is it possible for flea treatments to get rid of fleas in a day?

[celiasdream]

posted on reddit originally but got no response.
rescued a 16 week old kitten, doesn't really have much health issues except he had some fleas which i didn't notice before putting him in my room. my mom took him to the vet yesterday for treatment as i washed all of my sheets (i didn't allow him on my bed but still wanted to be careful, my bedroom is also the only room he's been in prior to the trip, should i wash the couch despite that?), washed the mattress as best as i could, cleaned and vacuumed the floor, washed his bed and basically threw everything that the fleas could hide in to the washing machine. i moved all of his stuff to the bathroom and laid down a clean towel. though he prefers sleeping on the floor i also changed towels constantly. the washing machine was running all the time, i'm honestly scared for the bill lol. i've stayed up all night with him trying to tire him out and put him to sleep, and had a change of clothes everytime i exited the bathroom. i'm not sure if this is necessary but i also have a dog (obviously separated) and i'd hate for him to catch those fleas. i could notice some fleas around his legs and tail at i'd say around 2 am, and this morning i really can't see anything at all. i combed and separated every bit of his fur when he was asleep to try and catch something but i really couldn't notice anything besides dirt. is 24 hours enough to get rid of them all? and if, would it be safe to bring him back into my room? are there any more steps i should be taking? anything helps, and please tell me if i'm doing something wrong, this is my first time dealing with a rescued kitten, one with fleas at that

 

[fionasmom]

What treatment did the vet use? While this may vary from product to product, and also considering that he is a very young kitten, most products work within a few hours. Capstar, which is oral, works within two hours and the old formulation of Revolution works within 36-48 hours of even a serious flea infestation. Do you have a flea comb? They are very inexpensive and available on Amazon and might be available from the vet. A product like Advantage should begin to kill fleas in 12 hours according to their website.

It sounds like you have done a huge amount of cleaning and probably have this under control. Do not add another flea treatment, collar, or spray especially as it sounds as if this is resolving itself and you do not want to overload the kitten or your dog with excessive flea products, including household sprays.

Thank you for helping this kitten.

 

[celiasdream]

i'm not sure what exact treatment it was, i wasn't with him at the vet and my mom also didn't ask but i'll call and ask the vet as soon as they open. it's topical and all the vet told my mom was that it should work for half a year. i tried to avoid touching him until it dried down completely but he loooves to climb my pants so i couldn't really avoid it lol. i just want this thing to be over because he literally won't fall asleep unless i'm with him and i can't wait to have him back by my bed again. thank you for your reply!

 

[fionasmom]

Topicals dry fairly quickly and you are probably completely safe to touch him now. I am still guessing that you and your mom reacted quickly enough to this that the fleas are probably gone.

 

[celiasdream]

i hope so, i went through his fur with a flea comb and again couldn't see anything, he' also less itchy but scratches himself near his ear like once in 3 hours. should i keep him in the bathroom for longer?

 

[fionasmom]

Some infrequent scratching is not necessarily a warning sign. If he is sensitive to fleas, he may have some residual skin irritation even though the fleas are gone. If you don't see fleas with the flea comb and he seems calmer, I would say that you could let him out of the bathroom by the end of today. Any flea product applied by a vet should be effective. You can also ask the vet what the turnaround time is for that product.

 

[celiasdream]

thank you so much, i'll monitor him closely for the next few hours and if i don't see anything concerning i'll let him out. it's probably more stressful for me than for him to be kept in the bathroom as he gets ton of play and loves to discover every corner but i'm glad i can finally have some peace of mind since i couldn't really find much information on the internet. once again thank you!!

 

[fionasmom]

Let us know how he does.