Having a new litter of kittens in the house is wonderful, until you discover fleas. Unfortunately, there is not a lot you can do for fleas on newborn kittens. I discovered a great tip. Baby wipes with aloe! The kittens love being rubbed down with them. Don't worry about rubbing vigorously. They love it, just like momma giving them a bath. And, if I keep a close eye on them and do this daily, I won't see another flea.
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I have had a problem with fleas. I have kittens that are not at the age of weaning as of yet. So I did the Dawn bath, with the kittens, and then simply didn't rinse. I patted them dry. It is warm where they are. This is a good way to get fleas off of kittens. I have also done baby shampoo baths, where I didn't rinse them off.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have hardwood floors all over the house except the kitchen and bedroom which have tile floors. I read where you mix apple cider vinegar, Dawn, and water, and bathe both kitties.
How much would I use of each or equal amounts?Please take your kitties to your vet first to be certain the problem is fleas and not another skin condition like dandruff, allergies, etc!!! Help your kitties feel better now by treating the correct problem, not by treating for the wrong condition just because it may be cheaper!
Additional flea information will help in a flea battle:
The humble cat (cat, dog, etc.) flea is one of the most abundant and widespread species on Earth. You may have noticed that your dog and cat often choose different places to sleep in your house and outside. Your cat may have five or six favorite inside spots (usually in the sun) and outside even more. Many animals choose several places to sleep to avoid fleas. They might sleep in one spot for a few days and then another for a day or two. This sleep pattern breaks the flea life cycle and does reduce the effectiveness of flea attacks as adult fleas only live for a few days. However, some can live up to one hundred days in a good food environment. As you will see, the flea has a complicated life and you and your pet are invited!
My husband is an entomologist so I speak with first hand knowledge and experience.
Flea eggs do not stay on your pet, they quickly drop or roll off as they do not stick to anything. The fleas you find in your house hatched from the flea eggs that fell off of your pet. Flea eggs are tiny and opaque white or almost colorless. The fleas you may see on your cat or dog are immature fleas from eggs on the floor or outside that hatched into fleas and jumped back onto your dog. You will also see (many!) small black dots on your dog but these are only flea feces.
The flea eggs in your home and outside are the real problem. Just one female flea can produce 40-50 eggs per day. The eggs fall off into your house and outside so, either way, your dog or cat will then again attract the immature and adult fleas both inside and outside which are the children from flea parents that may still be living on your cat or dog.
Any dish detergent bath may wash away or possibly kill some fleas on your pet, however, not all fleas are killed. In a bath many migrate up to the head and ear area and then, once the bath is over, travel back to their favorite spots, usually on the back. If you use dish detergent, you can seriously dry the animals skin and may cause skin rashes, an allergic reaction, etc., and you are not addressing the real problem. The thousands of flea eggs that exist all the time in your house and outside hatch and then jump back onto your dog or cat (and you!). So, you and your pets are locked into the everlasting cycle in the life of fleas.
A search online for how to kill fleas brings up many ideas for bathing, applying natural and awful sprays, etc., but these only address the fleas on your pet. Rarely do they address the bigger problem as a whole. You can check this site for answers that address your pet, your home and the outside. As you will see, flea prevention is a much larger problem than just giving your dog a bath.
I have a indoor cat that hides a lot because of my two dogs. So today I finally got him to come out when the dogs were outside and noticed he was scratching bad and had scabs along his neck, back and tail. while grooming my cat as always I seen he had fleas. he does not have claws to itch himself and I feel so bad for him. What can I do to help his skin and get rid of the fleas on the animals and in the house? Please help!
HI, I have found a wonderful all natural product called "cedar cide". We have 2 cats and 2 dogs and had an awful flea infestation every year in this home with or without animals. We have fleas bad in the yard from squirrels and bring them in on us. We spray the whole house and a jug lasts us a year and cost us a third of what we used to spend on poisons.
This is what I did to rid my kitten 10 weeks old of fleas until my Frontline plus arrives. I bought Frontline real cheap off Ebay. 8 month supply for $20.00 that included the shipping! So to kill the live fleas until it gets here. I washed her in Dawn dish soap the blue original Dawn. I did not get her wet first.
I put Dawn around her neck first and quickly rubbed it in as this helps to prevent the fleas from scurrying to her head and face area. Then I put a line of Dawn down her back and worked it in and then under her belly and worked it in. I worked it in real good. Then I added a bit of water to her and then kept on working it in. I could see the adult dead fleas falling off her. Although some did manage to escape to her head and they tried to get in her nose and eyes so for those little critters I used tweezers and picked them off her and put them in container with dawn and water so they would die.
I gently scrubbed her for about 10 minutes with the dawn on. Then I rinsed her off with clean luke warm water. Then I put some Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water on her as the final rinse to repel new fleas. I know she has eggs and larvae that will hatch soon but by then the Frontline Plus should be here and that will work for those.
As for my house I used common table salt. I sprinkled it all over my house. Let it sit for hours then vacuumed and swept it all up. While I waited those hours I washed all bedding, curtains, any dirty laundry etc. I vacuumed corners and trim and anywhere I thought a flea would hide. To get rid of the fleas I guess I had to think like a flea.
I am dirt poor except for my 3 kitties, Nala, Rajah, and Berlioz. We just got Berlioz 3 days ago and now all 3 of my babies have fleas. All 3 are indoor cats. Nala is the oldest, she's over a year old, but the other 2 are about 4 months. Please help. I don't know what to do for them.
By Lyndsay
Apparently, if you bathe them really well with Dawn dish soap, it will kill the fleas. Also if you sprinkle naptha flakes, which are crushed moth balls, on all your floors, let it sit a couple of hours and then vacuum really well, this will get rid of the fleas.
You have to remove the kitties from the house while the naptha flakes are around as they are really BAD for them! You'll probably have to do both these things every few days until the fleas are gone, and don't get the soap inside their ears or in their eyes. But make sure you get the soap on the inside edges of the ears. Start at the head and work towards the tail. Google "fleas" and "home remedies".
Good luck.
How old does a kitten have to be before wearing a flea collar?
By angel from Akron, OH
Please, no. The poison in flea collars goes strait to the liver and the kidneys. Rid your house of fleas with dry borax in the carpets. A natural product. Please don't destroy your kitten. Keep it from harm.
Hello, Please DO NOT use a flea collar on your kitten. I have worked for a Veterinarian for over 20 years and they have all said the same thing. There are harmful toxins in the collar that will harm your kitten. Please use Advantage as it can be used on a kitten, it can be bought at your Vet's office. When you take your baby in for his first exam/vaccines talk to your Vet about this. Good luck
How do I get rid of fleas on my 2 month old kitten?
One of the best ways I've found is to use vinegar and a flea comb. You need to put this in a spray bottle and spray it on the cat. Make a bowl of vinegar and comb the cat. Clean the comb in the bowl to get the fleas off the comb. This will also kill the fleas too. The cat is very young and a lot of flea products in the market are harsh and they aren't so good for the cat. I use vinegar to kill the fleas on my animals all the time and it really keeps them off.
I rescued my kitten at about 5 or 6 weeks old, he is now 10 or 11 weeks old, my question is can I put flea drops on him now, even though the drops say to do so at 12 weeks. I give him regular baths every week or 2, and by the time he is due for a bath he has a lot of fleas on him just in that amount of time. I also go through his fur almost daily and take off the fleas that I can see and kill them.
I just don't like seeing him scratch, and the poor baby has little wounds crusted over from being bitten. Anyone have any advice? I am also aware of several of the home remedies such as apple cider vinegar, however I have had cats all through growing up and know sometimes flea drops are really what work best, so can I put the drops on him although he is only 10 or 11 weeks?Capstar is the only flea medicine that can be safe for kittens this young but must weigh 2 pounds. Here are the instructions:
Capstar® is an oral tablet for dogs, puppies, cats and kittens 4 weeks of age and older and 2 pounds of body weight or greater.
Capstar can be purchased at most big box stores as well all Pet stores. There is also a generic version listed on Amazon and eBay but that would take several days shipping. Capstar capsule can be opened and put in soft food in case you have trouble giving them a pill.
Here is a web site with some suggestions for taking care of fleas. the second link is about Capstar.
www.drugs.com/
My cat had her kittens 2weeks ago and they have fleas and need to be bathed with Dawn ASAP. This is her first litter and for whatever reason she has moved them twice now. I am guessing it's because she was "protecting them"?
If I bathe her kittens is she going to freak out and harm them or neglect them because I touched them too much or too early? I must get rid their fleas ASAP! Please, any advice would be appreciated!I believe the kittens are old enough to treat as fleas on such tiny bodies can be deadly.
here is a site that has excellent instructions and also how to treat the mom:
I love animals. I have a little kitten that hangs around my house. She's my neighbors kitten. My neighbor abandoned her. I can't let her in because I am allergic and have a dog.
The kitten almost died of fleas, but I got her medicine. She was doing well, but she has fleas again. It breaks my heart to watch her suffer. I visit her everyday and sometimes lay in my bed crying.
She was rid of the fleas and I was so thankful. Should I take her to a shelter? or would they just put her down? I can't watch her suffer any more.
By Amanda
Are you a child or adult? If you can touch the cat, use Dawn dish soap and bathe the kitty, leave on for 5 minutes, then rinse well. Try to dry well with towels, and only do this when it is a warm day. I wish I could help you, fleas can kill a young kitty if they are not gotten rid of. If you are a child, please ask someone to help you with this. Any adult should want to help you. Wait about 2 days then use the flea medicine you used before. Hopefully, this will help this kitty.
Check into some of new flea and tick medicines available on the internet. The prices have come down recently. If you do take her to a shelter, be sure to find a "no kill" shelter. Or you can check with friends to see if they can take her in. I had a homeless kitten I could not keep and I brought her back to good health and sent pictures out to my email list with her story attached. I had people fighting over her and she went to a wonderful home. Be careful and dont let her go to someone you do not know. Bless you for having a heart for this homeless girl.
How do I remove a flea from my kitty's eye? It's gotten deep into her pupil and I was hoping for some home remedy? I can not afford to go to the vet.
So far it hasn't caused an infection; it is just watering a lot. She could use the help. Thank you in advance.ASPCA offers help for low income. You MUST take your kitten to the vet if it's in her pupil. Fleas feed on blood, and if it's gotten that deep into her eye it's bordering on too late to juggle decisions. Please take her to a professional so she doesn't lose ability to see from that eye.
My kittens are 2 days old and are infested with fleas. What can I do to get rid of the fleas?
By natalie
The truth is you may bathe the kittens in dawn dish detergent (the original blue one only). This will kill what is already on them. Give them a good brushing to free them from the dead ones, since they will probably end up eating them and that isn't good for them.
The next step is to rid the house of what might be eggs or larvae. You can spray distilled white vinegar all over the house. It is not fragrant but it works great. The smell of the vinegar will disappear in a day or so. I have older cats and I saturate a wash cloth with vinegar as well and wipe them down ears to toes, instantly the fleas die. I brush them a bit and they're as good as new! They also love the attention although chasing them for the vinegar rub (I have 5) is quite funny lol.
You must get rid of their favorite bedding or wash those items in the hottest water possible, but it's worth replacing for the sake of your pets. Be blessed and thank you thrifty fun friends for all the great advice in the past.
Also, I put two or three drops of apple cider vinegar in their wet food every day. This is great for maintaining flea free cats. Good luck with the kittens, they're wonderful and such a joy to have.
For the gal on disability who adopts cats, God bless you. People can judge but you are giving a loving home to the homeless. Keep finding tips here on thriftyfun.com and you will be able to care for those cats with minimal money to be spent. Vet's tend to overcharge anyway. Be blessed!
I need home remedies to deflea infested kittens.
By danitaoster
Give your kitten a bath in Dawn dishwashing liquid (or other grease cutting dish soap). This will kill the fleas currently on your kitten, but won't do anything to keep fleas in the environment from jumping back on your kitten though. You also need to be careful to keep the soap away from your kitten's face.
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How can I get fleas off of a 4 week old kitten? I have already tried Dawn.
We have 3 adorable 4 month old kittens that we have raised since birth, I have been finding a lot of fleas on them. Does anyone have a cheap and working remedy?
I have 5 kittens that are a week old today. I noticed that they are covered in fleas and have no idea how to get rid of them.
I am looking for an easy non-aggressive way to get rid of fleas on two day old kittens.
I have one week old kittens, 2 dogs, and 2 adult cats. I know how to get rid of the fleas that the older animals have, but the poor kittens are covered in fleas.
I have 3 kittens. They are only a week old today today. What can I do to get rid of the fleas that they have?
I need some home remedies and ideas for how to get rid of fleas on small kittens.
ust found 2 orphaned 4 week old kitties-house and other cats now flea infested.