Kittens and flea collars

Hey, all: I have got two new kittens, siblings, who are adorable. But they have fleas. I'm treating them with something from the vet, but I'm also wondering about flea collars. They like to groom each other, and I'm afraid they might lick the flea collars a lot. Would that hurt them? Am I overthinking this?

Thanks for any help.

How old are the kittens?  

I wouldn't use flea collars on a young kitten because the dose is for an older cat.  Some members also consider them to be dangerous, which is probably a large concern if you're already treating them topically. I would use what the vet gave you and also comb them every day with a flea comb.  Dip the comb in warm water with dish soap in it to kill any fleas you pull.  You'll also need to vacuum and wash all of their bedding daily.

Did the vet talk to you about deworming them?

Generally, flea collars are not good for kittens or cats.  Topical flea treatments or using Dawn dish soap (blue Dawn) in some water is effective.  You might find that you'll need to treat your home.  We used Borax, but food grade Diatomaceous Earth will work as well. Be sure to have them treated for tapeworms, too. 

Yeah I would not use the flea collars - I have seen some pretty horrific photos of chemical burns on cats' necks that were caused by those flea collars.   What you can do is  put a new flea collar  into a clean vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your carpet with it - that will make sure to kill any fleas you pick up that way.  Then for your cat, use a good topical (one from a vet - do NOT use those Hartz or Sargents flea drops!! - get something like Frontline or Revolution) to get rid of the fleas.   I've just seen so many horror stories online about those flea collars & flea/tick drops you can get from the grocery store - a lot of cats have really bad reactions to those products, and I wouldn't want to take a chance...... 

If your kittens are new, now is the time to get active in order to prevent your home from becoming infested.
 

First, limit their environment. Close off rooms to prevent them spreading flea eggs and larvae all over your house. I'd keep them in one room until

you are flea free. If possible a room with easily washed floors and not too many upholstered pieces of furniture. ANY place they have been needs to be treated. Wash anything that is washable and place in HOT dryer.
Your vacuum cleaner is your best friend Vacuuming removes MOST flea eggs, a majority of flea larvae and live fleas. Vacuum AT LEAST every other day, concentrating on where kittens have been hanging out, under furniture, in dark spots etc. But remember, there is just about nothing that will kill the flea pupa. Bombs, insecticides, nothing kills those nasty things so one has to WAIT for them to hatch in order to kill them. That can take months... BUT!!  Flea pupa are encouraged to hatch when you use your vacuum. The heat and vibration makes them believe that there is a meal nearby, and they hatch. And then the next day you vacuum, if you didn't get the newly hatched flea on day one, you are quite likely to get it.  The Vacuum is truly your friend!!

As previous posters already recommended, treat carpets and furniture with DE or a silica based product such as flea busters.

Flea comb like mad!! (Comb in a place where you can easily remove eggs and flea dirt that fell off during the combing)  Every time you catch ONE flea you prevented not only about 20 bites per day, but you also prevented that flea from laying up to 50 eggs!!

Remember the flea life cycle can be several months!  Be diligent for some time!!

I'd be really cautious using any chemicals on your kittens. Diatomaceous Earth is probably pretty safe in small quantities, and without setting off a dust cloud.

There's a new type of flea medication on the market called Homeoflea. www.homeoflea.com  It is a homeopathic flea repellent and would be safe for kittens, but I think you may also have to treat your home if your home is infested... I'd ask them before buying.

We've been using it for close to a year and we are totally flea free even though our cats have outdoors access. We are very happy with it, and it is very inexpensive.

Good Luck with your new kittens   Kittens are heavenly.....