Flea question.

Last night we found a kitten next to one of our cars. Couldn't have been more than a week old, just abandoned by it's mother and covered in ants. We brought it in and kept it overnight until we could get to a rescue shelter this morning.
Got KMR to feed the little fella, and one feeding, I noticed a flea on its head. I killed the flea and flushed it down the sink drain.
Now, our two adults cats never really got near the little guy, except when we had made a makeshift bed in one of our cat carriers, with a stuffed animal and a blanket. They would come up and sniff, but there was never any real contact.

So I am wondering, since I saw one flea on our guest, should I worry that our cats will now have fleas? I mean, we kept the little guy out in the living room, on our hardwood floor, while I stayed up all night to keep and eye on him, and our cats only got next to the carrier one time.

Or is it the kind of thing where it's just a wait and see situation?

I'm just a little worried about suddenly having a problem since our cats never go outdoors.

Basically, am I being a little paranoid?

Also, we did toss out the carrier and stuffed animal and small blanket, just to be safe.

Fleas can jump, so it is possible that they jumped onto your cats when they were close, or onto an object.

If it were me, I would just keep a close eye on your cats. Check their fur daily for fleas, or flea dirt. If you're keeping a close eye, even if a flea or two did happen to transfer, you should be able to prevent a breakout. If you find anything, just go to the vet and ask for a topical flea treatment. Usually, they come in packs of 6, but my vet was once able to sell me a single treatment for an indoor cat.

I would treat them... better safe than sorry... I hate tapeworms, been there, done that, and don't want to do it again

Thanks.
Yeah, I figured it would be a "play the odds" kind of thing.
I'll vacuum the carpets, floors, couch and such, and even wash the bedding and laundry, just in case. We don't have any cat beds, since our entire apartment is their bed, so we don't have to worry about that.

I mean, it was only one, we didn't see any others other than that one, and in order for any fleas to jump out of the carrier, they would have to be pretty dextrous, considering it was enclosed with meshed sides, and we did toss it afterwards this morning, just to be safe.

It's just that idea that something small could become a bigger problem.

Alright, so every bit of furniture and carpet has been extensively vaccumed and all clothing and bedding washed.
The cats have been checked and so far so good. But I did put a couple white towels down where they lay, just in case, so I can see if there is anything on them.

Am I being a bit over-cautious here?

You can never be too cautious with fleas as they can make your pets very sick.

I would give them a flea treatment just to be on the safe side. You could give them a treatment that only kills larva and eggs if you think they are flea clean. That way even if they do have fleas, they will cease to exist after a while of their eggs being killed off.

I'm absolutely in love with Dio earth since these guys suggested it! Along with a careful flea-combing (or 5) it took care of our kitten's flea problem in NO time! It's not quite as simple as commercial flea treatments, but it's also completely non-toxic and natural. I found it does a good job clinging to fur so I also dosed my other two cats as a preventative measure & no one is scratching!

Okay. I lived in a 3rd floor apartment with 2 cats who had never had a flea. My husband and I were house hunting, and visited a flea-infested one. The realtor suggested repeatedly that we check ourselves for fleas before we got back into our car. We did. Or so we thought.

We arrived home, and a flea - one flea - jumped out of my husband's hair. We killed him. Within one week my apartment and cats were completely infested. I have never seen anything like it, and I wouldn't have believed it could happen from one apparent flea.

I don't blame you for being cautious and treating your big kitties. And bless you for saving the baby.

Originally Posted by threecatowner

Okay. I lived in a 3rd floor apartment with 2 cats who had never had a flea. My husband and I were house hunting, and visited a flea-infested one. The realtor suggested repeatedly that we check ourselves for fleas before we got back into our car. We did. Or so we thought.

We arrived home, and a flea - one flea - jumped out of my husband's hair. We killed him. Within one week my apartment and cats were completely infested. I have never seen anything like it, and I wouldn't have believed it could happen from one apparent flea.

I don't blame you for being cautious and treating your big kitties. And bless you for saving the baby.

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You don't need to visit a flea-infested house to get fleas. If you walk through some grass outside you can bring fleas into your home on your clothing. Fleas are hardy little beggers and they can live in your carpeting for up to a year.