Young kitten has fleas Larvae on her face..?

Question

How can I safely get rid of larvae on her face?

Update...
Dont get me wrong she does have them all over her body, this i know. But I was just curious about the face. They are little white specs that I can see moving around. Mostly near her nose and between her eyes. I just didnt want her to accidently lick her lips or anything while I was applying the shampoo. I just dont want to make her sick. She is about 5 weeks old. She was born and has been outside up until last night. So she is pretty infested.
Thanks everyone for your help, I appreciate it.

Answer 1

Kittens can safely be treated for fleas at your vet's office. It's about 15.00 for a squirt behind the neck.

If you want to do it yourself? Get a washcloth and wash your kittens face and manually pick off the fleas one by one. Be sure to 'pop' their bodies between your fingernails or drop them into a small glass of rubbing alcohol -- never think flushing a live flea is a guaranteed thing.

Bathe your kitten. You don't say how old. If it's under two weeks old - get a flea comb and gently comb out the fleas.

If the kitten is healthy and can withstand a bath and is over two weeks old, rescue groups use original DAWN dishwashing liquid.

Rub the liquid onto the affected area (obviously be careful on the face) and the fleas can not move due to the slickness of the soap and THEN you comb them out or pick them off the kitten.

Around the eye area someone with short fingernails can gently scrape that area and manually remove the fleas because generally that's where the fleas run to.

Start at the HEAD of the kitten (behind eyes and mouth) and work your way down with the Dawn Dishwashing liquid.

We do this over a sink with warm water. Once the kitten is soaped up, place it under the running faucet and let the water do the work for you -- the fleas have no way of holding onto the hair and they slide out.

Don't forget to examine the belly area and the anus area under the tail - and don't forget the tail. With a highly infested kitten (one you are pulling over 50-75 fleas off of) it might take more than one soaping.)

Whatever you do when bathing a kitten -- be smart enough to know when the kitten has had enough. Some rescue kittens are so poor and exhausted they'll let us wash them over and over until we are done -- but that's not always the case.

AFTER the bath rub the kitten dry in a warm towel, then groom it with a dry end of the towel in short strokes (just like a mama cat would do) so the kitten isn't completely freaked out.

Keep the kitten kenneled on a warm pad until dry -- but better yet hold the kitten until it's completely dry and over the shock of the bath...you don't want to completely freak it out and the long drying out time generally makes up for the bath in kittenland.

Depending on the age of the kitten? you might want to trim the nails before you try the bath.

Answer 2

Flea larvae is very tiny and usually are found in the environment, not on the animal. If she's got fleas you need to get rid of those, too. To get rid of fleas, go to the vet and get a capstar tablet and Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution. If it is a very young kitten (under 7 weeks) you can bathe her with a gentle shampoo (baby/kitten shampoo or dishwashing soap) in luke warm water. Suds her up really well and use a soapy wash cloth to clean her face. Also, a flea comb (a comb with really tiny teeth that pulls the fleas out of the hair) will help get them off of her face. Rinse her eyes really well if you get any shampoo or soap in them.

Answer 3

Be careful. Because the kitten is so young, a lot of the commerical dips and treatments can be deadly to her.

The following is from "Raising Orphaned Kittens":

Abandoned kittens will need to be cleaned and rid of fleas soon after they are found. Flea anemia can hamper any attempt to save the kitten and fleas carry tape worm eggs. The vet will carry flea sprays suitable for use on kittens. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions for use on kittens. Adams flea spray (according to one foster mom) has been found to be safe and effective in quick kill of fleas while not harming even day old kittens. After using the spray (as directed on the bottle for kittens) place the kitten on a towel that can be removed with the dead and dying fleas 20 to 30 minutes later.

After the spray has rid the kitten of fleas, bathe the kitten in gentle soap or surgical soap if flea sores are present making sure to prevent chilling the kitten. DRY THE KITTEN IMMEDIATELY. 1 to 3 week old kittens can be dried carefully with a hair dryer. (Be careful to avoid blowing in their faces.) Older kittens are frequently frightened by the blowing and noise, so towel dry them as best you can and place them in a container that is in a warm place (like next to a refrigerator). You may also try putting the towel-dried kitten in a pet carrier and aiming the blow-dryer into the carrier where the warm air will gently circulate to dry the kitten.

You can read more at: http://www.feralcat.com/raising.html

Answer 4

At the animal hospital I work at we give all animals a Capstar that we stick in a pill pocket that will kill off the fleas overnight. For the larvea get her dipped and keep up the revolution once a month. The Capstar puts a little toxins in the bloodstream (safe for dogs and cats, just get the appropriate one). There are two types of Capstar, a small one for cats/dogs under 25 lbs, and a big one for dogs over 25 lbs. and when the flea feeds he drinks the poison and dies. I would have to literally sweep the dead fleas off the floor the next a.m. That is how fast it works. If you can see the larvea wipe them off with a damp washcloth. But is is critical for all dogs/cats to get their revolution once a month to prevent flea infestations. Talk with your cats vet to get the appropriate treatment. Vet will know what is the best solution.

Answer 5

If you think it is just on her face, think again. It is all over her body. Go to your petstore or even Wal-Mart. Find a flea shampoo and a dip. Dip kitty first. Follow directions on bottle. Take a cotton ball and dab on face. Be careful of eyes. In a week follow up with flea bath. Watch the product you purchase. You want one for kittens. Then apply Frontline or product your vet recommends.

Answer 6

You can just pick them off with a pair of tweezers. If the kitten is old enough to bathe, say at least six weeks, she can be washed with Dawn detergent or anything really that is mild. You don't need a "flea" shampoo as the fleas drown with the water.

It won't get them all and will give a start to eliminating them. You comb, comb, comb. Check with your vet to see when he can give you some Advantage for her. That will keep the fleas off.

Answer 7

You can't see flea larvae . You can see adult fleas(the brown bugs). I would take the kitten to a vet for a check over, fleas can cause anemia in small kittens. Then get a vet approved flea product and apply as instructed

Answer 8

I have never seen an infestation so bad that the larvae are visible. Take her to the vet. Depending on how old she is, they might be able to give her frontline for kittens.

Answer 9

Revolution is the best flea treatment we have ever used. We got it for our baby kitty who had ridiculous amounts of fleas when we adopted her. Vets carry it, but so do petmed websites. It's fairly reasonable and gets rid of hookworm and roundworm, too. They make it for kittens and adult cats.

Answer 10

See your vet