i have tried lots of things to rid both my kittens of flees...?

Question

They were infested bad when i got them and i bathe them 2x per week. Of course some are gone, but not all. Now i let them go outside. I figured that the baths werent doing much good and the outside wont hurt them. What can i use to de-flee them?

Answer 1

DrSH gave some extremely helpful & thorough instructions, so I won't reinvent the wheel. So I'll just add a couple comments.

Depending on their age - under 8 weeks, use ordinary shampoo, vs. a medicated shampoo. Eqyss is an excellent general purpose shampoo for pets. Some would recommend citrus as a repellent. Important is to keep the kitten submerged for a few minutes (head about water of course). This alone will kill the fleas.

If they are under 8 weeks, once they are bathed and you have either handpicked off any remaining fleas, or combed them out with a super fine comb designed for this (and also they are dry), sprinkle them liberally with cornstarch. Totally harmless and destroys the exoskeletal system of the flea. In expensive to boot!

If they are over 8 weeks, I would strongly recommend using Frontline Plus (my favorite) or Advantage on them. This is expensive but can break the cycle for indoor cats.

ALSO very important! Make sure the house is defleaed.

Please don't let your kittens outside - there are SO many dangers

Answer 2

The most efficient and practical way is to give the kitten a bath using commercially available kitten shampoos.

Steps

1. Make sure that the defleaing shampoo you have is not only extremely mild, but is designed for kittens. Kittens are frail and if you use normal cat shampoo, you will hurt your kitten's eyes.
2. Wear an apron or clothes you don't mind about as you are likely to get wet.
3. Wash the kitten in a plastic hand-wash basin.
4. Use lukewarm water. Water that you would consider comfortable could scald a kitten. Make sure the water is not too deep, just deep enough that your kitten can stand easily.
5. Hold your kitten firmly, but gently, in the water and begin to pour water over him/her. Avoid its eyes and ears (unless you put cotton balls in kitty's ears).
6. Start with a small amount of shampoo in your hand and slowly begin to lather the kitten gently (adding water to aid lathering if needed). Shampoo must get right to the skin.
7. Make sure that no shampoo gets onto the kitten's face or into the kitten's eyes, nose or mouth.
8. Rinse off the kitten.
9. Depending on the strength of the shampoo, you may have to lather the cat again (The bottle should have clear instructions).
10. Dry your kitten very well with a towel, as he/she does not like to be soaking wet. Kittens are usually afraid of hair dryers.
11. Give your kitten a treat or praise after his/her horrible wet experience, as most kittens hate or fear water.

This worked for my kittens.

Answer 3

I was told by my vet not to use anything other than Revolution on my kittens. After they turn 1 you can use Advantage or Frontline.
I have tried lots of other things over the years with my cats but these are the only ones that work. And they have the added advantage of treating the kitten or cat for worms. There is nothing worse for the poor kitty than to have fleas! Good Luck!

Answer 4

As long as they are over 8 weeks old, you can use Advantage on them-it's a chemical (unfortunately) that you place on the back of the neck, and it works wonders. I'm not a big fan of chemicals on my pets, but in the case of fleas, if it means getting rid of them and making my pets more comfortable, I will do it. Sometimes you only need one dose. You get it from your vet.

Flea baths do not work well at all, and if you are letting them out then they will pick up fleas outside as well.

Answer 5

Boil bay leaves in enough water to bath both cats in. Let water cool down, bath the cats in the water. Fleas hate bay leaves. It may cause the cat to have dry skin for a week or so, but works good. Put some in a spray bottle and spray your rugs and furnature to kill the fleas there too!

Answer 6

Its really sick to say this but after you bathe them put them in a warm towel, lay them on their back and just start picking out the flees. the warmth of the towel will put the kitten to sleep and their will lay there for a really long time.. I hope this works for you..

Answer 7

the back of the neck flea chemical works best on all my cats/kittens that live mostly outdoors. if in doors you have to treat the house, with a bug bomb or spray (get one safe for pets). Can't just treat the kittens need to treat where they live too. Otherwise they come back.

Answer 8

Because cats/kittens are so sensitive to chemicals, I would suggest a spray called Adams. You can get it at your local feed or garden stores (which is cheaper)...and also vet clinics.
It can be used on adult cats as well as kittens.
We also were able to spray our carpet, furniture, and bedding with it and it worked.
When we did have a few kittens it worked well for them and it has a pleasing smell.

Answer 9

my cat had a bad case of fleas when i brought her back form a cattery once (i don't go back to that cattery) and i took her to the vets who gave her a tablet and told me to take her home and check her after a couple of hours. when i came back from the vets my cat went to her bed - which i had cleaned so there were no fleas in it. i checked on her after a couple of hours like the vet told me and her bed was covered in dead fleas. i combed my cat to get the rest of the dead bodies out and threw the bed away.
i don't know what this tablet was called but it make the fleas die instantly. brilliant stuff.

Answer 10

keep them inside and you won't have as much of a flea problem. you can use lemon dish soap to bathe the kittens in and that should kill the feas