Help Kitten with fleas 5 half weeks old?

Question

I got my kitten yesterday and he is covered in flees, all the trearments are not allowed until he is 3 months onwards, have bathed him and combed but only reduced them a little any once know anything natural that wont hurt the cat but will kill the bugs.

please dont get on at me for having a kitten so young, the mother rejected him and the house were he came from ...... he is in a much better place now just the flees came with him.

Answer 1

unfortunately i do not why but kittens are always born with fleas,as well as the advice given on treating these bugs may i suggest that you purchase from the vet furniture flea killer as they will spread like wild fire BUT KEEP YOUR KITTEN OUT OF ANY ROOM THAT HAS BEEN SPRAYED,for at least 24 hrs especially along the carpet edges and corners you might think it is expensive but in the long run it pays dividends and also flea collar might help,i buy my animals flea treatment from the vet as it is better than shop bought products,i use front line which lasts five weeks,i am giving this info direct from frontline leaflet it states to use front line spray from 2 days old to 8 weeks and or weighing less than 1kg this should kill all fleas within 24 hrs. cats older than 8 weeks use front line spot on cat each 0.5 tube(pipette) contains 50mg fipronil and placed on neck.

Answer 2

Hi there,

It does sound like your kitten is going to have a better life with you than where he was before. You won't get told off! :-)

As you got your kitten yesterday, you need to take him to the vet. You should always do this with new kittens, regardless of their age, as they need an initial checkup. It's also a very good idea to get pet insurance straight away if you don't already have it! Kittens are prone to get into all kinds of trouble! I've only had my kitten for 6 weeks and despite watching her every move, she has had an eye infection and a sprained leg already, which would have cost over £100 to treat if we didn't have pet insurance.

Most over the counter flea treatments do not work. Frontline spray really is the only way to go. I would definitely take your new kitten to the vet ASAP. Fleas can kill young kittens if left untreated, so please get the best advice from your vet and don't rely on what I, or anybody else on here (even though there is some great advice), says.

xx Emmie

Answer 3

You've got some good answers here. More combing with a dish
of warm water to further reduce the flea population (dry kitten thoroughly afterward and sequester the towels) AND take the kitten to a vet. As another writer has correctly stated, fleas in sufficient numbers can kill a kitten.
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Answer 4

Contact your vet to determine what you can safely use on your kittens, preferably a product that works for a full month. Baths will only kill what is currently on the kittens and the problem is the environmental infestation. Fleas will get right back on them after the bath. By getting something that lasts for a month on the kittens (and mother cat) you will help to prevent further environmental contamination with flea eggs that will later turn into fleas. Then you need to treat your home. Your best bet is going to be to have a professional come out and treat your home for parasites, but you can also do it yourself with bombs/foggers. Treat the WHOLE house and then vacuum regularly to help suck up the fleas that come out of the cocoons after the treatment. This will knock down the initial number of fleas in the house, but you will see adult fleas again after this. And this is why the month-long duration in the products used on the cats is important--it will kill these new fleas before they can lay more eggs in the environment. With this sort of plan you may not need to retreat the house, but that is going to depend on just how back the current environmental contamination is. You may need to retreat with bombs/foggers in 10 days.

Answer 5

Unfortunatly, I had to learn the hard way that fleas can kill the kittens by making them severly anemic. I had to take my 3 1/2 week old tiger to emergency and needless to say she passed on. But the vet did give me Advantage for my two adult cats and one dose which she told me to split between the two other kittens. I saw an immediate difference, they are all happy and healthy now and flea free. So it seems that Advantage is ok for 3 1/2 week old babies and up (at least 1/2 a dose) Above all, go consult a vet before it is too late!!!

Hard lesson, it still hurts me but I know that I will know better next time. (RIP my little Tiger)

Hope this helps you.

Answer 6

Fleas can cause young kittens to become anemic. This is a potentially fatal condition in kittens.
Use a flea comb to gently remove the dirt and fleas from the fur. Ask your vet for a flea spray that is safe to use on just born kittens, if you do not find a safe spray use the flea comb (always read the warnings)
If you used a spray, then:
Place the kitten on a towel for ~20 minutes and discard the towel with the dead and dying fleas that have come off.
After using a spray, you can give the kitten a bath in gentle soap (make sure water is lukewarm).
Towel dry the kitten towel-dry it.

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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.

Answer 7

I fostered a little of brand new kittens several years ago. They were teeny weeny and had been rejected by mom and were quite flea ridden. My answer would be daily baths. I washed the little buggers one to two times a day. I believe the previous answer about diluted Dawn is also correct as I read somewhere that is good at killing fleas. Just keep them clean and dry because you are right to be concerned: baby kitties don't have a lot of blood to begin with and don't need someone else taking any of it.

Answer 8

Lucky for you, I have plenty of experience in hand-raising kittens!

Green dishwashing liquid soap (dawn, pamolive...etc) is your key in this situation. The ingredients in this liquid stun the fleas just like a flea shampoo would and it's less likely to poision your kitty. Of course, you should take care as to not let the kitten injest the soap, I'd stick to staying behing the ears. You might want to keep some tweasers handy so you can pluck off any hard to reach fleas or the fleas that don't fall off in the water.

Good Luck and I hope this helps!

Answer 9

i got a kitten when it was 4 week old about 4 week ago (they told us it was 6 week old where we got it)
we took it to the vets since it had the same problem and they put front line flee spray (you can get the best from the vets over the counter and it usually costs about £10-£15) on her about 4-5 squirts it shouldn't hurt or harm her but do the the kitten to the vets since they usually know best
hope this helps
Natalie x

Answer 10

I think you are doing a wonderful thing. Putting a little bit of garlic in cat s food does help but, the kitten is still weening. Try rubbing the garlic on your hands then pat and lightly rub it all over the kitten. Try a small area first to see if the kitten has any problems from the garlic. Good luck and god bless you!