I just got a kitten from a friend and she's got fleas.I bought a flea collar and flea shampoo but I can't use either until she's 12 wks. and right now she's only 7 wks. old.I went back to the pet store and all the flea shampoos are made for 12 wks and older.So now what do I do?I also have a dog and an older cat so I have to do something about the fleas and soon.I'm just not sure what.
Answers:
Bathe the cat with regular shampoo and then pick off the fleas by hand. It is disgusting but better than poisoning the kitten.
On a counter put a light over a dish of soapy water, this will draw the fleas and they won't be able to get out of the water due to the soap.
As for the kitten give it a bath in warm water using baby shampoo. This should cut down the amount of fleas she has. You could possibly use a small amount of flea powder on her if you put it on your hand and rub it on her but even this is tough to judge it all depends on how big she is.
The baby shampoo should help though and whatever fleas are still on her should be drawn to the light at night and kill them. Make sure your other pets have flea collars on so there is no risk to them.
Take her to the vet. They can give her a bath for you, either with just warm water or with an age-appropriate shampoo. Fleas can make kitties sick, so this is definitely the route to go!
Treat the other animals. They will need it anyway and if you use Frontline or Advantage, it will treat every place they go to which in turn, will help the kitten as well. Especially if they spend time near each other. At 7 weeks old, your vet might be able to give you more help on getting rid of them faster.
Edited to add: Please do not "bathe the kitten often". Kittens/cats are not meant to be bathed! You can make that kitten very ill by bathing it. Only bathe when absolutely necessary or directed by your vet to do so. Thanks! =)
I adopted a 3 week old kitten from the shelter. They put a small amount of Advantage on her before I took her home. Don't put anything on her without talking to a vet 1st. Vets know the correct doseage for her size and weight. The OTC stuff isn't as effective either.
You might want to see if Frontline or Advantage (flea repellent) makes their product available for kittens. Do NOT put it on your kitten if she is too young. I would definitely forget flea collars. They don't really do much, but the product I mentioned above kills fleas and ticks in 15 minutes up to a month. She'll be more comfortable and so will you!
well... you should just bathe the kitten frequently for now. and use a little shampoo. not a lot though. take a wash cloth and bathe the head with that. dont put the head under the water. also go to the vet ask them. or a place that washes animals. they should be able to help you.
If the kitten is at least 8 weeks old, you can use Frontline. Since it's not quite there yet, try washing your kitty with a little Dawn dish detergent and use a flea comb. Cat baths are NOT fun but it should solve your problem. Just be sure not to get the soap in your kittens eyes and watch for the fleas that will climb to the kittens head when it's body hits the water. When using the flea comb, put the fleas in something with water and a little Dawn dish soap. I have found that Dawn is the best for removing/killing fleas.
Front line has a spray bottle , we soak a paper towel and rub the kitten down good , don't do the face. this can be used on the older pets also ,
give them a bath in dawn dish soap.its a quick fix, but it works!! and garlic supplaments which can be found a cat tablets of brewers yeast will help prevent...wait until 12 weeks to use any flea product and id recomend not using anything you buy at grocery stores, it has the chance to cause burns, seizures, and even death. stick with advatage or frontline or frontline plus only. its worth the extra money--knowing it wont kill your cat.
Check out the pet safe products at your local health foods store. They should be used for inside animals as they are safe for human babies too.
Try bathing her in Dawn dish detergent (same stuff they use to clean animals after oil spills so it's safe!). I hear fleas hate it.
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