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5 weeks today and fleas

post #1 of 13
9/22/11 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
My new babies have fleas. What do I do? Can I give them a bath?

Here is a link to the thread I started in Cats and Kitten care.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=236158

I nave never dealt with any this young. Any care advice is greatly needed.
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post #2 of 13
9/22/11 at 7:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmasMom View Post
My new babies have fleas. What do I do? Can I give them a bath?

Here is a link to the thread I started in Cats and Kitten care.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=236158

I nave never dealt with any this young. Any care advice is greatly needed.
I have used Dawn Dish Washing Liquid/Soap. See link: http://www.dawndishsoap.net/. I have used the blue coloured soap on kittens with a bad flea infestation as often as once in a twenty four hour period of time. This soap will only kill the adult flea's. But it is my best suggestion until you can apply a topical flea medication. Some of those can be used as early as eight weeks old.

If you are very concerned speak to a licensed veterinarian you trust.
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post #3 of 13
9/22/11 at 7:50pm
I have also used the original blue Dawn for killing fleas on kittens and puppies.... it's gentle on them. I know some people used Avon's Skin So Soft to kill fleas, but it may be to strong for babies.
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post #4 of 13
9/22/11 at 8:02pm
A flea comb will work, too.
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post #5 of 13
9/22/11 at 10:26pm
Thread Starter 
We just finished bath time. We used baby shampoo. I filled one side of our kitchen sink with soapy water and the other side with clean water. I made sure the water was just a bit over 90 degrees so they would feel warm the whole time. My DH was responsible for drying and returning to the box. We set up the heater in the bathroom blowing warm air into the box. They also got fresh clean tee shirts to curl up in. I will be changing out the shirts once they are dry so they don't have to sleep on damp shirts. None of them put up much of a fight.

The bath water was almost black and the rinse water was almost as bad. We will be repeating this process again.

How often can we bathe them? I was thinking daily but is that too much?

I was able to pick most of the fleas off with my finger. I will be getting the comb tomorrow.

From what we could tell it looks like we have 3 boys and 1 girl. I am going to wait to take pictures. I think they have had enough for one day. So far though they seem to be warming up to us.

Any other advice anyone can think of on caring for these little things would be great.

Thank you.
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post #6 of 13
9/23/11 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
A flea comb will work, too.
You always think of the ways I forgot . Great job . Now maybe I will remember that for next time .

Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmasMom View Post
We just finished bath time. We used baby shampoo. I filled one side of our kitchen sink with soapy water and the other side with clean water. I made sure the water was just a bit over 90 degrees so they would feel warm the whole time. My DH was responsible for drying and returning to the box. We set up the heater in the bathroom blowing warm air into the box. They also got fresh clean tee shirts to curl up in. I will be changing out the shirts once they are dry so they don't have to sleep on damp shirts. None of them put up much of a fight.
Do not be surprised if some of them will put up MORE of a fuss about bath time and some will put up LESS over time. I have found it very interesting that the cats that put up less of a "fight" are the tamer adult cats in many cases.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmasMom View Post
The bath water was almost black and the rinse water was almost as bad. We will be repeating this process again.
That means the kittens do have an extreme case of flea infestation I suspect.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmasMom View Post
How often can we bathe them? I was thinking daily but is that too much?
Using the original Dawn dish washing soap (Blue one) you can wash the kittens every twenty four hours. I have no idea when using human baby soap products. I also did not know it works well on fleas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KarmasMom View Post
Any other advice anyone can think of on caring for these little things would be great.
I would just make sure you bathe them in some type of soap that kills fleas every twenty four hours until the kittens can have a topical flea medication put on them. I would also think if you are patient going threw the kittens with a flea comb several times a day would get the same results. But I am not sure. I do know when a kitten is that small and young fleas can sometimes cause major problems with anemia from my experience working in veterinarians offices, shelters and doing fostering.
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post #7 of 13
9/23/11 at 10:09am
Just an info item - the Dawn does not kill the fleas, it stuns them so you'll need to use a flea comb to get them out and then put them in a container of warm soapy water to drown them.
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post #8 of 13
9/24/11 at 12:07am
Ditto on the flea comb. Use it at least once a day, preferably more if you have the time.

As much of a fan as I am of bathing cats when they have fleas, I know that you shouldn't bathe too often, especially for younger cats. While Dawn is mild and non-toxic, bathing too often can mess up the balance of oils in their skin and fur, like when you wash your hands too many times and they get dry. For babies that little, I would say once or twice a week at the most.

Poor babies. That many fleas can easily cause anemia in kittens so young. I'm glad you were able to trap them and take care of them.
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post #9 of 13
9/24/11 at 7:15am
And don't forget to take care of their environment, too - changing bedding, vacuuming the area frequently, etc.
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post #10 of 13
9/24/11 at 2:04pm
Well, I did have a little longhair who needed to be bathed after every meal . No ill effects. But I think once every 3 days or so should be fine for most babies, and flea combing on the other days.
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post #11 of 13
9/24/11 at 2:15pm
Very good point. Vacuuming thoroughly is a good precaution. Trust me, you do NOT want to get fleas living in your carpet.

Getting rid of the adult fleas is probably the priority right now. The adult fleas are the ones that can cause the anemia and all the problems associated with fleas. Until they are old enough for flea drops, just keeping on top of the adult fleas will be enough.

Also remember that cats who have fleas will usually also have internal parasites. Make sure you de-worm them, and then again after they are flea-free. Any vet can sell you meds for that.
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post #12 of 13
9/24/11 at 3:19pm
Just want to add a groomer's secret. Add about 10 drops of Anise Extract into the Dawn dishwashing soap (diluted) shampoo. Knocks the fleas out cold and some don't come back. Use the flea comb and dip the comb into another side dish with more soap and Anise. They will not come out of that alive. Good luck
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post #13 of 13
9/24/11 at 3:30pm
Also, your cat will smell like licorice. :P
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