how can i safely treat a 6 week old kitten for fleas?

Answer 1

Don't put any flea products on the kitten. It is way too young. They must be 6 months and in good heath.

Bath it in dawn dish washing soap. The only danger is if the cat is too cold while wet. Just keep it warm and dry as quick as possible.

You have to apply soap in a certain order so the fleas do not escape into hidden areas. this order is:

put a ring of soap around the neck(this prevents the fleas from escaping up to the head.).

rub soap around ears, nose, and bottom(believe it or not fleas will go up into the animals private places such as their anus to avoid death).

put soap on the cats head(becareful you don't want too much soap or water on their heads so it doesnt get into their eyes, ears, or nose)

Now you are ready to do the remainder of the body.

Use a flea comb or reg human comb to go through fur slowly after bath to get any remaining fleas out(these will most likely be dead).

The only thing is this will not kill flea eggs. So keep a close eye, you may need to do this again in a few days.

If you have fleas already in the house you will have to treat the house at the same time and bath the cat somewhere else since you are not allowed in the house during treatment.

It is advised to trim claws befor bathing to minmize scratching.
Dawn can dry out the skin a little but is other wise gentle. It is what they use on animals that need oil cleaned off of them after oil spills(I though this might make you feel better).

Answer 2

Your best bet would be to use a vet recommended product. The ones that we use at the vet office for kittens that little are Capstar tablets 2-25 lbs which can be used on kittens 4 weeks of age and older as long as it is over 2lbs. The rest of the flea treatments are usually for kittens 8 weeks and older. Giving a kitten a flea dip is not really the best idea the chemicals may be to harsh for its skin. You will also want to vacuum like crazy and wash and dry everything you can to make sure those little buggers dont infest your house.

Answer 3

The safest products are available through your vet. The OTC stuff is often dangerous even for adult cats. The safest products are those that you can get from your vet.

There are several things you can use on 6-week-old kittens. Some folks mentioned bathing in Dawn dish soap. That works pretty well for the short term. Just be sure not to let the kitten get chilled, and not to get the soap in the kitten's eyes. Use a flea comb and rinse the comb in Dawn water every few strokes as well to make sure the fleas are dead. Since you ARE taking the kitten to the vet for a checkup and stool check for parasites anyway, you can ask for the Capstar pill by Novartis. It's safe for kittens as young as 4 weeks. (You ARE going to take the kitten to the vet for his first exam and maybe even first shots... RIGHT??) This neat pill kills fleas almost immediately. However, neither the Dawn bath nor the Capstar continue to kill fleas. They're "quick fixes" and need to be repeated frequently.

For longer protection from fleas as well as heartworms, intestinal parasites and ear mites (the bane of cats) when the kitten gets a little older, the vet can prescribe Revolution, made by Pfizer. This is an AWESOME product labeled for cats and kittens 8 weeks and older! Our practice prescribes a LOT of Revolution for Cats and our clients love it. All 3 of my cats, including my 5 month old kitten are on it, and I even treated my Tonkinese with it when he was just 5 weeks old... NOT RECOMMENDED/OFF-LABEL USE. Revolution is labeled for kittens 8 weeks and older The poor little guy was found in some bushes as a teeny baby and he had all kinds of skin parasites like fleas and mites. He also had ear mites and was a little anemic from the load. Sooo, my veterinarian/boss and I decided to use just a tiny bit of the smallest tube, and it worked. Again, not recommended but it worked. BTW, he's now 16 months old and still on Revolution. Revolution is a prescription product only available through your veterinarian. This is because it penetrates the skin and becomes an internal medicine, unlike Frontline or Advantage which are strictly topicals (and good ones... though they only protect against fleas, not HW or ear mites or intestinal parasites).

I strongly recommend it because of the broad protection and safety for young kittens, and I recommend it for adult cats because of the heartworm protection. I had a cat die from heartworms, and I will NEVER AGAIN let my cats go unprotected. Being a multi-purpose product, it's very convenient to treat and protect all at the same time without having to use one product for fleas, another for heartworms, yet another for mites... it's hard enough to medicate cats as it is sometimes, so "get it over with" !

I would also vacuum, vacuum, vacuum (and throw the bags away to prevent new fleas from hatching out in your vacuum) and wash the kitten's bedding very frequently to get rid of flea eggs, larvae and cocoons (pupae). Since the kitten is so little, stay away from chemical flea killers, powder, sprays, etc. and avoid flea collars like the plague forever! They suck, sorry to say, and can cause skin problems and toxicity. As the kitten gets a little older, you can talk to your vet about adding in something like Program if you still have a rpoblem. Fleas can become resistant to any of the flea products (15-20 generations), so a "birth control" product will help keep resistant fleas from reproducing and passing on the resistance. You can also rotate flea control products so that the fleas are less likely to become resistant to one product being used over and over again. This is called "integrated pest management" (IPM), and also extends to treating the environment-- the whole house and the yard if possible.

If you live in an area with cold winters, take heart that this is October, and freezing temps for at least a week or more will kill off a lot of fleas that are coming from the outdoors. Thus, the chances of bringing in more of the hateful buggers will wane before too long. But do treat ASAP or sooner-- a heavy flea infestation can kill a little kitten through anemia and blood loss.

Answer 4

Give it a few baths. That is what my boyfriend did. Just watch out... they all start to FLEA up to the head, so you might have to dunk the kittens head. Get one of those flea combs and make sure you get a safe flea control product like Advantage. There are some harmful ones out there. Do your research...the one to stay away from is called Hartz.

Answer 5

best way is to apply one drop of cat Frontline between the shoulder blades...do NOT apply the whole amount. and also do NOT wash your kitten with flea shampoo...he/she is too young for the meds in the shampoo...kittens can die very quickly if they are completely infested with fleas. They get flea bite anemia. The fleas drain all of the blood from your kitten before it can replace the lost blood. 3-4 weeks after you apply the first dose you can apply the whole amount to the kitten, because he/she will be old enough for the whole dose...if you have any questions feel free to email me.

Answer 6

PLEASE DO NOT PUT ANY FLEA POWDER OR FLEA PREVENTATIVE ON THIS KITTEN! YOU WILL POISEN IT!
If the kitten is infested with fleas and you dont have money to go to a vet then go buy a flea comb which they sell in any pet store. The only way to get the fleas of of him/her is to comb her everyday and you can bath her with Palmolive dish soap. Light suds and warm water will help. Dont get in in his/her face! After drying make sure to check it in bright light and any little black spot you see you must pitch between your nail to crush it. Some will be flea poop and the other will be flea eggs. You have to do this until you can get to a vet. Try not to let him/her roam aound your house cause they will live in carpet and furniture for days. If you deciede to bomb or put anything down on the carpet or furniture the DONT LET THE KITTEN ON IT FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS! Remember to get him/her warm at all times and feed every 2 hours.
Let me know if I can help you further

Answer 7

speak to your vet asap-it is important to treat her, as the fleas will make her sick, but on the other hand you don't want to treat her with something that would be too harsh for something so young. The vet would help you-and it is important that the kitten be weighed and checked first to be sure that she is healthy enough to tolerate treatments. There is a flea powder that is safe for kittens, and I have safely used it on my rabbits. Proceed with caution!

Answer 8

Joy dishwashing soap (not detergent) and a flea comb.

Bathe the kitten gently with the Joy, avoiding her eyes. Scrub off as many fleas as you can, and comb the rest out with the flea comb while you wash. You can pick them off her face carefully with tweezers, just squeeze hard to crush the flea. Make sure you dry the kitty off well when you're finished.

Answer 9

Try a bath with dish detergent - not much, jusy enough for light suds. Rinse throughly and dry. Check your cat daily for fleas and pick off and kill. Be sure to treat bedding and surroundings. I have used Borax very effectively on carpets and it is non toxic to animals.
Once the kitten is older, try "Revolution" it works great on my cats.

Answer 10

Revolution for puppies & kittens available from pet stores and your local vet. This is one of the only ways you can treat them and as a bonus, it treats a myriad of worms and ear mites too. You just apply the dose to the back of the kitten's neck - you need to treat them monthly. I think you can buy them in 3 month or 6 months supply.
I just checked and it's available in the US too - go to the web page at revolutionpet.com