I have a 3 week old kitten that I found and it has lots of fleas. How can I get rid of them since the kitten is too young?

Comments

  1. Spork

    “How do I get rid of fleas on a young kitten less than 6 weeks of age?
    Many people ask this question and so often they are given the wrong advice. People will often recommend flea powders, flea rinses, essential oils and other chemicals that are far too dangerous to use on kittens less than 6 weeks old.
    It is not safe to put chemicals on kittens of less than six weeks of age. Fleas themselves can also be very dangerous to young kittens and can even result in a kitten dying from anemia so you do need to kill these fleas. If the kitten is with it’s mother and nursing it is more than likely that the mother cat has a flea infestation so first you need to treat the mother cat. If there are other cats or dogs in the household you need to treat all pets and also your house.
    ~~~
    How to remove fleas on a very young kitten
    ~~~
    The safest way to treat a kitten under 6 weeks of age for fleas is to bathe him using warm water and Dawn dishwashing detergent and then to manually pick off remaining fleas. Dawn dishwashing soap is very effective and it kills fleas quickly. Many breeders bathe their cats in Dawn.
    Fill your sink or tub with warm water. (Test the temperature as if you were giving a baby a bath). Using the kitchen sink is often easiest as you don’t have to bend down and you are more in control. Immerse the kitten up to his neck and insure that he is saturated. Wet his face and head with a face washer. Then lift him out and place him on a towel. Gently massage in the Dawn detergent. Massage the soap all over his body and around his neck, ears, face, head and under his chin, being very careful not to get soap in his eyes. The fleas are not silly and will head for the high dry ground of the head area.
    Then put him back in the water for a rinse. If he is not fighting and struggling too much try to keep him submerged for a few minutes. If he is clawing you to pieces get the job over and done as quickly as possible. Having two people perform the operation is often easier. One to hold the kitten and one to massage and wash the the kitten. When finished wrap him up in a dry towel and dry him off. Try to do this in a warm atmosphere and don’t let him get cold.”
    After giving the kitten a bath and if it still has flees you comb you kitty with a flea comb them dip it in a jar that has water and dawn dish soap. The soapy solution will kill the fleas and prevent the fleas from jumping back on the kitten.
    “You can go to the vet also for to use Capstar on your kitten but the kitten has to be 4 weeks of age and older, and weight 2 pounds of body weight or greater.”- http://www.capstar.novartis.us/dog/en/fa…

  2. Dare2create Motivational Videos

    Turning your heat off and opening your windows won’t work. You could put the kitten in the freezer overnight and when you got it out the next morning you’d have a dead cat with plenty of live fleas left on it. Below freezing temperatures are needed to kill fleas and even then some can survive for over a month.
    The bath with warm water, Dawn dish soap, and a flea comb is the only safe method at this point. You do not want to use any flea shampoos or powders or anything like Frontline or Advantage yet. You just have to spend as long as the kitten will let you combing all of the fleas off and may have to do this for a couple days. Keep a close eye on the kitten because at such a young age, kittens can become anemic and die from severe flea infestations. It’s gums should be pink. If they are pale and whitish you need to take it to the vet immediately or it could die.
    Capstar is safe at 4 weeks and Frontline is safe at 8 weeks. I have used Frontline on younger animals by putting a couple drops on a Q-Tip and using the Q-Tip to apply a tiny amount to the back of their neck. This does actually seem to be effective at killing fleas even though you only get the tiny amount off the Q-Tip on the animal. I would not use it at 3 weeks though. I’ve done that at 6 weeks and they’ve been ok. Remember to wash the kitten’s bedding and vacuum regularly to keep the flea population at a minimum and you may need to spray your house one the kitten is a little older. Don’t do it yet because the house sprays also leave harmful residues that are not safe for a 3 week old kitten.
    Try all of these things but if it is still heavily infested with fleas then you will need to take it to the vet.

  3. talon

    If you don’t want to use chemicals being the kitten is so young, go to the store and purchase a small container of garlic powder and sprinkle it where the kitten stays. The fleas don’t like the strong smell of the garlic. My neighbor used this idea when his dog had puppies. I sprinkle it on my carpets when I have flea problems, and I never see any fleas. I thought you may like a more natural and less expensive approach to flea problems. Good luck with your kitten and with getting rid of the fleas!

  4. Allison B.

    Fleas hate cold. If you open your windows (depending on where you live) and let the cold air come in overnight (hopefully you live in a safe area) then they will drop off of your cat and die. TURN OFF YOUR HEAT TOO.
    My only other suggestion is call the vet and tell him the problem. They have baths and such,, but you have to be very careful with a kitten. Poor baby! I hope you can solve the problem.

  5. 60's Chick

    You can use a flea comb. Dip the comb in alcohol and dry it well after each stroke. At 4 weeks old, the vet can give her Capstar which will kill the adult fleas in a matter of minutes.

  6. ♥Pretty♥ ♥Kitty♥

    Definatley take it to the vets. They are too young to handle the over the counter kinds. You don’t wanna end up hurting it instead. Poor widdle thing.

  7. ttera2

    use baby shampoo.its mild and won’t irritate the skin.
    let it soak for 2-3 min. and the fleas will wash out.
    hope i helped.

  8. rosetta s

    TAKE HER TO THE VET!!! I can’t stress this enough! She needs to see a professional so she can get medicated flea treatment. Fleas for a kitten of only 3 weeks are deadly, so take her to a clinic asap.

  9. musicali

    I work at a cat shelter. We use Advantage on kitten as young as 1 week. It is better than the kittens dying from flea anemia. It is very safe and we have had no problems.
    Ask your vet.

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