Newly adopted by a blind kitten - seeking advice

Hey there,

Meet Little Bear



My name is Gen and 3 days ago I found a very tiny poorly kitten.. or rather she found me.  I was walking home from the shop and  I heard some tiny meows, I turned around to see this tiny black kitten tottering out from under a car that was pulling away.  She was very confused and as I got closer I realised that her eyes were in a really bad way.   I scooped her up and had a look around for a mother cat, there are a lot of strays here in Belgrade but I couldn't see one anywhere so I took the kitten home.  

I bathed her eyes in warm salt water and then took her to the vet, she had a fever so they gave her a shot and some eye drops.  3 days later and round the clock care she is doing really well.  She can't see but she is already finding her litter tray unguided, she's eating well, sleeping alot, playing and going to the loo.  

I have fallen completely in love!

So there she is.. not quite found a name for her yet but calling her little-bear for now.  She is about 4 weeks old.  I have followed the advice found on this great site, she's eating a mixture of wet food mashed into goats yogurt.   I am giving her lots of cuddles and reassurance. 

 BUT my main problem is that she has fleas.. loads of them.  I have bathed her once in a mild dish soap (yesterday) it killed quite a few but there are still more.  Any advice on what I can do.  I have tried to comb her but she gets really freaked out because she can't see but the fleas are distressing her a lot too.  Any suggestions ?  Thanks

Gen

When I got my last set of fosters they had the worst case of fleas I had her seen. I did the dawn bath and blood from the bites were so bad they looked like they were stabbed. I bathed them in the dawn and used the comb. They did not like it and cried the whole time but knowing it was for their benefit I kept going. I gave them the rest of the day to rest and done it again the next. I also got some frontline flea spray and sprayed them. The next morning my son woke up with horrible flea bites so I got to work. 

I washed everything in Hot water and dried it on the highest setting. I also treated my other cats with revolution as a precaution. Then while I had the wash going I cleaned my carpets in hot water. I also bathed the kittens again. I also gave them there first taste of mush the second day cat food with kmr mixed in. Lol the little thing were covered in food so much they had to get another bath. I really believe the mush they rolled in helped. I mean what could survive that thick pastey stuff. 

Thanks for your replay Louann, So I will try bathing her again.  I was just worried that her skin would get irritated but the fleas seem to be doing that anyway.    

What a precious little thing she, I can see why you fell in love! I thing Bear is the perfect name for her. You will surely be blessed for helping her, it sounds like you were meant to be together!

Thank you : ) 

I would be careful about flea treatments and seek professional advice about the safest brand and amount to apply because she is so little.  You don't want to overdose her.  Also please avoid the brand name flea treatment Cheristin because in some cats, not all, it can cause paralysis and death.  I don't even know if that's available in your country but just thought I'd mention it just in case!

I LOVE black kitties!  Always have!  She is such a little doll!  And she is very lucky to have you

She's absolutely adorable!   And she was so lucky to have you pick her up 

We have a couple of articles which may help you - 

 [article="31635"]How To Treat Fleas In Young Kittens​[/article]  

 [article="31634"]How To Bathe Small Kittens The Safe Way​[/article]  

Thanks Anne, They're really helpful posts.  She is adorable, I have spent the last 4 days alternating between looking at her, looking after her,, and obsessively searching the internet for advice.  This is a really great site.  She isn't very well though, the last 2 days she's been feverish and the vets (who have been amazing) are a bit worried that she may have something serious. There are a lot of strays here and also a lot of diseases.   Only time will tell. x 

Awww, she is adorable!!! I don't know if you can get flea topicals over there in Belgrade, but we use Bayer's Advantage exclusively.  It is our tried-and-true best way to stop the fleas.  If you are able to find it online, I would recommend the kitten-sized dosages, and follow the instructions carefully.  If you cannot get this, and can locate carpet powder of borax, again, follow instructions carefully.  It kills fleas in the carpet.  If you do not have carpet, of course, this won't work for you.  Any kitten-specific flea powder or topical may be okay.  I do not know the different brands, and of course I don't know what you have available there.  One thing to always remember is DO NOT EVER USE any flea product for dogs on any kitten or cat.  I hope this is helpful for you and your little treasure!  As for names, usually cats will let you know their names, via intuition.  It sounds funny, perhaps, but it is true for us, anyway.  As you get to know her better, you will know her personality and admire how she looks -- and a name may come to you.  To me, she is so tiny and brave, she reminds me so much in spirit of Bob Marley, so Marley might be a good name.  But you will have to find out for yourself.  All the very best from Los Angeles, CATifornia

Fleas are the worst! Especially for young/small cats. My suggestion is that you use apple cider vinegar as a wipe down and get her as fat as you can, as soon as you can. Most flea and tick products are not to be used on cats under 6 months or under 1 lb. That makes things very difficult. The dish soap idea is good, the blue dawn soap is the one you want to use for that if i remember correctly. Apple cider vinegar in her water (1 TBL per gallon of water) and you can also sprinkle cloves on her coat and then throughly wipe them off since she shouldnt ingest them. Rosemary is a good one-rub a sprig on her if you can. Keep her bedding really clean and vacume obsessively. Talk to your vet about the flea and tick pills: I've been working around animals for years and have only heard about a flea and tick pill once that could be ingested by kittens at 16 weeks. 

Just remember, do not use flea and tick treatment on her yet-like frontline. Shes just too young for it right now. 

Might I also suggest that, in addition to her goats curd, a bit of finely minced chicken or ground chicken? It might make her feel better. 

good luck with your adorable kitty! Shes so cute  

boosty35 Little Bear is so precious and adorable! She is lucky to have found you. I would have fallen in love with her too. She seems so sweet. I hope she is doing well, and has a long , happy life with you.

Welcome to TCS boosty35 and little Bear. Bless you for rescuing sweet Bear...you are her guardian angel [emoji]128519[/emoji]
I'll be keeping both of you in my thoughts hoping that your little one is feeling better. Please keep us posted on how you both are doing [emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Update on Little Bear...   So, I have managed, I think to remove most of her fleas with a very gentle bath in Fairy liquid and a fine tooth comb.  There's still at least one but she's not been scratching today so that's good.   

 The vets here have been unbelievably kind.  They gave her a 5 day course of antibiotics,vitamin supplements, worming paste and prescribed us eye drops and gel from the pharmacy, we have been in every day with her so they could check she was doing ok and they have done all this for free...  Amazing guys, I was really touched.   They're pretty sure that she has chlamydia because of her eyes and loss of voice  and the fever she's been suffering intermittently. 

It's been a total emotional rollercoaster but I'm praying she will come through it all.  She's a very happy little kitten and getting round the clock care. xx

Here she is,  Thank you all so much for all the kind words and advice, she's a little fighter that's for sure. 

@Bootsy35
Wow and wow...you are doing quite an amazing job...and yes how cool is it the vets completely did all of that for FREE [emoji]128518[/emoji] what a blessing!! You are blessed to be a blessing [emoji]128571[/emoji] I love the photos and I think her name is quite fitting already...welcome to TCS [emoji]128522[/emoji] you will find that everyone here is amazing and quite knowledgeable [emoji]128008[/emoji][emoji]128049[/emoji][emoji]128151[/emoji]

Aww, she's such a sweet little thing! She is so lucky you found her, and you've got a wonderful, caring vet. You are doing a superb job of caring for her. I hope she is well soon.

She's got a lot of people all over the world praying for her and thinking best thoughts for her!  And you, too, of course!  She is adorable.  And the vet/team are keepers 

This is amazing! The thing is she found you - she knew you are a good person! Wouldn't surprise me that her mother abandoned her. They do that sometimes if the kitten is flawed in some way. I love the name Little Bear, btw. Strangely enough, I have always wanted a blind kitten, but have never had one.

Just checking in to see how you and little Bear are doing. I continue to send lots of [emoji]10084[/emoji]️and [emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji] your way!! Please update on how Bear is doing, when you can.

Hey Guys,  Thanks so much for all the love.. I am sure she's feeling it.  Sorry for no update the last couple of days,Little bear is doing really well I think.. she's gained weight (now weighting about 420g) and she's so playful, one of her eyes seems to be healing quite well but the other is still pretty odd looking.  One more week of the antibiotic drops and there should be a clearer picture of the damage.    I made her a ball with a bell inside so she can hear it when she plays.. you could hardly tell that she's blind.  

The vet's have warned me that there are underlying conditions so she's not out of the woods yet but I know that she's doing the best she can. x  Amazing little kitty. 

 Here's a video of her playing with her little toy. x