How do you treat fleas in kittens three weeks old?

Question

We used Palmovive Dish Soap

Answer 1

Dish soap is the best option for a kitten that young. I've had to sit for hours picking fleas off a young kitten in the past. At night, when we went to bed, we put the kitten in a carrier and placed a shallow pan with about half an inch of soapy water outside the door with a flashlight on the other side. We aimed it diagonally, so the light was there to attract the fleas, but not shining directly on the kitten. This doesn't get the fleas off of the kitten, but can help keep fleas in the rug and bedding from adding to the kitten's agony. Every dead flea helps, ya know.

Keep with the dish soap baths and tedious picking regiment until the kitten is old enough for chemical treatment. After the cat is old enough and receives a flea dip, use Frontline to keep the fleas remaining in your home from infesting him/her again.

Answer 2

I would say that your best bet would be to get a small fine tooth comb and comb the fleas off of the cat. If you can find some regular (non-flea) kitten shampoo, you can wash them first and that will help flush the fleas out. That is something you will have to do regularly until the kitten is old enough for flea shampoo or treeatment. We had to do that with my smallest cat when we got him and it worked out ok. Once a day was alright and the kitten did enjoy the combing if we weren't too rough.

Answer 3

Use olive oil dabbed on with a Cotton swab the fleas cannot breath in oil and olive oil is safe.
IF they are still with mom there is little you can do DO NOT wash them she will not like your help.
Eucalyptus is a natural flea repellent but do not put ON the kittens put it around the basket.


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After each feeding session, you should also give them a full-body once-over with a barely damp washcloth, using short strokes like a momcat would use. This keeps their fur clean, teaches them how to groom, and gives them the attention and "mothering" they crave. Kittens will often get very dirty and mucked-up in between cleanings; it's okay to wash a kitten with warm water under a sink faucet, but try to focus only on the areas where they need it. A simple "butt-bath" will usually do the trick, but if you must get a kitten wet over more than half of its body, it's safe to dry kittens over one week old with a hair dryer set on low and used carefully, avoiding their faces.

You should also check their ears regularly for dirt and, especially after intial rescue, ear mites. Dirt can be cleaned gently with a cotton ball or swab; consult your vet if you find the telltale ear mite "coffee-ground" type dirt.

If you find fleas or flea dirt on kittens of any age, you must get them flea-free as soon as possible. Young kittens can easily get anemia from flea infestation and really endanger its life. First, use a flea comb to remove as much of the dirt and fleas from the fur as you can. Ask your vet for a flea spray that's okay to use on very young kittens; always read the warnings on any flea product to confirm at which age it is safe. Place the kitten on a towel for about 20 minutes; then discard the towel with the dead and dying fleas that have come from the kitten. After using the spray, give the kitten a bath in gentle or surgical soap.

If you don’t have a safe flea spray, you can wash the kitten with a gentle dishwashing soap like Dawn or Palmolive (do not use antibacterial), or a citrus-based shampoo, and comb all of the fleas out afterwards. Make sure water temperature is lukewarm so as not to chill the kitten. Dry the kitten, if old enough, with a blow dryer or you can towel-dry it, then put it in a carrier and aim the blow dryer into it to gently dry the kitten with warm, circulating air.

Other skin irritations to look for are ringworm and mange. If a kitten is scratching excessively and there are bare patches where fur is missing, isolate the kitten from littermates and consult a vet immediately for treatment.

Answer 4

i had this problem with a litter of six. don't use any kind of flea chemicals, and don't ignore the problem. bad flea infestations can kill small kittens. i used a flea comb once a day, and drown the fleas in a cup of wine. the cheap kind. i read that you can drown them in a cup of water, but they kept crawling out. wine did the trick. i did this daily until my vet said that they could have advantage. also, i would treat your carpet, upholstery, etc. with something that kills the larvae, like ovitrol. and make sure that you use advantage, or something like it on your other adult cats, but not the mother. the kittens will ingest it when they nurse. good luck.

Answer 5

Usually there isn't much you can do, you can get one of those flea combs, If the mother is around you can treat her and she will pass some of that on to her kittens, but usually just enough to get rid of some of the fleas.

Answer 6

vet's do a flea treatment for small kitten's called frontline when i got my 4 week old kitten's they told me this was safe to use and that it can be used from about 2 week's old i live in london so don't know if it is different where u are or not

Answer 7

Go to a good pet store and they do make flea and tick shampoo for newborn puppies and kittens. I have used it before on a puppy we found. You have to treat them now before they loose too much blood from the fleas. Treat the mother too.

Answer 8

Well, you did about all you can do. You will have to bathe them frequently and basically drown the fleas until the kittens are old enough to be treated with chemicals.

Answer 9

There isn't much you can do. The candle trick is a wash--fleas are more interested in sucking blood than light. Whatever you do, do not use a dip or other chemical products. Combing is your best bet.

Answer 10

Light a candle near the kittens cage or box (preferrably cage). Fleas are
attracted to light.
and burn horrible violent deaths.