Flea Powder - How bad is it for kittens ?

Hello

I have just got a new kitten, he is 8 weeks old. I had him checked out at the Vet and he seems fine and he certainly bounces around like a normal 8-week-old kitten, but when I combed him, I found flea specks. No fleas and the vet confirmed him to be flea free. My daughter is allergic to flea powders and she is having terrible "hay-fever" around the new cat (until I combed him today I thought she was allergic to him, as he is long-haired), he also smelled kind of sweet when we got him, like almond-hair-shampoo, and he has a cold (just a bit of the sniffles, the Vet said nothing to worry about).... Now putting all of those together, I wonder if he was treated with flea powder or, more likely, a flea-bath (catching a cold when wet), and how harmful that would be for him ?

Bubbles has fleas again and will be treated tomorrow, but the vet said to wait for 2 weeks for little ones treatment, as he is a bit young yet. Obviously if he already had a flea bath, he will be fine for a while anyway, and I guess there is no point in starting his worm treatment until I sort out the fleas ?

Flea powder is awful and I sneeze from it. My old neighbor used it all over. I never could go in the house.

Where did you get your kitten? Ask whomever he came from if he was treated in any way for fleas.

Personally, I don't like putting chemicals on cats, especially kittens. If the vet says the kitten doesn't have fleas, and you keep the kitten indoors (I hope) you probably don't have to worry. I would continue to comb and check the kitten to be sure.

Flea medications that are not prescription can kill cats. I'm not even sure how well I like the prescription ones, but at least they're much better.
My suggestion would be to immediately bathe the cat suspected of having been treated with warm water and a tiny bit of dishsoap already in the water, and then rinse super well. Whatever it is that makes him smell like flea powder-- and you're right that smell is very distinct and does smell like that-- is probably not good, and continues to do damage the longer its left on as the kitten grooms itself.
The fact that the kitten doesn't have fleas may indicate that it was used, but it also isn't flea season in most places yet. The OTC medicines are also pretty ineffective, so if the kitten had fleas it probably still would anyway.
Bathtime for Bonzo!

well, he is long haired, so I better get him used to baths as soon as possible. The Vet said he is nearly a full persian, just hasn't got the squashed in face, allthough his nose is a bit on the short side. He said that could be the reason for his runny nose as well, as he seems otherwise fine, but he should grow out of it. Persians do need regular baths ?

Flea season has definitley started here already (Bubbles showed the first signs of them 3 weeks ago), but thankfully me and my daughter are both flea resistant. They don't like us. We must taste awful.

I always thought that over the counter flea treatment was way too harsh for a kitten, but he definitley had fleas, as everytime I comb him, I find flea specks, allthough they are getting less.

Originally Posted by madpiano

well, he is long haired, so I better get him used to baths as soon as possible. The Vet said he is nearly a full persian, just hasn't got the squashed in face, allthough his nose is a bit on the short side. He said that could be the reason for his runny nose as well, as he seems otherwise fine, but he should grow out of it. Persians do need regular baths ?

Flea season has definitley started here already (Bubbles showed the first signs of them 3 weeks ago), but thankfully me and my daughter are both flea resistant. They don't like us. We must taste awful.

I always thought that over the counter flea treatment was way too harsh for a kitten, but he definitley had fleas, as everytime I comb him, I find flea specks, allthough they are getting less.

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I have persians, they dont need regular baths. But they do need regular brushing.