Help! Kitten has fleas...

[pixiedustaholic]

We went on vacation last week and left our 6 week old kitten with a friend of my daughter since he was too small to board anywhere. She took great care of him and posted pictures on FB for us to keep updated on him, etc. I couldn't have asked for a better pet sitter. However, he is covered in fleas now! (She has a dog that stays indoors) I made a quick stop on the way home at Wal-Mart to try and get some kind of flea shampoo or treatment but all of it said not to use it on kittens under 12 weeks old. I will call the vet tomorrow to see what they recommend but I can't bear to see all these fleas crawling all over him until then. I tried picking them off...but they are too quick and he is too squirmy. I also don't want my home to become infested with fleas. Any recommendations?????

 

[DMRick]

Aww..6 weeks. Do you have the mama? That's about 2 weeks early if not.

For that age, I would suggest flea combing him. Too young for advantage. Get a metal flea comb (I like the one target sells) and have a bowl of water with dawn next to you. Comb and dip, comb and dip. Wipe him down afterward to get off the excess dawn, and make sure he's nice and dry so he doesn't get a cold. Repeat a few times a day. Pay special attention just above his tail, and around his neck. Check his eyes, as fleas like to nestle in the inside corner of eyes (the warm spots). I've been very successful with my foster babies this way, and seldom have to do any treatment down the road. Keep it up and be sure to comb next week and the week after to catch whatever flea eggs may hatch. I'm surprised that he is covered in fleas after just a week..any chance he came with eggs and they are just now hatching?

Be sure to comb often, as fleas in such a young kitten can really cause havoc.

We went on vacation last week and left our 6 week old kitten with a friend of my daughter since he was too small to board anywhere. She took great care of him and posted pictures on FB for us to keep updated on him, etc. I couldn't have asked for a better pet sitter. However, he is covered in fleas now! (She has a dog that stays indoors) I made a quick stop on the way home at Wal-Mart to try and get some kind of flea shampoo or treatment but all of it said not to use it on kittens under 12 weeks old. I will call the vet tomorrow to see what they recommend but I can't bear to see all these fleas crawling all over him until then. I tried picking them off...but they are too quick and he is too squirmy. I also don't want my home to become infested with fleas. Any recommendations?????

 

[pixiedustaholic]

No mama cat...I have been bottle feeding him since the day he was born....mama left him in our back yard. I have a flea comb and have been trying to comb him...he is just too wiggly. I just didn't know if someone may have a "natural" flea solution.

 

[scanmom]

it will usually do the trick.

 

[Rora]

No advice for kitty but to keep the fleas from spreading around your house, sprinkle Borax around your entire house. Although you (and kitty!) probably won't like walking on it, it kills fleas and prevents them from biting you and your kitten again.

Let the Borax sit for a couple of days, then vaccum it up.

I wish I could help you with the issue of making your kitty feel better!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I would get Frontline Spray if I were you. We foster cats for our local humane society and have had quite a few babies that have been absolutely infested. The only retail place you can get it is at PETCO and it is not the cheapest there but it does work and is safe for babies. You need latex gloves and some good circulation but it works great. I wouldn't worry about the infestation in your house yet - the only thing that truly works is doing a fleabomb. But, most of the time, the infestation seems to stick to just the animals. A good vacuuming is necessary though.

Good Luck! Fleas are the biggest pain. We had the largest infestation with our first litter of foster kittens and pulled off hundreds of the boogers!

 

[Kath2003]

You can get a Frontline spray for small kittens.

In the meantime, I'd keep him in a room with the LEAST fabrics possible (carpets, curtains, couches etc.) until it's cleared up. Fleas get everywhere but the more you can limit it, the better. Wash ALL his bedding on hot!

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

We've raised baby squirrels and they are always covered in fleas, and we don't want our dog and cat which both are indoors to get fleas. We bath them with Dawn dish deteregent. Use warm water and then make sure to dry with nice soft towels after. Bathe every few days to catch the fleas that are hatching from eggs that aren't killed by the detergent. This worked as our indoor animals never had fleas and the squirrels always played with them.

This should work if you want to go the natural route rather than using the Frontline for kittens.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We bathed our kitten with lemon scented ajax dish detergent. It killed all the fleas, and his fur was soft and lemony fresh. (didn't hurt him a bit)

 

[chyam]

We've raised baby squirrels and they are always covered in fleas, and we don't want are dog and cat which both are indoors to get fleas. We bath them with Dawn dish deteregent. Use warm water and then make sure to dry with nice soft towels after. Bathe every few days to catch the fleas that are hatching from eggs that aren't killed by the detergent. This worked as our indoor animals never had fleas and the squirrels always played with them.

This should work if you want to go the natural route rather than using the Frontline for kittens.

Was going to post the same info...Dawn is great just let it soak on him for a little while then rinse....it rinses off quite easily.

 

[themilesfamily]

I wish I'd known about Dawn/Ajax two years ago when we had kittens with fleas.

My vet told me to comb the fleas out and drop the fleas in rubbing alcohol to kill them. EASIER SAID THAN DONE -- especially as many of the fleas were around the kittens bottoms.

One of those kittens hates me to this day and won't come near me. One look at me and it's like, "I'm staying away from that lady! She's crazy!"

 

[PrincessBelle09]

Dawn works really well for small kittens. Johnson's baby shampoo can also do the trick and is a great wash after the fleas are gone as well.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

The vet recommended a product called revolution that is good for fleas, worm and ear mites! You put it betwen their shoulder blades once a month. It is a bit pricey at $20 per tube! but it is safe for kittens over 6 weeks! Now, keeping my fingers crossed that it works!

 

[DMRick]

The problem I have with any of those products, is, if I need to wear gloves when applying it, how is it good for a kitten? It's poison.

When all of this stuff first came out, there were so many problems with dogs (didn't use it on cats at all at first) and their blood work was showing all sorts of not so good results. Then it became very lucrative for the vets to sell it, and suddenly it was a good thing.

A kitten under 8 weeks, I would flea comb along with the dawn bath. It's still not good for one over 8 weeks, but it does seem to be more tolerable.
The good thing is, you only have one, so at least another cat won't be licking and ingesting it from the back of the kitten.

Our shelter cars do get the frontline, but that's only because there are so many of them..if we could flea comb them (would take a lot more volunteers) that would be preferred and safest for the kittens. The shelter does lose the kittens, and we lose them to URI, over infestation of fleas before they come in, among other things. But home kittens and foster kittens can have the extra care it takes.

The vet recommended a product called revolution that is good for fleas, worm and ear mites! You put it betwen their shoulder blades once a month. It is a bit pricey at $20 per tube! but it is safe for kittens over 6 weeks! Now, keeping my fingers crossed that it works!

 

[DMRick]

A good vacuuming is necessary though.

Good Luck! Fleas are the biggest pain. We had the largest infestation with our first litter of foster kittens and pulled off hundreds of the boogers!

Before vacuming the house, I vacuum up flea powder (do not use on cats/kittens or places they will be sleeping) so the fleas die in the bag. I then dispose of the vacuum bag once I'm finished.

Isn't it amazing how many fleas these little babies can have? I had one poor kitten that rinsed off red, when we first got it, it had been bitten so much.

We've been fortunate. Over 350 foster kittens and our house has never gotten fleas. We flea comb them as soon as we get them.

 

[MdmMim]

We had a little one with fleas--our vet told us about Dawn. Worked great.

 

[r1lissa]

We also used Dawn on a rescued kitty (less than 8 weeks old). All the grime, grease, dirt, and fleas came right out!

 

[DizBelle]

DH captured a 7 week old stray and our vet put something on her that got rid of all of the fleas overnight. So, there at least is something your vet can do for a baby so young.