My kitten has a flea

[thedragonsmeow]

I recently adopted a rescue kitten and his name is Nermal. He's pretty healthy as far as we can see, but he has a flea. I've only ever seen one, and I gave him a bath in Dawn (as directed by a vet assistant) and I thought it worked until I saw the flea again. I tried another bath, and right afterward when I was drying him off I saw it again. Now, I tried to pick it off of him, and I think I got it, but I didnt get a chance to kill it, I dropped it on the floor. Do they reproduce on their own? I've only seen the one and I dont want my house to be infested. I also dont want him finding the kitten again. What should I do?

How long to fleas live?

-Jen

 

[rosiemac]

I only saw one on Rosie when she was about 8 weeks old, but my vet sold me some Frontline along with a spray for the house just incase, so i would still give Nermal a dose of it.

But whatever you do don't buy an over the counter flea solution for Nermal, have a word with his vet.

 

[kellyyfaber]

Originally Posted by thedragonsmeow

I recently adopted a rescue kitten and his name is Nermal. He's pretty healthy as far as we can see, but he has a flea. I've only ever seen one, and I gave him a bath in Dawn (as directed by a vet assistant) and I thought it worked until I saw the flea again. I tried another bath, and right afterward when I was drying him off I saw it again. Now, I tried to pick it off of him, and I think I got it, but I didnt get a chance to kill it, I dropped it on the floor. Do they reproduce on their own? I've only seen the one and I dont want my house to be infested. I also dont want him finding the kitten again. What should I do?

How long to fleas live?

-Jen

How old is your kitten? It may be best to contact the vet to find out for sure what flea removal methods will be safe for the kitten.

 

[jennyr]

I hate to disillusion you but there is never only one flea. Most of them do not even live on the cat, only jump on to feed. SO you do need a vet to give the appropriate formula for the kitten's age and weight. Then all fleas will be killed as they leap on for dinner!

 

[consumerkitty]

Originally Posted by rosiemac

But whatever you do don't buy an over the counter flea solution for Nermal, have a word with his vet.

OTC flea products can kill your cat. Like Jennyranson said, there's never just one flea so the best thing to do is take Nermal to the vet (Nermal is a real cutie pie by the way

)

 

[thedragonsmeow]

Originally Posted by jennyranson

I hate to disillusion you but there is never only one flea. Most of them do not even live on the cat, only jump on to feed. SO you do need a vet to give the appropriate formula for the kitten's age and weight. Then all fleas will be killed as they leap on for dinner!

I realize how unlikey a single flea is, but I've really only ever seen one. He's really little, only about 6 weeks old. He's definitely not infested with fleas. The house shouldnt have fleas in it naturally either. We only have him, no other cats and he doesn't get to go outside.

He's too young for most of the flea products I saw at the pet store, and when I asked the vet technician she only reccomended a bath in Dawn (dish soap) or using a comb. I didnt find any official flea combs so I tried using a regular man's comb with the thinner bristles and that didnt work.

Also, what is it about the OTC flea products that can kill a cat?

I didnt want to get any of them because they all said 12+ weeks or 5+ pounds of cat, and mine is about 6 weeks and only 1.5 lbs.

 

[arlyn]

He'll need to be wormed too.

 

[avocado]

okay, here is MO. i think the "just one flea being a problem" thing might depend on where you live and if fleas are common. i have four indoor cats, and in the three years that i have had them i have seen two fleas. these cats are brushed weekly with a variety of brushes including a flea comb, so i dont think that i am missing any. i have never treated them with a flea preventative... i use an all natural repellant on the dogs in the summertime but thats it and i have never seen a flea on either dog. i dont think that one flea is any reason to run out and buy Frontline or some other chemical to put on your cat... if you see several fleas you might want to consider Frontline etc.

 

[rosiemac]

Originally Posted by thedragonsmeow

I realize how unlikey a single flea is, but I've really only ever seen one. He's really little, only about 6 weeks old. He's definitely not infested with fleas. The house shouldnt have fleas in it naturally either. We only have him, no other cats and he doesn't get to go outside.

As i said i only saw one on Rosie, and when my vet said i need a spray for the house i was mortified, but she explained that they don't just live on the cats so this is why i needed the spray otherwise it would go full circle again and they would be back.

Although my two are indoors, everytime they go for their yearly checkup at the vets, they always get a dose of Frontline, because with all those animals in the waiting room?!

 

[jadedlaw]

Originally Posted by thedragonsmeow

I realize how unlikey a single flea is, but I've really only ever seen one. He's really little, only about 6 weeks old. He's definitely not infested with fleas. The house shouldnt have fleas in it naturally either. We only have him, no other cats and he doesn't get to go outside.

He's too young for most of the flea products I saw at the pet store, and when I asked the vet technician she only reccomended a bath in Dawn (dish soap) or using a comb. I didnt find any official flea combs so I tried using a regular man's comb with the thinner bristles and that didnt work.

Also, what is it about the OTC flea products that can kill a cat?

I didnt want to get any of them because they all said 12+ weeks or 5+ pounds of cat, and mine is about 6 weeks and only 1.5 lbs.

There is a comb that is made with the bristles close enough to comb for fleas. The bristles on the "man's comb" is probably too wide apart to catch any fleas. I was able to find one at Walmart, but I am sure you can find the flea comb at a major pet store.

Also, even though your kitty is strictly indoors, this does not prevent flea infestation, although it does reduce the likelihood. I was informed by my vet that we can be the source of bring fleas in the house on our clothing.

Finally, isn't Dawn and dishwashing soap? I think that might be too harsh for your tiny kitten. You might try unscented baby shampoo instead? I read this suggestion somewhere on this site.

Good luck with your new baby. She looks very much like my Sidney. So adorable.

 

[yosemite]

Hi. I also don't believe there is such a thing as "only one flea". Fleas are very difficult to get rid of as they can live in furniture and carpets for months. We once had such a bad infestation that we took our cat to the vet for an overnight stay and to be de-flead and had professional exterminators in to spray. We all had to be out of the house for most of the day but it was worth it. Most over-the-counter sprays don't do a whole heck of a lot. They aren't strong enough to really get a large infestation.

Your kitty is very small and very young so I would strongly urge you to see your vet and take his/her advice regarding your flea situation.

Our cats get an Advantage treatment once per month (liquid put on the back of their neck) and are separated overnight so they don't lick it off each other.

We humans can actually bring fleas into the house on our clothing so even if you have indoor cats (as we have), I believe they should get flea treatment. Now having said that, we don't treat for fleas during our winter months because it really is too cold for fleas unless of course you have carpets in your house and you've had fleas already.

BTW, your vet will be able to give you the correct dosage for the weight of your kitten. For example, Bijou is 15.5 lbs and Mika is 8, so they each get a different dosage which we were given by the vet.

It's important to de-flea since if your cat ingests fleas, they also usually get worms, so protect your baby.