We just found kittens in my backyard, and they have fleas all over them. What to do?

Question

I have no idea how old they are. There are four of them, and we bathed them with a mild soap, because I figured thay are too young for flea shampoo. It killed some, but not all of them. There are probably about 50 fleas on each of these tiny babies. Any advice??

Also, what should we feed them? And do they drink Milk or Water?

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Answer 1

Put them back where you found them, maybe Mama will be back, otherwise, you are their new mama. You did them a favor by giving them a mild bath, if you don't notice mama back, then you should feed them a milk substitute from your vet (he/she can determine how old the babies are) and how much they should get. Never give them water, they need nutrition at this age.
I wish I could see your babies, I could then tell you about how old they are and what you should feed them.
e-mail me...are their ears up or down?

Answer 2

Are their eyes open yet? Do not give them cows milk. If your only options are milk or water I guess water would be better. They sell kitten milk replacement at most pet stores (sometimes Wal-Mart) along with bottles but they usually have to be pretty hungry to drink it. Your best bet would be to take them to a vet or a shelter as soon as possible. If you have cats of your own keep the kittens away from them. They will need to be checked for Feline Leukemia. As for the fleas it all depends on their age. DO NOT put any topical flea prevention on them without the vets permission it can kill the kittens if they are too young. I was a Veterinary technician for 7 years before my daughter was born and I have hand raised many kittens, puppies and squirrels. If you have any questions feel free to email me I will be up for a few more hours.

Answer 3

You need to wash them in flea shampoo or dip them.
The amount of damage the fleas are doing is about as bad as a shampoo might do them.
They will drink milk and or water but if they are as tiny as you say,they might just as well do better with room temperature milk. . . don't leave it out any longer than about 3-4 hours esp after making it room temperature but always keep a bowl of water handy for them as well.
They may also need some kind of Kitten Chow as I am sure they have been deprived/robbed of good nutrition since they apparently were abandoned and since the fleas have been eating off of them ( they are probably anemic. . . .a good indicator of this is to pull open their lower eyelids. The flesh inside should be almost red but definately a bright pink. . . . I would be willing to bet you that it is very light pink which generally shows anemia).
If they are too little to eat Kitten Chow,get them some canned cat food.. .. . nothing gourmet but perhaps a liver mix as liver has iron in it and will be good for anemia. . . watch their stools as iron can cause them diarrhea. Lets hope they will go to a litter box.
Please take these babies to the vet soon as they could have gotten disease from the fleas. . . . esp. this many and they may even need some iron supplement.
Until you get them to a vet,always be sure to wash your hands after handling them and keep them away from any other cat until you have determined they don't have something contagious like Feline Leukemia which is highly contagious and has no cure.
You want to also make sure they don't have Distemper which they can pass on as well.


Good Luck

Answer 4

Well they are too young for ANY flea drops or collars or shampoos. I always used either baby shampoo or dish soap...they're both mild but do the job. You can buy replacement formula at walmart for like 4 bucks in a little carton. They do need to go to a vet to figure out age and be sure of no worms or anythings else too.

Answer 5

If you don't know how old they are, it was wise to not use a flea shampoo on them. You need to talk to a veterinarian, they may carry a product that you can purchase that is safe to use on kittens under 8 weeks of age. Also, with so many fleas, the kittens could develop anemia and tapeworms. If you plan to keep them, have them examined by a vet. If you don't plan to keep them - take them to a no-kill shelter or SPCA immediately so that they can treat them. And cats drink water, they can't properly digest regular cows milk and it leads to diarrhea.

Answer 6

Water. Do not give cows milk. It will give them the runs and make them very sick. If you have no kind of cat food in the house, maybe you could chop up some canned chicken or tuna for tonight. When I had tiny kittens that had fleas, the vet told me to use a Q-tip and alcohol and touch each flea with it to kill them, but he also told me not to get too much alcohol on the kitten. It sounds like these guys have them bad. Tomorrow is Monday. I would call the vet and they can put kitten advantage on them to get rid of them completely. Although it works for 30 days, if you get them in your house, I would not miss the next dose. It will keep them under control to use it regularly. P.S. the vet has to administer the kitten advantage, because the dose has to be exact, so it doesn't kill them.

Answer 7

If the kittens are very young and are being bottle-fed with a milk replacer formula you will just need to comb, comb and comb some more for a long time.

I used to heat water in a coffee mug in the microwave to almost boiling and comb and then dunk the comb with the fleas in the hot water and the fleas die instantly.

It is important you determine their exact age so you will know how to feed them, whether they are ready to start shots, etc. So a vet trip is very important.

Answer 8

you opt to take it to a vets so as that it's going to supply it a checkup, well being, the teeth, age, gender etc. then you definitely opt to get some aspects (even if it really is sufficiently previous that you'll keep it): you'll choose nutrition (a kitten particular style(kitten milk if it seems to be very youthful)),nutrition and water bowls, toys (catnip infused should be good), a tremendous cat service, a mattress (ought to correctly be an exceedingly extreme priced plush mattress, a plastic mattress with a number of blankets for convenience or only a cardboard container) you also choose a collar with an identity tag in case it wanders too a ideas and a clutter tray for the cat to apply if it needs to pass to the rest room interior. Optionals contain a scratch positioned as a lot as stop it clawing at your fixtures and carpets, treats as reward the kitten for good behaviour and a cat flap to allow uncomplicated get acceptable of entry to to the backyard/backyard. you'll opt to sign up the kitten with a vet to make effective it really is healthful and get it vaccinated and micro-chipped. . For the first few days the kitten wil probable cry at evening, it really is thoroughly known. also the kitten ought to have injuries, merely aspect it in the right direction so it really is conscious the position to pass the subsequent time. The kitten might want to no longer be allowed outdoors till its vaccinations are finished because it ought to capture a doubtlessly deadly ailment. once you do enable it out for the first time take it out on a leash or make effective its quite hungry so it really is going to go back for nutrition. If the Kitten seems to be youthful than 5-6weeks(weaning age) then it really is per chance superb to take it to an animal shield as they have experience of hand rearing youthful kittens.

Answer 9

Any idea how old they are? Goat milk is sold in a lot of grocery stores (in cans) and it's a good substitute for most animal's milk. They even use it for manatee babies. I did a lot of pet rescues. You may need a doll bottle & pucture a hole in the nipple. As for the fleas, dish detergent works, but if they're too young, call a vet.

Answer 10

You will need to take them to the vet for their kitten vaccinations, general health check, worm and flea treatment . Your vet will apply the appropiate flea treatments for kittens and suggest what you should do to take proper care of these gorgeous little darlings!