How can you tell if a kitten has fleas?

Question

im taking in a stray kitten. she looks healthy her fur is shinny. she doesn't scratch a lot. i don't think she has fleas. but are there things to look for just in case she does have them?

and i will not be able to get to the vet soon until later this week. and i need to take her in today because i live in a country where right now where it's desert weather and it's like 115 degrees and she's hot.

Answer 1

If he scratches and then you see fleas.

Answer 2

Sort through her fur, or better yet, comb her with a flea comb. You're looking for flea dirts - little black flakes and swirls that you will see on her skin or on the fur on the flea comb. You see these much more often than the actual fleas.

You can also comb her over some wet white paper - if she has fleas, the dirts will fall on to the paper and turn wet. Also look at where she's been sleeping, there will be flea dirts there.

Even if she doesn't have fleas, it's a good idea to treat her BEFORE she gets them, they're easier to prevent than treat. You don't actually have to take her to the vets to get treatment, just pop in there. You could always ring ahead to see what stuff they can provide you with.

Chalice

EDIT: NEVER use a dog product on a cat, diluted or not! What an awful thing for that twerp to suggest - that's how to kill a kitten. Stay away from 'washes' and shampoos in general, they're useless. Do not get any of the rubbish you get from pet stores and supermarkets.

Answer 3

you can take the fur and look for flea "dander".
Start at the top along the ridge like where YOUR shoulders are (but on the kitten of course)..... and work down the back towards the tail. From there, you can branch out in each direction to the left & to the right working towards each paw.... or towards the ground. Just part the fur with your fingers gently till you get down right up close to the skin level.
If you see a bunch of little black specks... that look to the naked eye like a bunch of "pepper" -(like someone sprinkled "pepper" all in there)..... well then, those black specks are flea "dander". That is from the fleas that have been feeding off of the cat's (host's) blood. That is nothing but a bunch of flea "excrement" -("waste" - poo).
If you see that, then go get some flea wash. You can even use dog flea bath stuff it will work just as good, just dilute it a little. A kitten is still young so you don't want to put anything to harsh on it. The vet will do nothing but stick it in a big flea dip solution and give it back to you all shaking like a leaf. The poor little thing will be all traumatized. If you can avoid that, you will have yourself a true companion.

Personal truth >we had a longhair & shorthairs with bad fleas for awhile.... so I know what I am talking about.
We were bombing & bombing & bombing more than any terrorist, also sprayed the yards front & back & washed the cats frequently till we got it all under control.
Fleas are a beeotch.....no joke. The d*** city wasn't spraying our neighborhoods either, for mosquitos or anything else for that matter.
*That was some years ago, now all I see everywhere is gnats......gnats, gnats, gnats, & flies. How appetizing is it to go out to eat and be constantly swatting at gnats & flies......
>Only the nose knows.......their constantly flying up it

Answer 4

well obviously as you probably already know, she would be scratching. but i would check her fur often if you ever suspect she has fleas and if she does, wash any fabrics she may touch - bed covers, pillows her own bedding. stuff like that.

but yes, if she is continuously scratching i would check her fur as i said and try to get her checked out at the vets.
if you have already taken the kitten in and have not already done so, you might want to go to the vets anyways and just have a general check up if she has been a stray incase she has any illnesses that need to be treated.

best of luck

Answer 5

get a flea comb ( you should be able to get them from the store)

or

wet a piece of white paper, put it on the floor and hold the kitten over it and rough up the kittens fur over it. If the kitten has fleas the flea poo will fall off the fur onto the paper and filter out (best way i can think of describing it) normal dirt wont.

Answer 6

Turn kitty upside down and look at her tummy. They should be seen right there. Most stray kittens have fleas. In the US, there are flea treatments available from the vet for very young kittens.

Answer 7

If he keeps scratching the whole day then its fleas or you yourself can just run your hand through the fur and check if there are any small black things stuck in the fur, if yes thats fleas.

Answer 8

If she doesn’t scratch then she probably doesn’t have fleas. Also, you’ll notice “flea dust” (black dots of powder stuff) where she’s been laying. Pull the fur apart to see if she has any, and if she does push them into a tub of water, they are very quick moving though.

Answer 9

Good on you for realising this kitten needs help urgently and doing something about it! :-D

It's likely she hasn't got fleas from your description of her. If you want to check, you've been given loits of good ways. Another is to wipe her with a damp flannel. If you see specks of red, then she has fleas.

Answer 10

run your finger along the kitten so you're folding back its fur,if it does have fleas they'll be easy to spot this way,watch for any little sores/sore spots as this is usually another sign of flea nests.

Answer 11

I was gonna say exactly what heather said, but she beat me too it. The best thing to get for fleas is advantage. It's 15 bucks at petsmart, and I swear, no itchies for a month! it's awesome!