My Five Month Old Kitten Has Fleas What Do I Do!?!? Help Please!!

[Heather Autumn]

hi my five month old kitten Heather has fleas I don't have anything to give her or get her and I can't get her to a vet anytime soon Heather is an inside cat but we have a cat called Ava as well and she is a outside cat she doesn't have fleas I don't know how long Heather has had fleas I was petting her today and I noticed fleas on her her gums are still pink but not full luscious pink more like a pale pink with a more pink in it I need to know what to do pleas help me!!!!

 

[miagi's_mommy]

She needs to see a vet fleas can cause anemia if not treated.

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

When you say you can't get to a vet, do you mean you can't take Heather in for a visit or you physically can't get there?

You don't normally need a vet visit for fleas- you just need to get a kitty flea treatment. Spot-on types are the most widely used - you just part the fur on the back of the neck and drip it onto the skin. That's it. The two most recommended brands are Frontline and Advantage. Just be certain to get the cat one so the dosage is right. Vets usually stock one or the other, and you don't need to see a vet to get it.

If you can't get out, lots of places sell them online. Amazon is probably the quickest, with expidited/Prime delivery.

In addition to the spot on, you need to vacuum everywhere extra thoroughly and wash cat beds etc on a hot wash to get rid of any flea eggs.

Thess articles explain how to deal with fleas in more detail:-
Cat Fleas
Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats

 

[Heather Autumn]

Hi yes I already flea and worm treated 3 days ago and just noticed them today I will have to clean my room strip beding clean cat beds I was thinking that while I was drying one of her cat beds out side I was Wondering if the fleas went in there and Heather slept on it and fleas got on her I really don't know but I want to get rid of them for my baby I had a cat called butter cup 3-4 years back and he got fleas as well (I can't get to the vet because no one in my household will take me)

 

[Columbine]

It's very common to see more signs of fleas in the days after treatment - it affects their nervous system, I think, and it makes them hyperactive. It's nothing to worry about. Just keep vacuuming and wash their bedding to get rid of the eggs.

It's very normal for cats that go outside to get fleas. It's not a big deal unless you have an infestation (in which case you may need to treat the house too). Try not to stress about it

 

[Brian007]

Vacuum absolutely everywhere as 95% of fleas, their eggs, pupae, and larvae live in all the out of the way places, in cracks in the floors and walls, in carpets, down the back of the sofa, lurking under drawers, in the grass outside, everywhere they can feasibly make a nest. And hot wash all pet bedding and your own bedding. Only 5% of the flea population will be on your cats at any given time, the rest will be bedding down in dusty nooks and crannies and snuggling up in soft furnishings and CARPETS.

The flea life cycle from egg through to adult flea takes up to 4 weeks, so you need to keep at it until at least a month after you last saw an actual flea. It might seem like they're everywhere and you're drowning in bouncers but perseverance pays off.

I don't rate over-the-counter flea treatments very highly as fleas seem to have developed immunity to most of them. So, I'd ask for veterinary prescribed medicine, if I were you. In the UK, a vet won't prescribe flea medicine without weighing your cat first, which means going to the practice, but I don't know if that's the case where you live. And, also get a household flea spray.

Fleas = worms. Fleas and worms are an integral part of each other's life-cycles, so if you spot one, it's always wise to treat for the other too. A prescription spot-on that kills both adult fleas and roundworms, and a further prescription medication that kills the other types of worm, including tapeworm is my advice.

Talk to your housemates and tell them that the fleas won't understand that your room ends at your door, and that the rest of the house is as much at risk as your own space. And that the only way of ridding yourself 100% of them is for everyone to get on board with the vacuuming etc. Also point to the need for a vet trip with the aid of their help is as much for their benefit as for you and your cats.

 

[basscat]

Bathe her.

 

[LTS3]

Look to see if there is a mobile vet in your area. They do housecalls. Are calling a taxi / Uber / Lyft / friends not options?

A prescription flea treatment is best but you can try these home remedies in the meantime: Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats It takes awhile to kill every life stage of the flea. You might not see adult fleas on your cat but there are teeny tiny eggs that will eventually hatch and turn into adults.

 

[oonawingedwolf]

I give twice monthly baths with Dawn dish soap, and when I vaccume I use DE on the carpets which dries out the eggs and larva. I use a natural spay flea treatment which I will have to find online as my local feed shop where I got it closed down.

 

[TortitideBaby]

I' not sure if this is appropriate for cats (since my last bad flea problem I had was because of my then, recently adopted dogs), but you can bath her and it's something I personally recommend. I use dawn and make a ring around the neck with soap when I bathe a dog with fleas since Dawn is actually pretty safe for pets and they can' latch onto the hair. If anything, it's stop her from eating the fleas.

When I brought in my cat to an on the go vet, they only tested for round and hook worms so when I realized she had fleas I ended up seeing tapeworm segments. I only had this issue with my cat since I saw her flea problem a little late (She was a stray and when I took her to the aspca for a check, they to said they found nothing). I think a bath my prevent some of that though

 

[inkxpencil]

Revolution is a good flea medication. I believe you can get it on Amazon, I get mine from the vet though. As long as you know the cats weight you should be able to order it. Its a monthly medication that goes on the skin at the back of the cats neck.
Also, if you can get a flea collar, you can cut it up and put it in your vacuum. That way if anything survives the vacuum then the collar should take care of it. You can also get a flea brush. This is a simple method, get a cup of water and put some soap in it. The brush will catch the fleas, and then you can drown the fleas in the cup.

 

[Brian007]

As an add on: bicarbonate of soda (BOS) first brushed into carpets, then left for half an hour, and vacuumed up at least triples the effectiveness of dislodging flea eggs and embedded pupae/larvae sacks for sucking up. Fleas, eggs, pupae, and larvae can burrow deep into carpets and hold on for dear life, calling for frequent vigorous vacuuming. But BOS really does lend a helping hand. Furthermore, your carpets will be given a new lease of life as it's an excellent cleaner, bringing out long forgotten colours, and does a super excellent job at deodorising.

 

[Yanaka]

I give twice monthly baths with Dawn dish soap, and when I vaccume I use DE on the carpets which dries out the eggs and larva. I use a natural spay flea treatment which I will have to find online as my local feed shop where I got it closed down.

Dawn on your cats?

 

[oonawingedwolf]

Dawn on your cats?

Yes, it smothers the fleas and doesn't hurt the cats.

 

[Brian007]

What about the 95% of fleas, eggs, pupae, and larvae nesting down off-site the cat?

A flea comb also doesn't hurt, and is actually rather enjoyable for your cat. (I can't imagine a washing up liquid smothering is too pleasant, but that's just me.) The comb can be dipped into a warm, soapy (Dawn) solution in a nearby bowl to stun the fleas for long enough for you to kill them by hand/nail, or flush them down the toilet. Soap alone does not kill fleas, it merely momentarily covers them in confusing slippy stuff of which they soon clean themselves off and jump to safety. Fleas are made of sterner stuff than washing up liquid can penetrate. Personally, I have baby wipes handy to squish the wee rascals still on the comb and POP the eggs, then I rinse the comb off in the soapy liquid and go back in for more.

Not a criticism. Just saying.

 

[oonawingedwolf]

What about the 95% of fleas, eggs, pupae, and larvae nesting down off-site the cat?

That's what the DE and vacuuming that I do is for, getting the ones off the cat. I sprinkle DE on the carpets, wait 30 minutes and vacuum. The DE dries them out.

 

[Brian007]

oonawingedwolf , okiedokie, if it works for you, then it works full stop. All the more methods the merrier.

I would just say that mayhaps it's better to write the words out in full when you first mention them, e.g., Diatomaceous Earth, then abbreviate thereafter, e.g., DE.

 

[Johnriii]

flea collars are a waste of money. the only place they will kill fleas is around the cat's neck. the fleas will move to another part of their body and feast there. why do you think they are so much cheaper than Advantage or Frontline? I spent at least $300.00 dollars a few summers back, trying to stay away from those two. I tried sprays, collars, baths, vacuuming, flea bombs, etc. only when I got the Frontline did my house become flea free. I forget how it works, but somehow the Frontline breaks the breeding cycle of the fleas, ultimately getting rid of them. the way I know I got rid of them is because my homemade "flea catcher" (small lamp, bowl of water with suds on the floor) was empty of fleas after two days. they are attracted to warmth, and when I first did this, I was catching 20-30 fleas a night. Frontline is the only thing that worked for me, and my cats got it every month for 6 months before we stopped, and the fleas never came back.

 

[oonawingedwolf]

oonawingedwolf , okiedokie, if it works for you, then it works full stop. All the more methods the merrier.

I would just say that mayhaps it's better to write the words out in full when you first mention them, e.g., Diatomaceous Earth, then abbreviate thereafter, e.g., DE.

Is that what it's called? I only know it as DE I'm sorry v.v

 

[Yanaka]

Haven't heard back from OP... I'm worried.