How can i get rid of fleas on my kittens? (see details please)?

Question

My cat had kittens five weeks ago and now they are invested with fleas. I've tried to use flea powder, but it did not kill the fleas. What can i do to kill the fleas? I've heard that Dawn detergent can kill fleas but i'm not sure. Are they too young to be bathed? Please help me im desperate!

Answer 1

Consult your vet. There is a wonderful flea spray called Ovatrol, but the doc will have to tell you at what age you can treat the kittens. This is the best flea treatment that I have ever seen. The wash in dish liquid is probably the best while they are still this little.

Answer 2

Don't do anything until you have spoken with your vet. Kittens are very sensitive to flea prevention products. If you choose to use one, use one that lists it's specifically for young kittens. Otherwise, you can take a damp cloth, and wipe the fleas off them, as well as use a flea comb. There is a natural product that you can get at a healtfood store called diatrimetric earth, and it is 100% safe for humans and as well as all animals. I had to use this while I stayed with my father who was terminally ill with cancer, and could not be exposed to any kind of chemicals. It is a very fine powder that you can put directly on the kittens, your carpet, their beds - where ever the fleas may be. What it does is dehydrate the fleas and flea eggs so that they die. And a bonus - it's cheap!

Answer 3

5 week old kittens are WAY too young for using flea powder! NO CHEMICALS PERIOD. They are even kind of young for bathing. First off, you need to rid the fleas from the mother cat. Because she is likely still lactating, you can only use flea power on her, no other chemicals because they will pass through the milk to the kittens. You can bathe your cat in Johnson's Baby Shampoo and this will kill all of the adult fleas. You then need to use the flea powder once a day, but keep the kittens away from the mother for at least 2 hours from the flea powder treatment. Use a brand called "Vet Chem". It's the best. Again, NOT FOR USE ON THE KITTENS!

For the kittens, I'm afraid to say that you need to get a flea comb and comb the fleas off the kittens. It's completely gross and disgusting, but you do it because you love your kitties. What you do is get a cup and fill it with warm water and some dishwashing liquid. Take a kitten and run the flea comb through their fur. The fleas get caught in the fine teeth of the comb. Dip the caught fleas in the comb into the cup of warm soapy water. This will kill them. Repeat this until you get all those adult fleas off the kittens. Pay special attention to the joints...the fleas will flee (no pun intended) to every crevice they can hide it. You need to do this kitten-by-kitten and keep the combed kittens away from the others until they've all been combed. It's a time consuming process but very necessary as fleas can kill kittens. You also need to comb out all of the "flea dirt". It looks like black dandruff. This is basically flea poop, but it's filled with blood and is a food source for the flea larvae. Remove the food source, and the larvae dies. Don't worry about fleas on you...you are not hairy enough...they much prefer an animal host like a cat or dog. That is why you must also comb all of the flea dirt off the mother cat even if all of the adult fleas are dead. You want to kill the larvae as well or they will become adult fleas. Remember, the fleas will jump from one cat to the other so you need to keep the treated cats separate from the untreated.

You will need to comb your kittens and treat the mother cat everyday with flea powder for a week or more until you see no more fleas. I know what you're going through, believe me! I rescued a mother cat and her 4 kittens and it was a labor of love, but it worked. Just remember, the quick treatments use pesticides that are toxic to all species, not just insects, and including humans. Use them sparingly as a last resort and never on a kitten or child. Their immune systems are far too weak to handle it. Good luck!

Answer 4

PLEASE don't use flea medication on the kittens, as they are too young.

What you need to do is go to your local pet store and buy a special comb they carry for de-fleaing animals. Fill a bowl with water and add dish detergent. Start combing the kittens throughly and when a flea gets caught in the comb, dip it in the water. Fleas can swim in plain water, but when you add the soap, it's make it impossible for them to swim.

Bathing a kitten that young is possible, but if you don't blow-dry them completely, you'll put them at risk for developing an upper respiratory infection. If you end up bathing them, be sure to purchase kitten/ puppy shampoo and do not let their faces get submurged. DO NOT use any more flea medicine or flea shampoo. The chemicals are much too harsh for a 5-week old kitten.

I foster litters of kittens for my local humane society and have dealt with this problem many times. On a side note, contact your vet ASAP and schedule an appointment to have your Mama cat spayed :)

Answer 5

The best way to get rid of fleas I have found is to bathe your kittens in lemon water. For full grown kittens you take 4 lemons, slice them thin and then pour 1 gallon of boiling water on top of the lemons. (You can also boil the lemons for about 5 minutes) Since your kittens are still small the 4 lemons should work for all of them. Literally saturate your kittens in the lemon water, and then comb through well and rinse. It will not hurt your kittens at all. Make sure to wash the mama cat as well, but for her use 4 lemons and for your kittens use 4 lemons for all of them. To get rid of the fleas in your house use Borax laundry detergent and sprinkle that on your carpet like you would carpet fresh, let sit for a day and then vacuum up. You may also want to get some furniture spray to spray in your furniture so all the fleas don't jump up there to live. Spray the furniture first then do your carpets. It will work wonders. Good luck!

Answer 6

There are products now that control fleas really well. Your vet can prescribe drops for your cats or kittens that you put on the back of their neck. The fleas will all drop off within a day or so and any that try to get back on will die. It also kills off the ones in your carpet and furniture by starving them out. You will need to vacuum alot and empty the bag each time. Fleas can stay dormant for a very long time, months in fact, so keep giving your cats the treatments each month. Only one treatment is needed each month and it is really easy to do. The treatment is prescribed based on the pet's weight. Good luck!

Answer 7

This has happened to me a few times, and Iknow it hurts to see the little kitties running around with fleas. We bathed the kittens and applied some rub-on flea killer. We occasionally flea-bombed the house and tried to keep the fleas off of the kittens in all ways possible. Just continue to bathe the kittens, they are not too young.

Answer 8

Use either Johnson's baby shampoo or Lemon Dawn dish soap. Give them a gentle bath in warm water. The lemon Dawn works best at killing the fleas. Just get some suds going, and wrap them in a cloth to let the Dawn sit for a minute or two. Then rinse them off and dry them thoroughly. I never put them down until they are bone dry.

Answer 9

You can bathe the kittens in Joy Citrus dish washing liquid. Only the Citrus kind. Something about the Citrus kills the fleas but won't harm your kittens. Just don't let them get cold. Good luck. Try not to use any chemicals on them since they are so small.

Answer 10

If they are five weeks, they are okay to bathe. Just keep them warm. Fleas live in bedding and carpet too, not just on the animals. Make sure the adult cat doesn't have them. You will probably do best going to the vet.