I picked up a kitten yesterday from a family offering kittens from a litter their own cat had just birthed. I have no experience with cats at all and my knowledge is purely supplied from the internet. Within an hour of having the kitten in my home I noticed a bug crawling on him but wasn't sure what to think of it. After a couple hours and upon further inspection I started to see the bugs more frequently and realized they were fleas. Immediately I gave the kitten a bath in lukewarm water and tried to brush him off the best i could. Of course this didnt do the trick. Later I gave the kitten another bath and used diluted tea tree oil on his fur and it seemed to repel the fleas. I went through at least an hour and a half of picking fleas off him and squishing them to make sure they were dead. I took him to the vet this morning and had him checked but the doctor was unable to find any fleas and said he is too young for frontline. I was told the kitten is 7 weeks but the doctor said 6 because he is so tiny. Now i have a tiny kitten living in my bedroom (i can't let him out of my room because a friend's cat is visiting my house) Does anyone know what i can do? Do you think there is already swarms of eggs in my house? I tried vacuuming my room and bagging and washing all my linens immediately after defleaing. Does anyone have any advice at all? I literally have no idea what to do.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs
kitten with fleas
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Hi, Denzel, sounds like you got onto the problem right away and did the right thing. A gentle bath (some TDKers here swear by Dawn, we don't have it here in NZ but it sounds good), then dry kitty really quickly and well so he doesn't get chilled, and then a flea comb to get the rest out, dropping them in soapy warm water... And then a good vacuum!
So I shouldn't think you're invaded by fleas already but if time tells otherwise... click the pink tag 'fleas' I added (on the top right hand corner of the page) and you'll find plenty of advice on this subject. Food-grade diatomaceous earth (NOT swimming pool grade) seems to do the trick, safely and cheaply, see previous threads for details! Good luck!
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When my kittens were 4 weeks vet told me to use advantage for an 8 week old and just split in half. By the next day they had no fleas what so ever
Posted 3 months ago by KITTEN CUDDLER #
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Yea just give half and see if it gets rid of them all
Posted 3 months ago by KITTEN CUDDLER #
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I would wait before putting any advantage or frontline on the little kit. You have taken great steps to rid the fleas. Vacuming kills the fleas and eggs. Dawn dish detergent is a great way to give a very young kit a flea bath. Be careful around the eyes, mouth, and nose. The Dawn will kill the fleas. Vacum everyday. The other visiting cat may have fleas as well. You will need to check the visitor or your flea problem will continue.
Posted 3 months ago by tinafishfrombirthplaceofElvis #
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Another solution I've found helpful in battling fleas is to go to the nursery and purchase some Diatomaceous Earth. We bought a 1.5 lb. box for approx. $7.00 and it's all organic and safe to use in your home. There are clear instructions on the side of the box in how it can be used in you carpet, pet bedding as well as dusting the pets directly. We rarely have ANY fleas here anymore. It's a fine white powder and can be messy as you need to leave it in your carpet for two days in order to kill the fleas but then just vacuum it up. When putting it directly on a pet you should take care not to get it directly into their eyes or lungs but is perfectly safe for them otherwise.
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Borax (sodium borate) from your local supermarket works well and it cost like $3. Make sure your kitten is quarantined away because borax is toxic to them. I suggest that you deflea your kitten again with "Natural Chemistry De Flea Pet Shampoo for Cats and Kittens", its natural and is really gentle on young kittens. Just don't get any into his mouth or he will start foaming and drooling. Put your kitten in an clean area away from where you are going to clean again. Pour borax over your carpet and floor and leave it out for at least a few hours and then vacuum it all. Borax kills fleas and their eggs by dehydrating them. You will need to repeat the process again in a few weeks to make sure you didn't miss any egg sac that will hatch later on. You can use a defogger, but its a BIG hassle evacuating and covering everything.
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I tres ivory and dawn and it didn't really help. I was shocked when doc said to use advantage on 4 1/2 week olds but I split it and not a flea since so maybe call a vet and ask if it's safe. A lot of places are willing to give advice over phone and make sure you call more than one place. Good luck
Posted 3 months ago by KITTEN CUDDLER #
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