Help! Something Was Crawling On My Kitty!

  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #21

Ninipow13

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 30, 2018
Messages
73
Purraise
58
I combed him yesterday and caught the bug. I do think it is a flea now since it tried to jump. I found a small amount of flea dust too. Only one life bug. Didn’t find any life bugs on his sister but some flea bug dust. It doesn’t seem a lot at all. After combing his whole body it was really all in one spot. I’m going to bath them today and comb them again.
 

FelisCatus

RIP </3
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
879
Purraise
1,156
Diatomaceous Earth (food grade only!!!) is great for killing any external and some internal bugs/parasites both on/in your kitty and around your house. Just make sure to not get it in their or your eyes.

Not only is it cheap, it is natural and not a harsh chemical.

Since my place has carpets I do a sprinkle and then broom spread every 6-7 months or so and put some around the windows and doorways.

Haven’t seen any alive bugs in ages, only ones that have been dried out and killed by the diatomaceous earth.

Feel free to bring it up as a potential treatment plan with your vet when you see them.
 

thefiresidecat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
928
Purraise
2,626
Location
Tacoma, Wa
it may be done but I wouldn't use something like dawn on a kitten. that seems dangerous to me. get a soap that is made for cats. to me it really sounds like she has a flea. and what a gorgeous baby
 

jen

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
8,501
Purraise
3,009
Location
Hudson, OH
I have always used Dawn for kittens, every rescue I worked for did. Just don't get it in the eyes and they will be fine. It is used on the delicate fur and skin of wildlife. Again, watch the eyes and water temperature. If you are worried about using it still, then make up a little bowl of warm soapy water with Dawn, and dip the comb in and comb through the cat. The reason it specifically is Dawn is that is is a safe and gentle way to stun the fleas on the kittens so you can comb them off and kill them. Or get a topical flea treatment from the vet.
 

thefiresidecat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
928
Purraise
2,626
Location
Tacoma, Wa
I have always used Dawn for kittens, every rescue I worked for did. Just don't get it in the eyes and they will be fine. It is used on the delicate fur and skin of wildlife. Again, watch the eyes and water temperature. If you are worried about using it still, then make up a little bowl of warm soapy water with Dawn, and dip the comb in and comb through the cat. The reason it specifically is Dawn is that is is a safe and gentle way to stun the fleas on the kittens so you can comb them off and kill them. Or get a topical flea treatment from the vet.

I respectfully disagree that this is a good thing to do :) especially if you're not used to bathing kittens. it sounds to me like this kitten didn't need a bath. one flea was seen.. kittens are delicate lil critters.
 

war&wisdom

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Messages
1,048
Purraise
1,298
Location
Rockville, MD
I respectfully disagree that this is a good thing to do :) especially if you're not used to bathing kittens. it sounds to me like this kitten didn't need a bath. one flea was seen.. kittens are delicate lil critters.
Dawn is used by rescuers of many different animals, including baby animals, because it has a good reputation for being safe and gentle on their skin. Follow jen jen 's advice -- she has a lot of experience with this!
 

surya

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
2,479
Purraise
3,894
Location
Houston
I have used it many times on kittens. Yes you do have to be careful not to get it in their eyes. I believe it is much safer than a lot of the chemicals used for treating flea's on kittens. There are many reports of kittens being killed by the stuff they sell at stores. Where you find one flea, there are usually more. And the flea's leave eggs behind that hatch. If you catch it early it's no big deal.
 

surya

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
2,479
Purraise
3,894
Location
Houston
Diatomaceous Earth (food grade only!!!) is great for killing any external and some internal bugs/parasites both on/in your kitty and around your house. Just make sure to not get it in their or your eyes.

Not only is it cheap, it is natural and not a harsh chemical.

Since my place has carpets I do a sprinkle and then broom spread every 6-7 months or so and put some around the windows and doorways.

Haven’t seen any alive bugs in ages, only ones that have been dried out and killed by the diatomaceous earth.

Feel free to bring it up as a potential treatment plan with your vet when you see them.
I have used diatomaceous effectively for roaches, bed bugs and flea's. However, it did not work that well for my most recent problem with flea's. I read that it may not be as effective because of humidity. Although it is warm where I live (Houston) it is colder now. The other times it worked very well, but that was in the summer time. It is a big mess to use, so I was disappointed this time. I do not use it directly on my cats, because it can cause respiratory problems when they breath it in.
 

thefiresidecat

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
928
Purraise
2,626
Location
Tacoma, Wa
I didn't mean she should get flea products. I meant one of the safe specially formulated shampoo for cats and kittens. but really a bath is more risk than reward here. maybe there are more when you see one flea but otoh maybe not. the risk to the kittens health is far less to have one flea than to get a bath. baths should be reserved for serious reasons with baby kittens. it's very easy to hurt a kitten.
 

jen

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
8,501
Purraise
3,009
Location
Hudson, OH
Now that I can agree with. No reason to bathe kittens unless dirty or covered in fleas. It can be a risk, they can get chilled, they can inhale water, you have to just be very careful.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #32

Ninipow13

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Dec 30, 2018
Messages
73
Purraise
58
Does it have to be the actual brand Dawn or can it be another brand of dish soap?
 

kashmir64

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 9, 2017
Messages
5,480
Purraise
9,888
Location
Arizona
Also, it needs to be the blue Dawn. Don't use the antibacterial or the other scents.
 

Jenn12261

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
1
Purraise
0
Im relaxing in my bed with my 6 wk old kitty and all of a sudden I see something crawl on his fur!!! My husband tried to catch it but it was fast! It was the size of a lice bug and a dark color, brown or black. Didn’t get a close up of it and it’s still on his body! I only saw one. Wth could this be???? Please help! Should I bath my kittens? But if it’s some kind of parasite would it even help?? What’s the best way to wash them?

(Picture because he’s so cute)
This is carpet beetles, 2 of my cats get feline dermititis from them and the vet will tell you nothing
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,962
Location
Nebraska, USA
Sounds like fleas to me.they are black and very fast. Roll him over on his back and look where his legs join his body, the hair is thinner there. You might see some there. Call your vet and see what they recommend because he is so young. Such a sweet baby!
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,962
Location
Nebraska, USA
Sorry, but it was posted on an old January thread from a brand new poster. They are most likely not able to post their own thread yet......
 
Top