my cat has just given birth 3 babby kittens and thay have cought fleas from their mother, the mother dose ware a flea colour but i still can’t get rid of the fleas on the kittens I NEED HELLP!
my cat has just given birth 3 babby kittens and thay have cought fleas from their mother, the mother dose ware a flea colour but i still can’t get rid of the fleas on the kittens I NEED HELLP!
The kittens CANNOT have a strong flea killer on them yet!
There is a method some vets call “Shake ‘n Bake” in which you powder a towel–WITH A PRESCRIPTION POWDER YOU CAN GET ONLY FROM THE VET–and then wrap the kitten in the towel WITH IT’S HEAD STICKING OUT SO THE POWDER DOESN’T GET IN THE FACE–and you shake to coat the kitten’s body. DON’ T DO THIS WITH ANY POWDER YOU DON’T GET FROM THE VET!!!
And the first person who responded was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT with every word said!
I had the same problem when I got my kitten. She was infested with fleas, it was horrible. Until the age of 8 weeks kittens can’t have any treatment. Here’s what worked for me. It is a lot of work, but it is safe for your kittens and it should keep the fleas away. Please do not use this as your only method though. It is very important that you consult your veternarian too.
First get dawn or joy dish liquid, make sure it is a lemon or citrus scent. Make sure you have somebody to hold the kittens because they will be scared and scratch. Hold them over your bathtub and use really warm, not hot, water and wash them in the dish detergent. The fleas will jump off because they hate the lemon. After you have bathed him, wrap him in a warm towel and while somebody holds him, you will have to pick the fleas off of his body and make sure you put them in a small cup that has the dish liquid in it. Be sure to check their private area. And, make sure you don’t get the detergent in their eyes. After you have gotten the majority of it off, use a warm temp/low power on the blow dryer and just dry them. You may have to do this for a few days until they are gone. If the fleas run and seem not to die, while you are combing them. Take your finger and squeeze the flea, like you would a pimple. This will kill them.
The mother cat must be cleaned that way too. Do not use a flea collar or any other flea treatments while she is nursing because it will kill the kittens.
Next you will have to clean your house very well. I cut up flea collars and put them in my vacum cleaner bag. (This can’t harm the kittens, only kill the fleas after they are vacumed up) Make sure you vaum the furniture, blankets, towels, etc. Wherever your cat/kittens go it must be vacumed. Then, get a spray bottle, mix a concentration of half HOT water, with half pine-sol CITRUS scent and spray on your carpet, curtains, and furniture and wherever else you think the fleas may have reached. Wait a few minutes for it to dry before you let the kittens/cat go near it.
Whatever you do, NEVER USE HARTZ OR ANY OTHER FLEA TREATMENT THAT CAN BE BOUGHT AT THE STORE BECAUSE IT IS KNOWN TO CAUSE SEIZURES AND KILL THE ANIMALS!!
1. Treat the cat. Go to your vet and get either Advantage or Frontline Plus (I went with Advantage).
2. Get yourself a “flea comb” and comb your cat at least once per day. Have a bucket with dish soap in it handy to dunk the comb in and to collect the hair. Fleas can’t jump out of the slippery soap. No point in combing them out only to have them jump back on your cat. Flush this down the toilet, pour it down the sink, or dispose of it away from your house.
3. Treat your house. Options are a borate powder product or something that uses diatomaceous earth. Fleabusters (BP), Fleago Natural Flea Control (BP) or Flea Away Natural Flea Powder (DE). Put about a tablespoon of this in your vacuum cleaner bag (or you can cut up a flea collar to put in there. Just follow the directions which will vary by product, but in general you’ll sprinkle on the carpet and vacuum up and also sprinkle into cracks and crevices. (I chose Fleago because it’s less expensive than Fleabusters. I may also try Flea Away in time).
4. Vacuum as often as possible. Before vacuuming, stomp around the house. This will bring the fleas to life because they’ll think there’s a tasty morsel out there. Then vacuum those little bastards up. Be sure to use your attachments to vacuum as many cracks and crevices as you can – they love to hide out there.
5. Wash any pet bedding in hot water, and you’ll want to be particularly diligent about vacuuming/treating areas where your cat hangs out.
6. Treat your yard. Even if your cat doesn’t go outside, fleas may enter your home if they exist in your yard. There’s a small chance that you or others may bring fleas in the house with you (although this is unlikely). Get hold of some nematodes to spray in your yard. I believe you only have to do this once per year. These little creatures will eat the flea larva. As one website put it, these critters are too small to hug, but they deserve it! (I had to order this online; I wasn’t able to find a place that sells them in my area and didn’t feel like calling every place in the phonebook).
Things not to do: Don’t use any essential oils on your cat, particularly anything with pennyroyal or eucalyptus. They’re toxic to cats. Don’t use flea collars. Don’t give your cat any garlic/yeast formulations. Don’t give your cat lemon baths.
You’re going to want to continue treating your home as directed, whether that be sprinkling once per week or once a month. Continue treating throughout flea season (when it’s warm). You can stop during the winter months, but start up again in the spring. You’ll nip them in the bud!
The key is to treat the environment, not the cat. If you do that, you may never have to apply another flea product directly on them again. This will help the kittens.
Take the flea collar off mom. Those cheap WalMart collars can poison her. You need to bing them to the vet. Kittens that young can’t be treated by an amateur. While you’re at the vet make mom a spay appointment for about 8 weeks from now.