New Kitten and Fleas

ljjarvis817

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Yes, I had a question I was hoping someone could answer for me. Let me explain a little bit first. Monday I hear a loud knocking on my front door, when I open it I find my husband standing there with a small kitten in a coke box. He explains to me that he found him in a closed box, next to a dumpster at a gas station and it looked like someone had just dumped him there. After bringing the kitten in and into the guest bathroom my husband informs me that the kitten has fleas. Quickly I run him in a bath, wrap him in a towel and tell me husband to get out of the house with him and wait in the car. Now I have 3 cats already (Gweedo-6, Skitzo (fat boy)-5 and Little Miss-2) so I have to go and get Advantage for them. We hurry to the pet store and pick up flea shampoo, a flea collar (only because the girl there kept telling me that the kitten was too small for Advantage, even though I knew better, I only purchased these things to make her shut up) and a four month pack of Advantage. I made my husband wait outside while I rushed in and got the 3 older cats with there flea medication. We then brought the kitten back in, washed him with the flea shampoo, put the collar on (Because my husband insisted since we paid for it) and then cutting the bottom of the Advantage I used a q-tip, dipped it in the Advantage and ran a little down his back and tail, some on his tummy and around his neck. The fleas he had were so bad that they all congregated around his face and made it look as if his face was moving, they were in his eyes, ears and around his mouth, so I put a little bit of Advantage on his cheeks and around his ears using the q-tip. We then used a flea comb to comb out what we could and drowned the fleas in water. After about 6 hours all the fleas on him were dead and gone. So he is doing much better and has an appointment on Tuesday for his Kitten Plan. Now my question is, even though we took quick drastic measures to clear the situation up, what is the likely hood of me having a flea infestation in my home? I have vacuumed every day the furniture and carpets, and bleached the linoleum and counters down. Can some one please let me know? Thanks.
 

jen

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Originally Posted by ljjarvis817

Yes, I had a question I was hoping someone could answer for me. Let me explain a little bit first. Monday I hear a loud knocking on my front door, when I open it I find my husband standing there with a small kitten in a coke box. He explains to me that he found him in a closed box, next to a dumpster at a gas station and it looked like someone had just dumped him there. After bringing the kitten in and into the guest bathroom my husband informs me that the kitten has fleas. Quickly I run him in a bath, wrap him in a towel and tell me husband to get out of the house with him and wait in the car. Now I have 3 cats already (Gweedo-6, Skitzo (fat boy)-5 and Little Miss-2) so I have to go and get Advantage for them. We hurry to the pet store and pick up flea shampoo, a flea collar (only because the girl there kept telling me that the kitten was too small for Advantage, even though I knew better, I only purchased these things to make her shut up) and a four month pack of Advantage. I made my husband wait outside while I rushed in and got the 3 older cats with there flea medication. We then brought the kitten back in, washed him with the flea shampoo, put the collar on (Because my husband insisted since we paid for it) and then cutting the bottom of the Advantage I used a q-tip, dipped it in the Advantage and ran a little down his back and tail, some on his tummy and around his neck. The fleas he had were so bad that they all congregated around his face and made it look as if his face was moving, they were in his eyes, ears and around his mouth, so I put a little bit of Advantage on his cheeks and around his ears using the q-tip. We then used a flea comb to comb out what we could and drowned the fleas in water. After about 6 hours all the fleas on him were dead and gone. So he is doing much better and has an appointment on Tuesday for his Kitten Plan. Now my question is, even though we took quick drastic measures to clear the situation up, what is the likely hood of me having a flea infestation in my home? I have vacuumed every day the furniture and carpets, and bleached the linoleum and counters down. Can some one please let me know? Thanks.
I think you are fine, I doubt the little kitten brought fleas in to the point of infestation. You took drastic precautions so I think your home is going to be fine
Right now though, please take the flea collar off the kitten and cut it up and put it in your vacuum bag. Then vacuuma your whole house. It will pick up any stray fleas if there are any and kill them once they get in the vacuum bag.

Keep in mind to, next time you flea treat your kitten only put a drop or so on the back of his neck. He can get really really ill or worse if he were to lick any of it off. Since you put it on his belly and back and neck he can easily get to it. Only put it high up on the neck out of his reach. It will spread to the rest of his body.
 

jennyr

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Hi and I think it is wonderful that you and your husband have helped this little one. I second putting the flea collar in the vacuum bag. I also put bits of collar under the main seat cushions of the couch where the cats sit. Some people say they can smell it, but I can't. And I would be very wary of flea shampoos, fortunately they won't be necessary now you have used the advantage, but there have been cases of kittens being poisoned by flea shampoos. Good luck!
 

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Love your rescue! Here is a future tip for kittens and pups, safe and I did it, Dawn dish detergent kills fleas! Yes, believe it or not!!!! Even if you do a Google search, you will see the recomendations.......not an ancient chinese secret, I don't think?!
 
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ljjarvis817

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Thank you guys for you answers, they are greatly appreciated. I never though about the collar in the vacuum cleaner, that is a great idea. The couch cushion idea too, unfortunately my couch cushions don’t come off. I have only ever had to deal once with fleas and that was back in North Dakota with our older cats, after we moved to Florida we have pretty much kept Advantage on them sense we live in one big sand trap full of fleas. I have slacked a little bit sense October when we ran out, especially sense they don't ever go outside and we don't have any dogs. But I am back to doing it again.

Yeah, I was worried about putting the Advantage in places that he could lick, but he was so miserable that I just couldn't stand to see him suffering. His little cheeks and tummy were bleeding because they had been bitten so badly and the water was so brown from all the blood and feces from the fleas. I just took a chance and we watched him the entire time afterwards. He is doing great, we do have a little problem with him dragging his bottom on the floor, but I am sure it is do to the fact that he probably has worms, but Tuesday that gets fixed. He is a feisty little one too , he keeps trying to beat the oldest cat Gweedo up, but Gweedo politely puts his paw on him and knocks him down letting him know that he is boss. And it's cute, the other cats act like they do not like him, but when they think you aren’t looking they will cuddle with him, clean him and play with him. But, I am including some pictures of him for you guys to see. Thanks again.

Link to Pictures: http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7473/nifkin26as.jpg
 

goldenkitty45

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First of all, I know the kitten was loaded with fleas but to flea shampoo him AND the collar AND the Avantage, you really overdosed him - its a wonder it didn't kill him.

Get rid of the collar - its junk - put it in your vacumn cleaner bag and rewash the kitten in baby shampoo - no more flea medication - you've used enough.

I would use the flea comb on him and the Avantage only - but you have to get all the other poison off the kitten.

I'd also put some of the flea collar pieces under the sofa cushions where the cats can't get to them. Then keep vacummning the areas where the kitten was.
 

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Yeah you did kind of overdose him, sometimes you CAN be too cautious, I know the saying is "you can never be too cautious" ...I think... anyways...

Luckily he survived it all. I would not use flea meds on him for awhile. Flea combs and Dawn Dish soap work best for fleas. But I agree with GoldenKitty, I would wash all the poison off of him with a gentle baby shampoo before he licks or ingests any more of it.

If he had that many fleas you can betcha he has at least tapeworm, maybe roundworm too. The vet will deworm him for you and that will take care of that.

He is adorable by the way! Thanks for posting pictures! We always love those!!
 

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FYI there is now a pill, you get from your Vet, called CAPST*R, that is safe for both cats and dogs from 2lbs. to 25lbs, that kills all adult fleas in 30 minutes or less. After the adults are killed then you can use your regular flea product to kill the eggs. I keep several tablets on hand to use on my rescues. After giving the pill I keep the cat in a carrier for 30 minutes, then bathe, and apply Frontline. If it is a small kitten under 12 weeks then I have to bathe several times with Johnsons No More Tears Baby Shampoo, until they are old enough for Frontline protection. I had major flea infestation just once, about three years ago, and it was the hardest thing in the world to get it under control. CAPST*R has saved my life!
 

mamakitties

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He is sooooo adorable!!!
I think you really overdosed him a bit. Like others suggested, it would be best to clean off all that poison with a mild gentle soap like J&J baby in case he starts licking areas you have put the advantage on. I know when I first treated one of my kitty with the topical flea medication, I think she had some reaction to the medicine and ended up with a fever and I only put it on the scruff of her neck. She looked miserable and the antibiotic made her sleep even more. Since then, I figure they are both indoor, I stop putting any flea medication and I just keep my place extremely clean. I do spray bio-spot flea and tick spray on their bedding once a month just in case. I would suggest letting the bedding or whatever it is you sprayed on dry out before letting them use it just in case they start to lick it.

You and your husband are two
that saved his life.
 

rina_marie

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Don't worry about fleas in your house, if all of your cats have been treated, your fine. Fleas need a host in order to survive. They also like animals better than humans. So any living flea in the house is going to bite your cat at some point or another. If they have all been treated for fleas then the end result will be death and you've stopped the cycle. He's an adorable kitten, by the way!!!
 
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ljjarvis817

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I just wanted to let you guys know that I did take him to the vet on Tuesday. They said that he is very healthy. I did have a question though and I didn't think about it until yesterday. When I was at the vet the tech said that he was too small for the "pill" and that he would get it next time he came in, but that heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s big enough for the dewormer in the syringe so she would give that to him this round. After giving it to him orally, the doctor coming in and checking him over and receiving our kitten pack with the free bag of food, free Advantage for next month, toys and what not we left.

Then yesterday while I was sitting on our couch he climbed up my leg and then across to my husband and as he was walking away from my husband we noticed that he had a tape worm hanging out of his rear end (which I figured he would have anyway being that he had so many fleas). So we picked him up and took him to the bathroom and pulled it out and let him go and play, my husband had said that it was good because it meant that they dewormer was working, but I wanted to do a little more checking. I have done quite a bit of reading up on the deworming process and have read that to clear up tape worm you need a pill. What I was wondering was, the dewormer that she gave him was that just for hook, round and heart but not tape? Or was it also for tape and that is why they are coming out now? I found another one hanging out of him again today and had to pull it out. Now we hadn't seen this before the deworming at all when we would clean him up after he would potty (because of the mix of soft food and hard food he has had a soft-loose stool and he hasn't quite learned to spread his feet out and lift his tail.)

I have tried to check when he goes potty, but every time I sit and wait for him to get done all he has done is pee. I just don't remember having to do this with our other cat Little Miss when she was a kitten. Can you guys please let me know if you think the deworming could have been for tape too?

Thanks again.
 

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There are so many different types of dewormng pills you would have to phone the vet. But in my experience tape worm pills cause the worms to die and be absorbed, not to come out.
 

jen

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dewormer can come in pill or liquid form. I am guessing the vet probably gave your cat a chalky white or yellow thick liquid in the syringe? The worm hanging out is a sign that the meds are working but there is always a chace you may need a second dose in a 2 weeks to a month or so. Just keep watching the litterbox and her behind.

BTW, that was roundworm not tapeworm. tapeworm comes out in tiny little rice like pieces, roundworm comes out 2-4 inches long.
 
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ljjarvis817

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Originally Posted by Jen

dewormer can come in pill or liquid form. I am guessing the vet probably gave your cat a chalky white or yellow thick liquid in the syringe? The worm hanging out is a sign that the meds are working but there is always a chace you may need a second dose in a 2 weeks to a month or so. Just keep watching the litterbox and her behind.

BTW, that was roundworm not tapeworm. tapeworm comes out in tiny little rice like pieces, roundworm comes out 2-4 inches long.
Yes, Jen you are right, it was a thick yellow liquid that she had given him. She did say that when we returned on the 20th of Feb. he would need the pill dose. I was just wondering if what she had given him would be working on tapeworms too. I was just wondering because all of the information I had read said that it would need to be taken care of with a pill form medication and may need to be given in two doses, so I was just not sure the liquid did the same thing. I am just happy to hear that then it means its working , because when Little Miss (she is 2 now) was little I never saw anything like this come from her after she was dewormed and we had to clean her EVERYTIME she went potty because she is a Manx and her little flap in the back would get messy all the time, that is until I realized how useful the buzz clippers can be in removing the excess fur under the flap so she did not have that problem anymore and it made her a much happier kitty.
But then again when I think back, she did not have fleas when we got her, which I am surprised because we got her for free from a home that was not very clean and full of pets.

Also I am very sure that it was tapeworm, because they were not very long maybe 1/4 of an inch, and when I pulled, they came out and did look like rice. But I do want to thank you for your response it makes me feel much better knowing that it is working because I was worried about the other cats (even though the information I read about tapeworms said the likely hood of your older cats getting them unless they eat a flea from themselves or from cleaning the kitten is slim to none but it is always good to be cautious.)

Oh and here is a photo of all my babies!

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/4215/babiesqh0.jpg

Thank you again guys, you are all so great and I appreciate finding a forum of a group of such wonderful individuals.
 

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ljjarvis817

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

I'm wondering if your new kitten has eye trouble one of his eyes seems like not as open as the other onehttp://www.thecatsite.com/forums/images/smilies/confused.gif. You might want to talk to the vet about this next time Or maybe i'm just seeing things.http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/ima...s/rolleyes.gif

(Cats do talk with their eyes, when they blink at you its a sign of affection)
Oh, no I understand what you are saying but it was just the time that the picture of that one shot was taken. When I held the camera up he was scratching at his ear on the one side because of the fleas and as I shot the picture he quit and so it just came out like that.

He is completely healthy... however; the yellow liquid did not clear up the tapeworm like I had hoped
. After more reading, tapeworm is absorbed back into the system after medication is given like JennyRanson had stated. So unfortunately he still has the tapeworm and the Vet Tech said he was to small for the pill yet, but I don't think I can wait until Feb. 20th for him to get it and I think that he should be big enough now, so I am going to call them tomorrow sense I have to run out that way anyways (it is a 40 minute drive there for me to get to my Vet) and see if they think it would be ok to give it to him and if they can just give me the pill to give him. I feel so bad for him, our bed sits really high off the ground and we have had to make a little stair case for him to get up, well I didn't really think much about it, thinking the tape worm had cleared up. Well he had climbed up on the bed and made his way to my pillow and curled up with Skitzo (which is real fun when your trying to get space on a pillow that contains a 25 pound cat and then now this little guy) but I woke up the morning after my last post and got out bed and went along with my routine. That night when we went to bed I had found of course what looked like rice in the bed, not a lot just a few, but we changed the sheets and got into bed (I really didn't give it much thought thinking he had been in the bed before he was wormed and that maybe that was just it or something.) Then that night he got back up on the bed and made his way back to my pillow and curled up with Skitzo again, well the next morning I woke up and for some reason I thought well maybe, just maybe and I looked at my pillow and
needless to say it was bad. So pulled the blankets back remembering I had felt him sleeping under the blankets against my back earlier in the morning and there were a lot of segments there too. So I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been letting him sleep on the bed, he usually sleeps in the guest room on the cat bed (which gets washed daily) with Gweedo when he can't get on our bed. I just feel bad because I like when he sleeps with me, I just don't like sleeping with the segments, plus it's next to my face and...
.

I know I probably sound ridiculous about it, but I don't know, it's just the thought of it.
 
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