yesterday I found a little kitty ... he was starved and lost ... so we went to see a vet?

Question

kitty is OK .. he's only 4 weeks old, but eats nicely, does all the kitty stuff, like having fleas. The vet told me to use some powder, apply it for 30 min, and rinse it, but the guy at the store didn't want to sell it to me, saying I'd kill the kitty (he's too small for that kind of things to be used on him) so he recommended a bit of vinegar in water, to soak the fur with it, so the fleas get "drunk" and slow, and then to take them off one by one ... and I did that .. it worked, but there must have been a lot of larva, because now, about 20 hours later, he has fleas again ... larva must have hatched ..
OK .. now the question (finally) ... how quickly do fleas do that ... lay eggs, hatch? ... because .. this little guy doesn't like getting wet, but I'm not sure how long to wait before I do the soaking thing again ... and, well, he sleeps on my bed ... in his blanky ... but .. can fleas live there too? ... do I need to change the blanket every day till we get rid of fleas completely?

oh, yeah ... he did get wormed .... everything was fine there (surprisingly) ... and I think he's too small for vacctination .. the vet said in a week he could get vaccinated, but ... I don't know .. I didn't get my dog vaccinated till she was 3 months old ... I think I'm going to look for an other vet (I don't trust that woman)

Answer 1

Go back to the vet, tell him what was said at the pet store and then get a flea bomb for each room in your house. Sorry not really sure what else to say but the Vet should be able to advise better

Answer 2

I don't trust that woman either! What on Earth was she doing, telling you to use flea powder?! That's not even good for an adult cat, never mind a tiny kitten!

The only safe product that actually works for kittens under 8 weeks old, is Frontline spray. Get some from a vet. It can be used on kittens from 2 days of age, it's safe and it will kill all fleas on your kitten and keep them gone for about a month. Vinegar doesn't do anything, I think you probably just washed off some of them that were there and then she got reinfested right away - yes I would change her blanket often, but I would also spray your house - not with anything from a petshop! There are fleas living in your house now, so you will continue to see them - if you Frontline your kitten she's covered, but you'll still continue to see the fleas that are in the house.

And yes, she's too young for vaccinations, these are from 9 weeks in a kitten!

Chalice

Answer 3

Provided the kitten stays healthy, he can begin vaccinations at 8 weeks of age. You should be sure he gets an FELV/FIP test too, just to be sure he's ok.

Personally, I hate flea powder. Not only does it go all over the place no matter how carefully you try to apply it, but the cloud of dust the comes from it is something that I don't want to breath in.

I have always had great success with a simple and inexpensive flea comb. Usually, I would have a small dish of water with dish washing liquid added to it next to me when I was flea combing my cats. Simply comb the kitty, then dip the flea comb in the water...the fleas drown. Dry the comb and continue. The kitty should love it...most cats love to be brushed or combed. Fleas spend very little time on their host (your kitten) and lots of time in other places, like the bed, the linens, the carpeting. In order to be sure that you're getting the majority of fleas, you must treat the kitten AND your home at the same time. Keeping on top of the situation will insure you will get rid of the fleas fast.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

ask your vet about flea treatments like spot ons. you will also need to treat the little guy with de wrormers as fleas carry tapeworm i recommend panicur for this. kitty is old enough for frontline although i don't recommend it. but you could ask your vet. if you use the vinegar treatment do 1 part vinegar to 3parts warm water a couple of times a week. you need to treat the home and his bedding and yours too. for beeding wash it in a 60 degree wash if possible but 40 degrees work too. for your home use zodiac household spray 1 can does an average 3 bed house. if furbaby gets used to being bathed now you'll have no problems later just make sure all water is warm and not to hot or cold and dry throughly. don't use anything other than the vinegar solution and plain water unless you can get a kitten shampoo suitable for this age. you can get brewer yeast and add it to his food i crush i tablet per cat and 1/2 tablet for a kitten upto six months old. or try vegemite or marmite my cats love these just a small amount once or twice a week due to the salt content. i know nothing of the life cycle of fleas. hope this info helps.

Answer 5

Yep! Change the blanket..wash in hot water...vacuum and throw out the bag inside the vacuum and empty it outside. You can also spray a flea spray in the area he sleeps - get the stuff from the vets office not at a pet store. You can also wash your kitten in Johnson's baby shampoo. This sometimes works. Just keep the area clean it might take a little while. At 6 weeks of age take your kitten to the vets and ask for Revolution. This will clear up the kitten in 48 hours. But until he is older you can't clear up the flea's the easy way. Good Luck and your kitten is lucky to have found you!

Answer 6

Okay, first of all, I'd go to a different pet shop (the vinegar stuff is nonsense). Secondly, get a second opinion and go to a better vet. And last of all, get and insect bomb. The fleas with be everywhere. Put a seperate bomb in each room (remove any pets first). Put the tab out so it starts spraying, and close all the doors with you outside. Leave the bombs for two hours. Do one room at a time, so you don't have to leave the house. But do them one after the other. It works. I did it last year!

Answer 7

First, congratulation on your new arrival and thanks for saving an innocent life!

For the flea information:
# Completion of the life cycle from egg to adult varies from two weeks to eight months.

# Normally the female flea lays about 15 to 20 eggs per day up to 600 in a lifetime.

# Usual hosts for fleas are dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, opossums, foxes, chickens, and humans.

# Eggs loosely laid in the hair, drop out where the pet rests, sleeps or nests (rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, cat or dog boxes, kennels, sand boxes, etc.)

# Eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae found indoors in floor cracks & crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds.

(See http://www.fleasmart.com/life.htm for more detail.)

On a long term basis, I would recommend Advantage, which has always worked well for fleas in my house. It's only approved for kitties over 8 weeks though, so it's a little too soon to start him on it.

For flea control in your house (not on the cat!) go to the laundry department of your local store and pick up some Borax laundry powder. It's non toxic to you and the cat, but for some reason, fleas like to eat it, and it kills them. Sprinkle it lightly on your carpets, furniture etc, and leave it there. We usually do it after vacuuming....such a little amount that you can't tell it's there...

You may want to continue to change sheets every few days until you have the fleas under control just to avoid the discomfort to yourself, but it's not going to help that much in controlling the population. In the meantime, I'd call the vet back and verify the information he provided, as I doubt he would have recommended a flea control product for a kitten that wasn't going to be safe - and their advice is generally better then what you get in the pet stores.

Answer 8

Yes on the blanket change and be prepared to flea bomb your house or apartment at least twice after the kitty has gotten rid of the fleas.

I wouldn't use flea powders either. But you need to be diligent about the bath technique because the fleas carry parasites and you will probaby have to have the little guy wormed too.

Answer 9

Good for you. Nice to see someone cares about animals.
There are mild anti-flea shampoos that will deal with it gradually, but you have to do it regularly and it will get wet. Be gentle but the shop keeper was probably right not too give the harsh flea powder.
It can be brutal on a weak kitten.

Answer 10

I'm glad your kitty's okay =)...i dont know how long it take for larva to hatch, but i do know you shouldn't let the preciouse little guy sleep in your bed. The fleas will take over your bed and possibly you. So, yes, you might want to keep changing that blanket...Good Luck!