Fleas on kittens

tggrsmommy

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Ok, my beautiful Belle just had her 4th (yes, that is a FOUR) litter of kittens yesterday. She will be spayed after this, as she does NOT need more!

Anyway, Belle had some fleas on her when she had the kittens (didn't even think to give her a bath before hand!), and now the fleas are on the kittens.

Is there a better alternative to bathing them? I so don't want to go thru the guilt of having to put them under water to kill the fleas with lemon joy. I just feel like a horrible person doing that to them. LOL! Mama and the kittens act like I'm trying to drown them.

If I get flea meds for her, will that help the kittens? Is there something on the market safe for them? Any help is appreciated.
 

zissou'smom

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Do not, under any circumstances, buy anything over the counter to kill the fleas. That is very important. If your vet recommends a flea treatment for Belle, then it will probably help the kittens too, but do not use anything on any of them without a vet who knows she just had a litter telling you to do so.

Really the best way to do it is to bathe them in dawn soap (just a little bit) and then flea comb them until they're dry. Having fleas can cause problems in baby kittens, and also can give them worms, causing more problems.

Do not put the kittens underwater
. Their heads should not even get wet during the bath. For one thing, they can get very serious ear infections from having water in there, for another they'd be terrified because to them you're trying to drown them. I don't know who told you to put the kittens underwater to kill fleas, but they were misinformed, and you were right to feel guilty about it. After the bath, you can wipe down their heads with a damp washcloth, but that's about as wet as their heads should be.

I'm glad you're finally getting momma spayed. I'm sure she'll be very glad to not have to deal with heat cycles and pregnancies and kittens.
 

gayef

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I strongly urge you NOT to bathe these babies ... when you say your girl "just had" her litter, how recently are we talking here? If these are newborns, then most certainly do not get them wet! Here is the best way to remove fleas from little ones without risking their health:

The best way to remove fleas from very young kittens:

A very fine-toothed comb will be needed. Do not use one of the metal pet combs, a plastic one with rounded edges on the teeth is preferred. You will also need a bowl of hot water to which you will add just a small drop of dishwashing liquid (many people suggest using Dawn, but I have found that anything that makes suds will work) - you don't need much, just enough to make the water a little sudsy. Also get a bunch of dry paper towels, believe me, you will need them. Don't just take the whole roll, tear a bunch off so they are at the ready. Gently pick up a baby and comb gently in the direction of fur growth to capture the fleas on the teeth of the comb. Quickly dip the comb completely into the water. Totally submerse it to dislodge the fleas. They will float to the top and try to jump off the surface of the water, but the suds should prevent this. You should cover the bowl when you are combing to prevent losing any of them just in case. Dry the comb thoroughly with a clean paper towel so as not to get baby wet at all and repeat this until you have removed the fleas. Work as quickly as you can so as not to upset Momma and do not put the baby you have just finished back into the nest with the other kittens until ALL of the kittens are combed.

Once all the kittens have been combed, take out the old bedding and wash it thoroughly in hot water and bleach or discard it wrapped up in a sealed plastic trash bag. Replace the bedding with clean and then put the kittens back in the nest. You will need to replace the bedding each and every time you comb the kittens until all the fleas are gone.
 

zissou'smom

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Good point... I was assuming they were at least a month old when I wrote my response. But I reread it and they are only a day old.

So follow Gaye's advice (not bathing them at all) and not mine.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by tggrsmommy

Ok, my beautiful Belle just had her 4th (yes, that is a FOUR) litter of kittens yesterday. She will be spayed after this, as she does NOT need more!

Anyway, Belle had some fleas on her when she had the kittens (didn't even think to give her a bath before hand!), and now the fleas are on the kittens.

Is there a better alternative to bathing them? I so don't want to go thru the guilt of having to put them under water to kill the fleas with lemon joy. I just feel like a horrible person doing that to them. LOL! Mama and the kittens act like I'm trying to drown them.

If I get flea meds for her, will that help the kittens? Is there something on the market safe for them? Any help is appreciated.
Welcome to TCS from a fellow Virginian. I believe your question has been answered..but just wanted to thank you for planning to have your cat spayed once her kittens are weaned. You will need to keep her indoors only and away from intact males until she can be safely spayed.

Katie
 
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