation at TrustPilot, with a 4.4 out of 5 rating from over 3,500 reviews. “Stickers arrived today, I put them on my dogs’ collars and they have already stopped barking,” said one five-star review for the Zen Pet stickers.
“The website is fun to navigate and delivery is prompt,” said another five-star review. “The product itself is the hero though. Pet Zen helped my puppy to relax after surgery and the cone he had to wear didn’t bother him as much.” Another said: “These patches are amazing! We have been using the sleepy patches for the past two weeks and they have been like little miracles! No more struggles at bed time, staying asleep all night and not waking up randomly at 3am. Would definitely recommend!”
Other NatPat products have come in for criticism, however. “The mosquito patch seems to work, haven’t gotten to test it too much. However, the stickiness of the patch is really lacking. The edges start peeling off within five minutes of sticking it on,” said one review. Another added: “Products seemed great, but they aren’t really working as well as I expected… we’re still using other mosquito deterrents. It might be that we have an extreme amount in our yard.”
If you’d rather stick with a regular collar solution, this £12.97 option for dogs will cover both ticks and fleas. Elsewhere, spot treatments at PetsAtHome are available from a bargain price of just £7.