7week kitten with fleas what to do

Hello all,

I just got my baby yesterday and he has fleas, he's only 7 weeks old
and I noticed that he has fleas when I got him home.

My husband bought Harzt fleas and tick drop plus and he put it on him
He only put half the content of the tube on the kitty cause of his age, was that the right thing to do? I see the fleas are surfising up on his fur and on the carpets too.

I can not see the vet till after the holidays. I really need some advice as to what to do and if we did the right thing?

Thank you!

China

are not all that effective. If you keep the baby warm enough during the procedure, you can give it a bath. You will need a warming light (desk lamp) if you have one, several towels that have been cycling in the dryer to stay warm, a bucket or something with sides that you can bathe the cat in- the sink is to exposed and open to cool air, the sides of the bucket will retain the heat of the water. Do NOT use flea shampoo, regular shampoo will be just as effective and you can do a warm water and vinegar rinse as the final stage. Plug the lamp into somewhere safe nearby so that the light will shine down into a cardboard box full of soft rags or towels. Make sure the light is not on the kitten directly, keep it at a safe distance above the box and don't leave it unattended either. Though the best way to dry a kitty is to snuggle with it in the warming towels until it is dry.

This is how I do young kittens. Put enough warm water in the bucket that you can bathe safely. Clip just the very tip of the claws but not a lot as kitty will fight. Cycle some towels in the dryer, and when they are warm enough, take them out and put them somewhere they will retain heat till after the bath. Plug the lamp in somewhere safe nearby, (if you have one) crank up the house heat, and go to work. Make the bath quick, don't get the ears wet and snuggle the kitty into the warm towels until it is dry. It will shiver as that is the body's way of staying warm. Keep kitty out of drafts till it is dried completely. The water will drown the fleas, the vinegar will help with the flea dirt and eggs deposited on the kitty. I use one cup vinegar to 2 cups warm water. Good luck

Hissy always knows what to do!

Kitties usually look so pathetic after a bath, I can't help snuggling them dry!

Is there any kind of essential oil she could use that would be unappealing to the fleas? Someone here said tea tree oil is toxic and I'm very sure pennyroyal is, but what about lavendar or peppermint or something else like that?

When Sunshine had her kittens last summer, I also found a few fleas. I ended up doing the "bath", I used Johnson's baby shampoo and did a complete comb out afterward.

It seemed to solve the problem, and was much more inexpensive and safer than the Hartz products.
I now keep a flea collar on Sunshine, but she is much older and I figure it can't hurt to be safe! But for the tiniest of kittens, I think the bath idea from Hissy is super.

Hi,

I've given him a bath yesterday, today I put hartz on him but only half a tube and I sprayed eucalypis and teatree oil all over the house cause I know those two are a flea repellent. Then I combed him with a flea comb and about 20 little flea duch fell on white paper and one flea, I found a few fleas in the carpet cause I have ivory carpet and I got them and smashed them with my fingernail.

I guess I'll comb him everyday.

Thank you for your advice, oh it would not be wise to bath him again is it?

Thank you,
China

they are to susceptible to colds and it stresses them out. Unless he is so accepting of the bath and you can keep him mega warm till he dries out, I wouldn't chance it.

Cases of Tea Tree Oil Poisoning

In the early 1990s, it was suggested that cats with nerve disorders were unable to tolerate Tea Tree oil and suffered ill effects from its use. It was recommended that the amount of the oil in a product such as a cat shampoo should not exceed 1% although even that small amount may be toxic to certain individuals. American cat owners were advised not to use Tea Tree oil at all on cats with diabetes, epilepsy, metabolic or neurological disorders or on young kittens whose immature livers may not be able to cope with it.

Cases of Tea Tree oil poisoning have since been reported to the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) of the US following external application of the oil to cats. In most cases, the oil had been used at inappropriately high doses, causing acute poisoning. Symptoms occurred 2 - 8 hours after topical application of Tea Tree oil products. Symptoms were depression, weakness, ataxia, lack of coordination, behavioural disorders and muscle tremors. Warning signs may include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite and lack of energy.

Treatment is by removing residual amounts of oil from the skin by bathing the cat in a non-insecticidal shampoo. Intravenous fluids and glucose may were sometimes required to strengthen the animal, to overcome hypotension and to aid renal elimination (elimination in the urine). Where the oil had been ingested (licked off through grooming) activated charcoal and a cathartic was required to decrease the amount of oil absorbed in the gut. It has been reported that cats treated for Tea Tree oil poisoning recovered within 2-3 days following treatment of clinical signs and supportive care.

There is no specific antidote for the adverse reactions caused by dermal (skin) overexposure to Tea Tree oil (or related essential oils). Basic supportive care is required, including monitoring of respiratory and cardiovascular functions, checking for possible hypothermia and providing additional warmth if needed.



Hopefully where you have applied the oil, the kitten will not lick at the fibers of the carpet?

Okay now, I mix a salution of tea tree oil and eucalyptis in a spray bottle and sprayed around the house and oscars bedding area but I did not spray him, he only has the flea treatment on him.

I combed him twice today and the last time I combed him he only has a little fur come off on the comb with flacky skin but not a lot.

I'm not gonna bath him cause he hates it. I loves being combed though so I'll do that everyday. I pray this goes away, I feel so bad for him and the condition he lived in before I got him, he's gonna be such a beatiful cat when he gets big.

So did I do okay? with what I've done to help him?

for him. To see if the fleas have hurt him (made him anemic) check his gums and see what color they are. They should be a happy pink, not a whitish pink or pale pink. If they are pale, he should go to the vets for a check-up.

He is doing great now, No sign of fleas, I've been combing him twice a day now and see nothing, he loves it, he is nice and active, has a good appetite.

Thank you all so much for helping us.

Here is his picture, I had to make it smaller to fit.

gosh, he's cute! I love it when they're still fuzzy!

What a wonderful cat mama you've been for him. He looks healthy and playful, what more could you want?

They are so fun when they are that age! Forgot to ask, is he a Manx? They are the best! I have two

I'm not sure, the lady I got him from never told me what he was but I think he may be a mix here's another on of him. Can you tell I'm a proud mommy

It looks like he has no tail, so that makes him a Manx. Unless that is his tail he is chewing on in the first picture. But he is a cutie, to be sure. With all those fleas, he is bound to have ear mites as well, you should take him to the vet for a routine checkup just to be sure he is okay.

Nope, he has a tail, just you can't see it. What do ear mites look like? I notice his ears are a little dirty, I tryed to clean them with baby q-tip just on the outer part of the ears. inky:

Q-tips are bad to use in ears. You will just need some soft cotton and some olive oil (just not even a drop) Gently slide the cotton with the oil on it down in the ear but not clear into the bottom of the canal and just gently twist and roll so the cotton turns to pick up the ear mites. The dark stuff you see is usually just dried blood, the kitty scratches the ears because the mites are busy and then the ears bleed. Cleaning out the dirt and debris (gently) will help him some until you get him to a vet and get some eradimite or something.

Thank you so much for all your help, I reallt appreciate it so much and I know Oscar does too I'll do that then with the cotten swabs and the oil.

Happy New Year to you and your family's and I' wishing you all enough!