Capstar: The Internal Flea Bomb
One of the safest products available for kittens to get rid of fleas is Capstar. This oral medication contains a chemical called nitenpyram, which begins to kill adult fleas in as little as 30 minutes. It only works for 24 hours and is easy for a kittens body to process and eliminate from her system. The manufacturers website lists Capstar as safe for kittens as young as 4 weeks old and weighing only 2 pounds. Many vets will cut the dose is half and use for kittens even smaller than 2 pounds, although be sure to talk to your vet before using Capstar for kittens under the recommended weight. Unfortunately, Capstar doesnt kill ticks, but it is one of the most effective and safest ways to get rid of fleas on kittens.
Recommended Reading: Why Does My Cat Bite Me While Purring
Choosing A Safe Flea And Tick Medicine For Dogs And Cats
When considering flea and tick prevention for kittens and puppies, your first step should be a visit to your veterinarian to discuss options that are right for your situation.
Because many insecticide-based treatments are unsafe for animals 8 weeks and younger, Dr. Dryden recommends, asking about non-chemical alternatives, including flea combs, gentle shampoos and other grooming tools that are safe for your young pet.
Once your puppy or kitten is past the age threshold, choose a parasite prevention program thats best for her and stick with it throughout adulthood, Dr. Dryden says. Check the products label to make sure its formulated for use on your particular petincluding her species, age and weight. Also take a look at the active ingredients to be sure youre targeting the right parasite.
To make your job easier, weve done part of the work for you! Below, youll find a list of the most common active ingredients in topical and systemic treatments that are available over the counter or through your veterinarian. Note that permethrin-based chemicals are only safe for dogs they are toxic to cats of all ages. This is NOT to be confused with pyrethrins.
Always follow the label instructions on the product you are usingformulations and instructions can change without notice.
Home Remedies For Fleas On Cats
Fleas can be a natural part of life with a cat. Fortunately, between over-the-counter sprays, powders, and flea collars, there are endless solutions to help eradicate a flea problem in your cat.
While commercial flea medications and treatments can certainly help tame a flea problem in your cat, there are also an array of do-it-yourself approaches that cat owners can take to banish the bugs. If youve already had a consultation with your veterinarian regarding your feline flea problem, here are some at-home remedies you can try that may help get rid of your cats flea problem for good.
Also Check: How To Treat Cat Colds At Home
Don’t Miss: What Color Eyes Do Black Cats Have
What To Feed A Neonatal Kitten
Stick to kitten formula, such as kitten milk replacer , which can be purchased at most pet supply stores.If you find yourself with a kitten and pet stores are closed, this emergency kitten formula can be made at home. Only use it in emergencies.
- 8 oz. can evaporated milk
- 1 beaten egg yolk
- Mix all ingredients well and strain. Warm before serving. Keep refrigerated.From Feline Neonatal Care DVD from the Loudoun SPCA.
Should you feed newborn kittens goat milk?
Never feed kittens cows or goats milkthis causes diarrhea.
Feeding Frequency
10 days or younger every two hours around the clock
11 days to 2½ weeks every three to four hours
2½ to 4 weeks every five to six hours
4 weeks and older two to three times a day. Weaning occurs around this age.
Mix formula with wet food so kittens can begin to lap it up, or put the mixture in a bottle. Then mix with dry food and begin providing water. If you are having trouble getting a kitten to latch onto the bottle, try pulling on the nipple when they start to suck, this will encourage her to suck harder and latch on.
You can also try moving the nipple back and forth in the kittens mouth. If your kitten is too ill to suck on a bottle, you may have to resort to other methods like tube feeding. In this case, consult a veterinarian.
Can Indoor Cats Get Fleas
Yes, all cats, be they indoor or outdoor, are prone to catching fleas, ticks, and intestinal worms.
It is wrongly believed that indoor cats cannot catch fleas and ticks, etc., but that is just not true. No doubt, our indoor cats who spend their whole day lounging on a sofa or their window cat hammock watching birds, are at a lower risk of inviting fleas, but it is not impossible to find fleas on indoor-only kittens.
Also Check: Do Cats Like To Be Held
Whats The Best Flea Treatment For Indoor Cats
Fleas can migrate into the home on the bodies of other pets, hop in through opened doors, and may hitch a ride on the household humans. That said, indoor cats are less likely to have flea problems than their outdoor-dwelling friends.
While you may choose to use a preventative treatment on cats living in a flea-prone area, its not necessary for every cat. If youd rather minimize the amount of chemicals applied to your cat, you may choose to skip monthly preventatives and spot-on treatments.
Oral flea treatments are the safest choice, so go with a trusted flea tablet like Comfortis if you have to get an acute infestation under control.
Treating 2 Week Old Kittens For Fleas
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!
Best Answer
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:
You need to get rid of the fleas. The mama cat probably has them too. Their safety is priority
That’s what I was thinking too! Thanks for your opinion!!
I wouldn’t even use dawn on 2weekolds-as the article cited above says, the kittens are so small you can go over their whole body with tweezers .
My kittens are 3 weeks old and they were covered in fleas as well as the mom cat and I gave all of them a bath with Dawn soap the mom did not reject them at all make sure that you vacuum all the areas that the kittens and the mama cat are and make sure that you vacuum and sweep regularly and after I took them a bath I had to pick out all of the Dead fleas from their coat and to be honest all all of the fleas did not die but at least I got rid of majority of the fleas
Don’t Miss: How Can I Treat My Cats Conjunctivitis At Home
Tips For Getting Rid Of Fleas On Kittens
Making sure all pets in the house are treated for fleas, trying to manage fleas in the home and the environment, and washing bedding in hot water can all help reduce the transmission of fleas to kittens.
But when it comes to getting rid of fleas on kittens, here are some additional things to take into consideration.
Do Not Use Products With Permethrin
Cats actually have a very poor ability to process certain kinds of drugs and chemicals that humans and dogs can easily process. This poor processing ability means that these substances can be toxic for cats at very low doses, even though they are perfectly safe for dogs and humans.
One of the drugs cats have trouble with is permethrin. Its found in many flea medications since it is effective against fleas. However, while it is safe for dogs, its very toxic to cats. Be extremely careful to check over-the-counter flea products to make sure they dont contain permethrin.
Its critical that you read all labels very carefully. Even if a flea product is safe for cats, it does not mean that it is safe for kittens. If youre not sure a product is safe, simply ask your veterinarian.
Don’t Miss: How To Find A Lost Outdoor Cat
Factsheet Orphan Kittens Considerations And Care
Caring for orphan kittens between birth and 4-5 weeks old
How old is the kitten?The age of the kitten will help you know what their special needs are for each stage of their growth period theres a big difference between the needs of a 2 week old kitten compared to a 6 week old kitten.
A kittens weight roughly reflects their age: 100gms = 1 week old, 200gms = 2 weeks old, 300gms = 3 weeks old and so on until they are 12-14 weeks old. Although a kitten could be much older than their weight reflects for several reasons the kitten has been orphaned for a long time and lost considerable weight from not being fed the mother cat may have had an inadequate milk supply or the kitten may be suffering a medical condition.
The average birth weight of a kitten is 90-100gms, although it is normal for a kitten to drop below their birth weight in the first 24-48 hours. However, they should steadily gain weight from then on and have doubled their birth weight in the first two weeks. If a kitten loses more than 10 grams in weight from one day to the next they need immediate veterinary attention. Failing to seek medical help may result in the kitten becoming very ill and/or passing away.
Kitten development stages
Week 1 Kittens are born deaf and blind. Their umbilical cord will dry up and fall off 3 days after birth. Their eyes will be closed and their ears folded over. They cannot walk and will sleep 90 per cent of the time . They cannot urinate or defecate on their own.
Whats The Best Flea Shampoo For Cats
Although cats usually dont care for baths, and you can get the same quality coverage from a pill, some people may prefer to use a flea shampoo.
The best flea shampoo for cats is free from toxic ingredients and completely safe for cats. Remember that a product safe for dogs isnt necessarily approved for cats, who may ingest shampoo residue during grooming.
Don’t Miss: Flea & Tick Pills For Cats
Home Remedies For Fleas On Kittens
Note: Before using any home-based remedies on your cat, you must consult with your veterinarian, who would recommend the best course of action for getting rid of fleas on kittens, considering your kittens history.
Apple Cider Vinegar for Fleas on Kittens
Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular at-home remedies for several cat health issues. For instance, it is believed to help our cats fight feline respiratory infection and also help cats with urinary tract infection by lowering the pH of their urine. Similarly, apple cider vinegar is also believed to be an effective way of getting fleas on kittens.
ACV does not kill fleas on kittens but only acts as an irritant for fleas, making them jump off of our little furry friends. While applying ACV to your flea-infested kitten, you should be taking all the precautions as there is a huge chance that fleas may jump on you as you are spraying ACV on your kitten.
Caution!
Never use concentrated ACV on kittens. It may do more harm than good.
Mix apple cider vinegar with water in a 2:1 ratio, and you are good to spray it on your flea-infested kitten. You can also use this solution while washing the beddings of your cat.
Dawn Dish Soap for Fleas on Cats
Believe it or not, dawn dish soap is one of the most effective at-home remedies for fleas on kittens. The dish soap breaks the exoskeleton of the fleas and kills them in minutes.
Cedar Chips for Fleas on Cats
Never Use Essential Oils on Kittens
Consider Using An Insecticide Spray In The Home
Using one of these sprays can kill the fleas that are infesting your cats environment.
This flea collars active ingredients are flumethrin and imidacloprid, which work together to kill adult fleas and prevent reproduction. This flea collar can keep your cat flea-free for 8 months.
While the Seresto flea collar may be the best of its type, results vary. This flea collar gets its share of negative reviews from people who say that their cat had a severe skin reaction to the chemicals in the collar. In fact, as of April 2022, the EPA has received nearly 100,000 complaints of harm to pets, including 2,500 deaths associated with the Seresto flea collar.
In spite of this staggering number of complaints and a petition asking the EPA to ban the collar, the agency has not done anything to stop further issues. In fact, multiple scientists at the EPA reveal that theyve been encouraged to stay quiet about the Seresto issue.
Between the EPAs inaction and parent company Elancos refusal to change anything in light of these complaints, we cant feel confident about the information were seeing about this flea collar. Opt for another flea treatment or proceed with extreme caution.
Recommended Reading: Why Does My Cat Lay In His Litter Box
Tackling Fleas In Young Kittens
Removing and reducing fleas from young kittens safely and effectively can be time consuming, and may require you to use a combination of a variety of approaches.
First things first, ensure that the room that the kittens are in is clear of fleas, which may mean that you will need to treat a specific room of the house with a flea bomb or something else to kill fleas at every life stage, and then move the litter and queen into that room. Treating the queen herself is important too, but take care to ensure that the flea product that you use is concentrated enough that it is effective but does not spread across her neck when wet, so that the kittens can rub against it.
Before you move the litter into the new room, give it 24 hours for the flea treatment used on the queen to take effect, and talk to your vet about the right product to use-a range of well-known brands can be used safely on nursing cats.
Next, use a flea comb to remove the individual fleas from each kitten, dipping the comb into a bowl of water regularly to remove and trap the fleas and stop them re-infesting the litter. Comb each kitten at least twice a day, and keep a check on the volume of fleas that you remove each time, to see how effective your regime is proving to be.
At night when the other lights are out, the fleas will be attracted to the warmth and light, and fall into the bowl of water-where the surface tension caused by the washing up liquid will trap them for disposal the next day.
Bathe With Warm Soapy Water
Bathing your kitten can be a delicate process. In principle, we shouldnt start bathing our cats until after they have their vaccinations. As they shouldnt be in a circumstance where they will get dirty, this isnt usually a problem. However, when a kitten has a flea infestation, then circumstances have changed. You may need to consult your veterinarian before doing so and it is important to know you should never try to completely immerse a cat of any age in water. There is not only the potential risk of drowning, but the stress it can induce in the cat may affect them very negatively.
If you do choose to bathe your kitten to get rid of fleas, follow these steps:
- Fill the sink with a shallow amount of warm water and gently introduce the kitten.
- Avoid wetting their head. If they have fleas on their head, wet a cloth and carefully wipe the area clean.
- Use a very small amount of kitten approved soap or shampoo to wash them.
- Do not take too long as the water can get cold and promote problems.
- Rinse carefully and dry by gently massaging them with a dry warm towel.
You May Like: How To Clean Cat Urine From Fabric Sofa
Don’t Miss: Why Is My Cat Scared All Of A Sudden
Can Humans Get Fleas From Cats
Yes and no!
While fleas can jump from cats onto humans, but they cannot live on humans for any substantial time. Humans do not have fur like cats, so they cannot live or reproduce eggs on humans. According to a study, for fleas to live on humans, they need to feed on them for around 12 straight hours even to have a chance of laying eggs.
What about human hair? Can humans get fleas in their hair?
No, fleas cannot live on humans hair either. They often bite us on our feet and ankles, jumping from infested beds of pets. Even from there, we will scratch off these pesky pests well before they have a chance to suck several blood meals out of us.
Now that you have learned all about fleas on kittens, you may want to take a look at flea medicines for dogs if you have a canine fella living under your roof.
Are Flea Treatments Toxic To Cats Or Humans
Remember that all chemical flea treatments are inherently toxic on some level theyre poisons and formulated to kill. Most of these treatments are only deadly to insects and, when administered correctly, wont harm your cats.
Unfortunately, this isnt always the case. Disturbingly, flea treatments have been connected to toxicity in cats thousands of times over the years. Some flea treatments have remained on the market while presenting a risk to both cats and humans.
And even if you choose an insecticide with a great reputation, its hard to predict whether or not your cat will have a bad reaction to any given insecticide.
Also Check: My Cat Has Goopy Eyes