1 day old kittens and fleas

catguy75

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I just saw a flea on my new 1 day old kitten. Anything I can do? Soapy bath maybe?
 

gayef

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Do not bathe a one-day old kitten! Get a bowl of warm (NOT HOT) water, add one tiny drop of dishwashing liquid and a roll of paper towels. Get a very small, fine-toothed comb (the best kind to use on kittens is the same kind you can buy at the pharmacy for use in humans with *shudder* head lice) and gently GENTLY run the comb over the baby, picking up the fleas on the tooth of the comb. Dip the comb in the soapy water and then thoroughly dry the comb before putting back to the baby. You do not want to get a one-day old kitten wet.
 

celestialrags

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Originally Posted by Catguy75

I just saw a flea on my new 1 day old kitten. Anything I can do? Soapy bath maybe?
They are too young to use any flea products on.Or bathe. If you can't pick them off, you may ned to use a flea comb. After you take the flea off with a comb dip the comb in hot soapy water to kill the flea. You will want to make sure the comb is dry before it is on the kitten again, if it gets wet it could get a chill. My vet had said that treating the mom with flea drops (frontline) will help too, as the mother rubs them and sheds the flea stuff kills the fleas on kittens in the box. They were much older though and it was only AFTER vet advised. (frontline and/or advatage can be used on kittens at 8-12 weeks(?) In my case the fleas were more of a treat then fronline, but they were 4 weeks and the vet advised. Untill the kittens are old enough for flea prevention, the comb is the only way I know to rid them.
 
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catguy75

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If I do get the fleas off, mom will just give them more fleas right? Should I give her a flea bath? Would that harm the kittens?
 

gayef

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Don't use any flea products on either the mother or the babies until you have spoken with your vet. If he suggests using a spot-on treatment like Advantage or Frontline, then follow his advice.

By the way, the flea comb and soapy water thing works on Mom too. Just use a regular sized flea comb instead of the nit comb.
 
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catguy75

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I only saw one on one of the kittens but I imagine the mom has a lot of them. Her hair is so thick and black it is hard to see any fleas.
 

cookandcompany

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Program is also safe for use in pregnant & nursing cats. I think I would try that as well. Good Luck!
 

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Even if the comb won't get rid of all the fleas on the Mom very easy, I would follow Gayef's advice over the vet. I know that sounds goofy, but my vet recommended and over the counter flea treatment on the Mom of 4 week old kittens. He said just put it up on her shoulders, and it would be safe. I posted here first, and was advised not to use the otc on the Mom. I had thought it seemed like the kittens would get too much exposure!

My vet is a good vet, but not a kitten specialist. I have a feeling there are many vets like him out there...I would never use a strong chemical on or near a human baby, and kittens are very fragile, too!

I trust Gayef...she has raised many kittens. The comb will help a lot. It may be more work, but if you keep combing the Momma and the kits, it will keep the fleas down.

Generally, if they have fleas, they have worms, too. So check with your vet on that...do they need a poo sample, and when can the Mom/babies be treated.

Best of luck to you and the babies.
 

megmar6853

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Do not use any OTC treatments on Mom. It will be passed through her milk to the babies and they can become very ill or die. MY 9 year old siamese almost died from the Hartz flea treatment. Advantage is safe to use on pregnant and nursing cats BUT IT IS NOT SAFE TO USE ON KITTENS UNTIL THEY ARE 4 WEEKS OLD.
Do not give him a flea bath until he is at least 6 weeks old. My mom found a three or four week old kitten when she was in college a long long time ago. It had fleas so she gave it a flea bath and it died.
Hartz has been proven to make many cats sick I do not suggest trying it. Advantage is not very expensive and you can get it from a vet. Usually they do not make you have an appointment you just need to stop in a vets and get some.
 

charmed654321

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This is another reason to consider keeping them inside. A bad flea infestation can actually kill a kitten, and better to contain it now before it gets bad.
 
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