Help please!!! Found a stray kitten.

My sister found a stray black kitten about 3-4 weeks. Knowing I deal with strays my sister brought her to me. Her eyes were glued shut with yellow goo. I took a towel and some water to it and it seemed to make it better. She also has fleas like really really bad. I gave her a flea bath but it didn't seem to do the work. I'm thinking about shaving her. We have never had fleas before but I heard there really hard
To get rid of. I also have a pregnant cat that won't let me out of her sight with her and I'm scared she's going to get the eye infection. This is the worst I've seen a stray and the youngest. I'm worried. I need advice. Please anyone. Should I shave her? Should I be worried about her around my pregnant cat?

penelopebabies said:

My sister found a stray black kitten about 3-4 weeks. Knowing I deal with strays my sister brought her to me. Her eyes were glued shut with yellow goo. I took a towel and some water to it and it seemed to make it better. She also has fleas like really really bad. I gave her a flea bath but it didn't seem to do the work. I'm thinking about shaving her. We have never had fleas before but I heard there really hard
To get rid of. I also have a pregnant cat that won't let me out of her sight with her and I'm scared she's going to get the eye infection. This is the worst I've seen a stray and the youngest. I'm worried. I need advice. Please anyone. Should I shave her? Should I be worried about her around my pregnant cat?

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Do you let that kitten and that preg met?   You shall keep them separated.  And thus, no risk for any contagion to go over from one to another, not goey eyes and not fleas. 

Re the fleas.  Coming and and drowning the fleas you found in water with some soap in do works.  Takes time but works.

How did you did this flea bath?

Now, if there were really a lot, and half of them drown, half surviving is still quite a lot left - you wont notice the difference with just looking...  So it is just to do it again.   Make sure the water is warm enough, its warm enough there, and no draugh, you dry off the kitten.   Have some sort of heating pad  for it too.

Re the eyes.  The yellow gooey its probably pus, and thus, its really a vet thing, who can help you with antibiotica.

IF you continue to use home treats,  use saline water.  Ie a little salt solved in the water you wash off  eyes, small wounds, etc.  They use it in hospitals too.

Good luck!

I didn't really mean to get them next to each other but my pregnant cat heard her crying and freaks out if anyone tries to take them apart

penelopebabies said:

I didn't really mean to get them next to each other but my pregnant cat heard her crying and freaks out if anyone tries to take them apart

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I see.  So now their fate is intertwined.  If there was something bad to happen, its happened already.  As the adult one surely washed him etc...

Is she an ex stray herself, or is she a home girl?  Pure indoors or used to roam outside?

Now, adult have a better immune systeme, so lets hope she will be OK.   And if she is ex-stray she has surely very good immune system.

It will be harder to get rid of the fleas of course - now you must comb both of them.

But of the plus side, her caretaking will make him thrive, and will make YOUR caretaking job and life sustaining easier.     Just to comb, comb, comb and change beds beds...   continuing.

A tip.  Anti-fleas collars are often not good, often being nasty and poisoning  cats too.  But they MAY be useful anyways.  Lay such a one in your vacuum cleaner, and it helps you with vacuuming the area - the fleas gets killed inside the hoover instead.

She's an ex stray. She remains mostly outside but she seems to love the little girl so hopefully it will work out. I hope penelope(my adult cat) doesn't get to sick or sick at all. The stray seems healthy beside the flea and eye thing. I have such a big heart I can't help but help the kitten.

This is the info on fleas on the handout the Humane Society gave me on caring for underage kittens: 

Fleas – Fleas are insects that love to feed on kittens. Although each flea only consumes a small drop of blood, fleas commonly attack in large numbers and an infestation can literally lead to anemia and even death. Fleas can harbor tapeworm and some animals may even be allergic to fleas. Since kittens less than 8 weeks old cannot have any type of flea medication we suggest a bath to help control any fleas your kitten may have. Bathe kittens in a mixture of 1 part dish soap, I part lemon juice and 3 parts water. This will kill any live fleas the kitten may have on it. It might be necessary to repeat this bath multiple times as it will not kill eggs. The most effective way to remove eggs from the home is by using a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum bag should first be treated by placing flea powder, a piece of flea collar, or flea spray inside it. The bag should be emptied immediately after vacuuming.

gmm80 said:

 
This is the info on fleas on the handout the Humane Society gave me on caring for underage kittens: 

Fleas – Fleas are insects that love to feed on kittens. Although each flea only consumes a small drop of blood, fleas commonly attack in large numbers and an infestation can literally lead to anemia and even death. Fleas can harbor tapeworm and some animals may even be allergic to fleas. Since kittens less than 8 weeks old cannot have any type of flea medication we suggest a bath to help control any fleas your kitten may have. Bathe kittens in a mixture of 1 part dish soap, I part lemon juice and 3 parts water. This will kill any live fleas the kitten may have on it. It might be necessary to repeat this bath multiple times as it will not kill eggs. The most effective way to remove eggs from the home is by using a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum bag should first be treated by placing flea powder, a piece of flea collar, or flea spray inside it. The bag should be emptied immediately after vacuuming.

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This seems to be a "horse dosage".  The treatment will surely work too with a more modest addition.    Dawn dish soap is usually used, but as this leaflet hints, probably almost any liquid dish soap will do, as long its decently mild  for washing by hand.

A thorough rinsing off afterwards necessary, especielly with such a hefty thick dosage.

Tx Gmm80 for this leaflet.

bathing kittens is always risky. If they become chilled they can get very ill, if they inhale any water they can develop pneumonia and die. Fill the sink with warm water and put some dawn (blue dawn) dish soap in it after the sink is full of water, you don't want lots of bubbles. Submerge the kitten up to his neck and just hold him there as long as he will let you, 3 minutes would be best. Rinse him thoroughly with warm water, make sure it isnt warm enough to burn the skin. Dry him IMMEDIATELY. Wrap in a clean dry towel and dry him as much as possible that way. I used to blow dry my kittens, just make sure its on a low heat setting and don't put the blow dryer very close to the skin and make sure you are constantly moving it, their skin can burn easily so you have to be very careful, keep your hand between the kitten and the dryer so you can feel how hot it is and deflect some of the direct heat. 

If kitten has shorter fur and you can see the fleas, try dabbing vasaline on any fleas you see. Vasaline won't hurt the kittens skin but it immobilizes the fleas so you can use your fingers or tweezers to pull them off. 

I would keep the kitten separate from your pregnant cat. Eye infection could be signs of distemper which is highly contagious. 

Put a heating pad under a blanket and wad it up in places so she can make a little nest and cozy up in there. 

We ended up taking the kitten in. She had an upper respiratory infection and died later that day at the vets. The same day my cat happened to have four beautiful kittens. My mother cat was infested with fleas sadly. She passed them off to babies. I cried like a baby. I never wanted that to happen and I'm not starting to think I'm done bringing in strays. I feel that I'm putting my other animals at risk. I still plan of trapping a spaying. I know that sounds ironic sense I didn't fix my female and she got pregnant but I had no clue they could get pregnant so fast and so early in there lives. Flea wise I've seemed to keep it under control I have a an amazing vet who took time out of his life to come help me at my house with the new borns.dawn dish soap is amazing to use on fleas and okay to use on infant kitty's and I got some organic flea killer safe f. Thank you Guys for all your help. I love this site even more every day. I've learned so much. Thank you

Oh and the babies are happy and healthy

penelopebabies said:

We ended up taking the kitten in. She had an upper respiratory infection and died later that day at the vets. The same day my cat happened to have four beautiful kittens. My mother cat was infested with fleas sadly. She passed them off to babies. I cried like a baby. I never wanted that to happen and I'm not starting to think I'm done bringing in strays. I feel that I'm putting my other animals at risk. I still plan of trapping a spaying. I know that sounds ironic sense I didn't fix my female and she got pregnant but I had no clue they could get pregnant so fast and so early in there lives. Flea wise I've seemed to keep it under control I have a an amazing vet who took time out of his life to come help me at my house with the new borns.dawn dish soap is amazing to use on fleas and okay to use on infant kitty's and I got some organic flea killer safe f. Thank you Guys for all your help. I love this site even more every day. I've learned so much. Thank you

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 Life and death intertwined. ...  Every one of them has its own fate, and the little one´s  fate wasnt to proceed to live.  Although it got help and love from both humans and a cat mamma.

Thus, its soul can now at least rest in peace.        RIP   little one.

Yeah, its grand to have a big heart.  And its grand to help these in need of help.  Its praiseworthy deed, dearly loved by God.     But some planning and precautions are usually necessary.

Your mom cats has a background as a stray, so these precautions dont need to be so elaborated as with a  inside only, family girl - strays DO have a very good immune system, otherwise they wouldnt be still with us.  Yet, every succesfull rescuer do have some precautions.  At least a complete defleasing before you let them meet.

Now you are more experienced and more wise, and thus, better armed for your continuing work to help strays and others in need.

Good luck to you and your new little fur family!

I will ask a mod to close this thread now, as this kitten in question is no more.  As it is used to do on this Forum.

Please start another thread to write about your new newborns, or any other theme you wish to write about.

The TCS team would like you to know that we are so very sorry for your loss. Threads are locked after someone has suffered such a loss, as a sign of respect. We invite you to place a tribute at http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge as an enduring testimony to your friend.