Took in stray kittens/will my home be infested with fleas?

Question

I was finally able to catch the stray kittens lurking around my house. They are about 3 months old, eating good, and getting used to people.

When i first brought them into the house the first thing i did was give them a flea bath. I then put those flea drops on the back of their neck & all the towels i used went straight into the wash. I now have them in a HUGE HUGE dog crate isolated from the rest of the house (and my other cat) with their litterbox until i am sure they know how to use it properly.

I am simply fostering these kittens and wanting to find them good homes. Last night though, even after the bath & drops, i noticed a few fleas jumping on me. I'm so afraid my apartment is going to become flea infested because i rent.

Can anyone please advise on precautions to use/what to do? Are flea baths & drops supposed to work right away? Does vet medication work right away?

Help!

P.S i AM taking them to the vet ASAP for their first shots, FIV tests & check up. I just want to know what to do until then/after that to make sure i dont live in a flea colony!

P.S How much is flea medication from the vet if its for a 3 month old? (there are 4 kittens)

Answer 1

If you used Frontline or Advantage on the kittens, you don't need to worry about your house becoming infested with fleas. Those flea remedies stay on the surface of the cat's skin and do not get into its system, which is way they are safe for even tiny kittens.

Fleas prefer to be on animals with a body temperature of over 100 degrees. Cats' normal body temp is about 101-102, so they make an ideal host for fleas. Fleas that jump off the kittens after Advantage or Frontline is applied will die within an hour or so, and any that are in your carpet or elsewhere will migrate to the nice warm cat and soon die.

Don't use any flea baths or dips on the kittens. Kittens can get chilled from bathing, and those flea remedies don't work anyway, as you saw. In fat, don't use any flea medicines you can buy in a pet or grocery store -- they can harm an adult cat and they can kill a kitten, plus they don't really work on the fleas.

Definitely do not use flea bombs in your house. They are toxic and the chemicals c an linger in the carpet and fabric for months and make you and the pets sick. They are not necessary and are hold-overs from the 70s before there were effective nontoxic flea remedies.

Get some Frontline or Advantage (I think Advantage works better) from a vet, who can tell you how much to put on each kitten. One dose costs about $13 -- you may be able to treat
two from one dose.

They work fast. I have seen dead fleas dropping off a cat within half an hour of applying Advantage.

Answer 2

1) Flea baths don't work
2) If you bath before putting drops on, the drops won't work because you've washed away the oils from the skin that the drops need to work.

Get some stuff from a vet pronto. Frontline, Revolution and Advantage kill all fleas within 24 hours - most will be dead within a few hours. Make sure you get the spot-ons completely on the cat's skin, not on their fur - but wait 24 hours after bathing or like I say, it can't work. Capstar pills are also good, they kill fleas within a few hours, but they don't prevent them.

Also get some housespray from your vets, you need it. Don't bother with any store bought stuff, it doesn't work.

Chalice

EDIT: Stay far away from Bob Martin flea products, the Number One killer on the UK market!!

EDIT: Kayty's answer is excellent, only apart from the bit about not needing to treat your house - you do, it's where most of the fleas are living.

Answer 3

Well same thing here and here's what I did and it worked great. First. Take all bedding, things cat has layed on and clothing and wash it all in HOT water. Then move on to the cat. Bathe the cat with normal shampoo or something that has tea tree in it. This helps kill live fleas. Go to your vet and get CAPSTAR OR REVOLUTION and put it on the back of the cat's neck where it cannot lick. This will kill all live fleas, eggs, larvae. PLEASE DO NOT USE A CHEAP FLEA KILLER. Hartz and Bio-spot, two commonly sold flea removers, are animal killing pesticides with BAD reactions. I had a cat die from using that so I learned the hard way. After that, get a carpet flea spray. Treat carpet and furniture in your house. Whewwww your done. It sounds like alot of work at once but take one day to prepare and one day to treat the cat, house, clothes. If you do this right you will never have a re-ocurring flea problem. Good luck

Answer 4

Hi, one of the the best flea treatments is Frontline,I have used this on my kitten for 4 months now and since then he has not had a single flea on him.Around the same time I used "Bob Martins Flea Bombs" (one for each room) they have got rid of the fleas in my home,they are safe to use just make sure to follow the instructions. You can buy the Frontline from any vets over the counter and the bombs from most pet shops.

Answer 5

You have to get advantage for fleas that works best of all from the vet 18 dollars a month it is but it works or you will have to flea bomb your apt they go everywhere even in kittens eyes they did for my cat when she was 2 wks old good luck and have fun with them!

Answer 6

dont foget fleas can jump high and fast,so even when the kittens are in the cage the fleas will jump on each cat,are the fleas not from your other cat if it goes outside?once the kittens are gone,go out for the day,making sure any other pets are not in the house,and spray the whole house with the flea spray,under beds,behind furniture,everywhere the little beggers could hide,do this every weekend if poss and you'll be flea free in no time.

Answer 7

You did the right thing with the kitties, now you need to bomb your house. Get some flea bombs at the grocery store -- you'll need one for every infected room. Plan to have everyone and the kitties out of the house for the time recommended on the package. It's really easy and cheap.

Answer 8

There's a simple way to get rid of fleas in the carpet and furniture that doesn't involve flea chemicals. It's called Mule Team Borax and it's found in the laundry aisle. You sprinkle it everywhere, carpets and furniture and let it set overnight then vacuum it up in the morning. It's less expensive, doesn't stink like chemicals, and is non toxic.

Answer 9

You took a big chance. I did that once and never again. My cat got infested as well as my den where I kept the stray. Kitty paid the price. Good luck