Newborns and fleas?

Good morning, 

My cat went in labor around 3:30am she has had two so far I was told not to treat her for fleas yet but was reading about you can do soap and warm water bath for the babies but did not specify what age and I am worried about the little ones getting fleas i have been brushing them off and killing the ones I find. Advice appreciated and yes already know take them to the vet. 

Hi there,. Congratulations on your new kittens!

Continue to pick the fleas off the newborns, as they are much too young for a bath. They cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first three weeks, and it is vital that they stay warm, so no baths please!

Also, newborns do not need to go to the vet unless they are sick. Most vets prefer to start shots and de-worming around 8 weeks, so the vet can wait.

How bad are the fleas on mama cat?

Tabitha Prater said:

 
Good morning, 

My cat went in labor around 3:30am she has had two so far I was told not to treat her for fleas yet but was reading about you can do soap and warm water bath for the babies but did not specify what age and I am worried about the little ones getting fleas i have been brushing them off and killing the ones I find. Advice appreciated and yes already know take them to the vet. 

Click to expand...

So they have very many fleas on them?   Yes, if so, you must fight off this vigorously.  Begin with picking up.   I suppose mom has lotsa of fleas too, and some are in the bedding...

If they have more fleas than you can handle, you CAN bathe them.  The trick is you make sure they dont get chilled out. Ie nice comfy warm water, no draugh, you dry off them afterwards, and have it warm.  Mom will warm them, but an additional heat pad on low setting may be good.  OR it being rather warm in the room...

Bath at this young age isnt riskfree, but having lotsa of fleas is even greater risk.     

Its not necessary to go to the vet with the newborns, if they are healthy and no especial complications.  Many vets are anyways not especielly experienced with small kittens.

But you may contact the vet to get advice for a safe flea killer, which you can put on mom, and wich isnt dangerous for kittens.

A little later on they will need to be dewormed.  Both round worms, as almost all kittens have from mom, and possibly tape worms - which they can get from fleas... Fleas being in-between hosts for tape worms larvae.

Some vet answer such questions on the phone.  not all but some.

I would call and ask a vet if it's alright to treat mama for fleas. I took in a stray pregnant cat in 2007, she had 7 babies. I was worried and took mama and all 7 to see the vet. They found a couple fleas on mama and treated her with a topical flea treatment when the kittens were 3 days old. Mama was treated early so the babies never did get fleas.