Best way to get rid of fleas on kitten

[kreyessa]

So laatnight I noticed my 5 mo old kitty scratching, so I decided to take a look. Low and behold, I found some flea residue and spotted a flea. He is a strictly indoor cat, with the exception of transport to the pet clinic for vaccines ( a few times over the past few months)and over to my moms house to visit. She has an indoor/outdoor cat, who is treated monthly for fleas. So either way, they got him.

Is there a way to get rid of them, without using flea medicine every month? Like a "natural" remedy, or a proven good shampoo? I don't have carpet, so I don't think infestation is going to be an issue in the long run.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Columbine]

Bathing with Dawn dish soap is often used to treat fleas in very young kittens. That's the first thought that springs to mind. A flea comb is always good too.
[article="0"]Homemade Flea Remedies  [/article]
And just in case you take the bathing option
[article="29672"]How To Safely Bathe A Cat The Complete Guide  [/article]

 

[mrcloverthecat]

I would give him a bath using an anti-flea cat shampoo or Dawn like Columbine said, and then using a flea comb on him right after getting him dry (if your cat is anything like mine, he will start licking himself right after the bath; eating fleas can give them tapeworms). The shampoo I use is called Hartz UltraGuard; here's a picture of it on the ground:

 

wHPTzqm.jpg

• mrcloverthecat
• Jul 23, 2015

It doesn't say anything about use with kittens, so I assume it's safe in your situation. We got it at Walmart for cheap (don't know the exact price, sorry) and it made our cat smell quite nice, and killed its fleas. It didn't get rid of them, but of course they died. I mean, it's hard not to kill a flea if it's surrounded by water and also shampoo meant to kill it.

Good luck with your kitten! 

 

[Columbine]

It doesn't say anything about use with kittens, so I assume it's safe in your situation. We got it at Walmart for cheap (don't know the exact price, sorry) and it made our cat smell quite nice, and killed its fleas. It didn't get rid of them, but of course they died. I mean, it's hard not to kill a flea if it's surrounded by water and also shampoo meant to kill it.

Good luck with your kitten! 

Unless a shampoo specifically says its safe for use on kittens, assume that it is not. Some ingredients used in flea shampoos are fine for adult cats, but are toxic to kittens because of their smaller size.

 

[posiepurrs]

I would suggest extreme caution when using any flea treatment sold by Hartz. They don't have the greatest reputation. There have been reports that some cats have had bad reactions and even died from use. Dawn dish detergent (the original one) works but you need to bath very often as the fleas will jump back on the cat from the environment. A flea comb helps.

It wasn't necessarily your mothers cat that gave your cat fleas. They can catch a ride into your home on your shoes or clothes. Just remember, where you see one flea there are bound to be more.