Kittens With Fleas... What to do?

duckdodgers

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I've found fleas on the kittens that I found. Not a large number, but I want to get rid of them. The problem is they're only about 6 weeks old.

So, how does one go about getting rid of fleas in 6 week old kittens? I've never had to deal with a single living flea on any of my animals so I really don't know what to do. The only thing I can think of is to bathe them in flea shampoo and I'm not sure that it's safe to do so on kittens so young

Any help would be appreciated! I don't want them to have fleas at all, and I certainly don't want it to get any worse. As it is I thoroughly searched my other animals and haven't found anything on any of them.
 

ebrillblaiddes

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There's always the option of manually removing the fleas and squishing them. A flea comb makes this much easier.
 

yosemite

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OK - first thing! Do NOT bathe them in flea shampoo. If you can get some original formula Dawn use that to bathe them. Then take a fine toothed comb and comb through their fur, dipping the comb in a container of water that has Dawn in it. Keep them warm. If there are a lot of fleas they can cause anemia in wee kittens.

Have they been kept separate from your other animals? If not, you will need to ensure your other pets do not now have fleas.
 

cheylink

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

OK - first thing! Do NOT bathe them in flea shampoo. If you can get some original formula Dawn use that to bathe them. Then take a fine toothed comb and comb through their fur, dipping the comb in a container of water that has Dawn in it. Keep them warm. If there are a lot of fleas they can cause anemia in wee kittens.

Have they been kept separate from your other animals? If not, you will need to ensure your other pets do not now have fleas.
While it is essential to get rid of the fleas immediately, you have to be very careful with kittens so young. Original Dawn dish detergent is safe to bathe kittens and puppies with, and will kill all fleas on their body. However it is very important you keep them warm throughout the bath and till they are completely dry. Also washing all blankets, towels, anything that can be at the same time. vacuuming with a flea collar inside the vacuum bag or canister will kill any that have strayed. You definitely have to be very thorough when it comes to fleas, they can invade your home within days....
 

addiebee

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Also try getting some food grade diatomaceous earth for treating your home and your animals. You can get it at feed stores and online.
 

cheylink

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Originally Posted by AddieBee

Also try getting some food grade diatomaceous earth for treating your home and your animals. You can get it at feed stores and online.
I don't recommend this at all! DE is not safe for general/commercial home use, especially around pets, kittens and children! DE should never be in close contact of living tissue, plants, animals. This would be ineffective with fleas without harming your pet.
 
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duckdodgers

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Well, I've washed the babes with Dawn. I was also thinking that the flea shampoo would be too strong for these young guys, but this seems to have done its job as far as I can see on the cats.

We're on our way treating the environment as well. I'm pretty sure the other animals don't have them. Our dog, Buck, was the only one who's been in any contact at all with them and I looked over him very, very closely. My other dog and the cats haven't been in contact with them but I looked them over as well and they're also clean as it seems. All of them are on Frontline Plus except for Jason who is on Advantage.

Thanks for the info though everyone!
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by cheylink

I don't recommend this at all! DE is not safe for general/commercial home use, especially around pets, kittens and children! DE should never be in close contact of living tissue, plants, animals. This would be ineffective with fleas without harming your pet.
This is not true. Diatomaceous Earth (food/human grade) is very safe for mammals. In fact, some people actually feed their animals some each week to ensure they do not have/get internal parasites. Some humans also eat a tsp. with their food every week, some every day.

DE is very effective for treating crawling insects such as fleas, ants, roaches, etc. You can actually rub some into kitties fur. The only thing you need to be careful about is when using it, it is so fine you can breathe some of the dust into your lungs. It won't kill you but it can make you uncomfortable. I buy mine at garden centres but you must be sure it is food/human grade. It's an excellent product and because it is so safe, it is my first choice in flea treatment.

The industrial DE (used in swimming pools) is not safe for mammals.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

This is not true. Diatomaceous Earth (food/human grade) is very safe for mammals. In fact, some people actually feed their animals some each week to ensure they do not have/get internal parasites. Some humans also eat a tsp. with their food every week, some every day.
I almost killed my dog one time when I used chemical sprays, purchased through my vet (and supposedly pet safe), to treat my house for fleas. I switched over to food grade DE and it killed the fleas faster than anything I had ever used before, and it didn't harm anyone in the house.

You have to be very careful about which DE you purchase, as some of it is not food grade, and that is not safe for pets.
 

misskitties

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I don't think I saw anyone mention this, but DO NOT USE OVER THE COUNTER FLEA PRODUCTS! Stuff like Sergeants and Hartz is very unsafe, especially for tiny kittens. Don't even put flea collars on them. It seems that the Dawn has worked okay for now, but it's very likely that you'll notice more fleas. You might already be aware of the danger of these products, but I have to say this in every flea removal thread I see.
 
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