Kittens & Mom with fleas?

Our mother cat that we're fostering has fleas, and so do her kittens. We've just taken one from one of the babie's legs. How do you treat this? Would Dawn soap work? But the kittens would need it too. We can book a vet app. if necessary, though only if needed. I'm being bitten too, and so are out cats! Help? The kittens are 3 wks old.

Can you use apple cider vinegar on the kittens? I've heard that it works, and we've used it in the dog and cat water bowls with some degree of success, and also Frontlined the dog.

Can you use a treatment on the other cats (those who aren't kittens or nursing)? We had a HUGE problem until the Frontline and then "poof, gone." The person at the pet store said that Dozer would act as a walking exterminator and sure enough, he did!

yes, we have apple cider vinegar. Is it safe? We can frontline the other cats, but it seems only one has gotten it.

Originally Posted by ghosthunterbeck

Can you use apple cider vinegar on the kittens? I've heard that it works, and we've used it in the dog and cat water bowls with some degree of success, and also Frontlined the dog.

Can you use a treatment on the other cats (those who aren't kittens or nursing)? We had a HUGE problem until the Frontline and then "poof, gone." The person at the pet store said that Dozer would act as a walking exterminator and sure enough, he did!

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It's safe on adult cats, I'm not sure about kittens. The information I received about its use came from a forum relating to the use of organics, and I'm not sure that I'll be able to get much of an answer as far as specifics, but I'll ask and should be able to let you know by tomorrow if nobody else has said anything.

What do you mean when you say "but it seems only one has gotten it." ?

I mean, only one of our adult cats has gotten fleas. the other is fine.

You need to treat your home too. The vet gave me INDOREX spray, I don't know if you have it over there but it lasts for 12 months and works on any surface. Its great for beds and sofas and the corners of th carpets. You can treat the mum cat with frontline too, its okay for nursing cats. Also, use the Dawn dish soap, everyday, and do all the cats with it if you can. The adults will need to be bathed, but I think the kittens are too young.

Many people have used a powder that you vacuum up, which treats the carpet.

My vet also gave me Frontline Spray, which is okay on kittens from a few days old, although, I'm not sure your vets give it over there.

Your best bet is to treat your home first, as this is more instant. It can take up to three months for Frontline to work. I treated my home and my one adult cat with fronline and the fleas were gone within days. I only combed down the kittens.

Info on Frontline Spray
http://www.bestpetpharmacy.co.uk/det...uct.asp?id=889


Information on how young a kitten can be to use this
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Meri...ay/-31502.html

I've not heard good things about Frontline for cats. The dog formula has come highly recommended, but whenever I've gotten into a discussion about Frontline for cats, things tend to take a turn for the worse.

As for using the apple cider vinegar, the response I got was to check with the vet. I'm fairly certain that it's safe because it's non-chemical, but you'd want to be certain and to make sure to keep it out of their eyes (as it will burn them).

I agree about treating the house. Frontlining our dog did the trick, but that was the dog formulation as well, not the cat formulation. I've heard that Borax can be used as an more "organic" option for treating the house, though it can be toxic to pets and humans, so you'd want to be careful with that.

Update...

The animal shelter got us some flea drops (revolution) and the vet told us to apply it to mum, our cats, and one drop per kitten (even though they were 4 weeks under the recommended age limit) so hopefully that works...

Originally Posted by K.J.

Update...

The animal shelter got us some flea drops (revolution) and the vet told us to apply it to mum, our cats, and one drop per kitten (even though they were 4 weeks under the recommended age limit) so hopefully that works...

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So glad you went to the vet for this. It's always a risk to "try" different things on our animals, especially ones so small.

By the way, if one cat has the fleas, I'm sure the vet has told you that they'll all probably have them, thus the revolution for your "cats".

You probably will have them in your carpeting and upholstery as well. You could use Borax as one poster suggested, but I would prefer to use human/food grade Diatomaceous earth which is much safer for the cats and even you.

I was going to say, Revolution is safe for nursing mothers. No others are.I hope everyone will recommend this product next time somebody asks.

But I have never heard of putting it on the newborn kittens. My vet says just treat mama kitty and enough will rub off on the kittens as they rub against her stomach to nurse.

Originally Posted by TabbyTail

I was going to say, Revolution is safe for nursing mothers. No others are.I hope everyone will recommend this product next time somebody asks.

But I have never heard of putting it on the newborn kittens. My vet says just treat mama kitty and enough will rub off on the kittens as they rub against her stomach to nurse.

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Actually Frontline is too, which is why my vet gave it to me. I consulted my vet when I had this situation, and I have given advice based on what he gave me.

Is there an update on the Flea situation K.J ?

Update :
fleas are gone, kittens are fine. We treated one of our cats but the other one is still untreated, so we're getting some drops ASAP. However, mama cat had terrible diarrhea so we took her to the vet. She had giardia, got some metranidazole, and she and her kittens got dewormed. She was also in heat, so she's getting spayed on the 27th. Please no more sickness!