12 weeks old Kitten Flea problem

[jupjup]

Hey people,

I am having problems with getting rid of fleas on my kitten.
I am using frontline spray which is killing them off but it is kind of irritating her and she gets angry when I apply it to her. I tried using shampoo on her which kills some of the fleas off her but even after 4 weeks they still seem to be on her. Also, I have noticed that she leaves behind little spots of blood where ever she goes. I am really concerned for her and would really appreciate some advice on getting rid of the annoying pests. Please help!

 

[arielrain]

I hate fleas with a passion! I havn't had any problems in years thank god. With kittens, I would be very careful. If the fleas keep returning, It looks like you will have to use flea foggers in your home to get rid of the fleas and their eggs. Take your kittens to a vet to rid them of the ones they have on their fur. The foggers work exellent! You will have to leave the house with your pets for a couple of hours or whatever the directions say on the can. It's worth it.

Good luck hun.

 

[mom of 4]

I agree about the foggers. And they recommend repeating the foggers in 3 weeks to kill off any missed the first time.

Your kitten may be old enough for Capstar. It is a pill available from the vet that start killing the fleas within 30 minutes. It wears off in 8-12 hours, so it is meant to be a quick but not permanent fix.

Vacuum the carpet, using pieces of a flea collar in the bag to kill the fleas. You must toss the bag immediately after using or the fleas will escape.

Use a flea comb daily. I hate the ones with the plastic tines as they don't work that well. Get one with metal tines - one used on children with head lice will work.

Good luck. We've had to deal with it occassionally due to the critters that visit our back yard from the large park across the street. And I have two Old English Sheepdogs!

 

[jupjup]

What is floggers?
Are they available in Australia?

 

[strange_wings]

They're little cans of pesticide that you set and pull the trigger/release on. They then release the pesticide fog in the room/area you've placed them.

I'm not sure if they're allowed there or not, if they are you will find them in the same section of a store as you will other pesticide sprays.

When you use them you and any animals must leave the home. The foggers will have instructions on how long you have to stay away. If you have any respiratory problems such as asthma, you may want to stay away a little longer or have someone go open up your windows for you before you return.
You have to rewash all your dishes, unfortunately, and I suggest you remove your more delicate electronics - such as your computer. There was a member on here that had the residue fry their motherboard.


If you look up "fleas", "flea control" and such on here there will be past threads with even more suggestions to help get rid of fleas.

 

[jupjup]

So it is pretty much like a flea bomb as they call it down here.

 

[strange_wings]

Yep, they're called that here too, but I thought that may be regional to the area I live (southern midwest - we have odd sayings and words) and didn't want to confuse anyone with slang.

 

[petstorejunkie]

I prefer to stay away from chemicals whenever possible and have found really effective methods to keeping fleas away.
Ever heard of Borax (boric acid)? It's in the laundry aisle, is dirt cheap, pet safe, and kills fleas!
Sprinkle all your carpet and apholstery with the borax, then use a stiff brush to work it into the carpet. Let it sit for a day and then vaccum like you are trying to suck up the carpet. I go over the same area hotel vaccum slowly about 3 times. Repeat in a week. The borax sucks all the moisture out of the flea so it shrivels up and dies.
go to the healthfood store and get pennyroyal oil and you can use it as a spot on, just a few drops. I have yet to have an animal have a reaction to it. It smells great and repels all buggies.
You can also plant pennyroyal around your house to keep house buggies from entering and to keep your yard mosquito free.

 

[AbbysMom]

Because your kittens are so young, they may be much more sensitive to some of the treatments mentioned here. Please check with your vet before trying anything.

 

[a_loveless_gem]

JupJup, I once had a 12 week old kitten covered in fleas.

Go down to your vet and purchase Advantage for Kittens and Cats up to 4kg. It can be used on kittens from 8 weeks of age. It's a small vial where you place the entire dose near the top of their head/scruff area where they can't groom. (There's diagrams provided in the box as well as further detailed instructions.) This will break the flea life cycle.

You may need more than one dose if it is particularly bad which would be another in a week's time from initial treatment.

In addition to this, I would strongly suggest a visit to the vet to rule out any other illnesses and/or conditions that the kitten may have just to be on the safe side.

And Advantage is available in Australia at vet surgeries.

In addition to this, thoroughly wash all pet bedding. If there are any stuffed toys, wash them too or consider tossing them out and replacing once the fleas have been eliminated. And if there is any carpet in the house, consider a flea treatment for that as well.

During this time minimise you may need to set up a quarantine area to keep your kitten in to limit the spread of the fleas.

Good luck.

 

[yosemite]

I agree with the poster that says to go to the vet.

Those little kittens are too tiny and sensitive right now for you to be "experimenting" with some of these ideas. The only safe way to deal with the problem is to see a vet.

Now, as for the environment (rugs, upholstery), you can purchase human/food grade diatomaceous earth at most gardening centres, sprinkle and brush into your carpeting and upholstery. Borax is NOT safe for cats and kittens but the diatomaceous earth most definitely is.

As for flea bombs, unless you have a really bad infestation the vet treatment for your cats and the DE treatment for the surroundings should work to get rid of the fleas.

Also be aware that your kittens probably have tape worm as well since they get them from ingesting fleas. That is why you need to take them to the vet or at least call your vet and tell him your situation. He "may" prescribe something over the phone - if not, please make that trip to see him for the safety of your kittens.

NEVER use flea collars - they can and have killed kittens. Over-the-counter flea remedies rarely work, end up costing you extra money because you are going to need to get vet prescribed meds anyway.

 

[jack31]

Is revolution available?

We were saved my capstar and revolution on our 10 week old kitten. By the time we got home from the vet the fleas were falling off and in 3 days that were 100% gone.

Leslie

 

[kalikat]

Originally Posted by Jack31

Is revolution available?

We were saved my capstar and revolution on our 10 week old kitten. By the time we got home from the vet the fleas were falling off and in 3 days that were 100% gone.

Leslie

I've used Revolution on Blossom ever since she was old enough. Although she didn't even have fleas when my son found her at 3 weeks old. We have 2 dogs & I've always treated them with Advantage.
My oldest son had the biggest flea allergy when he was young (now nearly 30). I had to bomb the house at least twice a year & spray the environment when we went away.

 

[tab]

i agree with the poster that suggested advantage. i was using frontline to no avail and had a cat who was making himself bleed he was scratching so much. after waiting the apppropriate time we switched to advantage and watched the fleas dying. janet was flea free within 24 hours.

 

[jupjup]

Originally Posted by a_loveless_gem

Go down to your vet and purchase Advantage for Kittens and Cats up to 4kg. It can be used on kittens from 8 weeks of age. It's a small vial where you place the entire dose near the top of their head/scruff area where they can't groom.

Had a chat with the vet which recommended me to bomb the house and he also gave me a gel to apply to the kittens head(scruff).(i think it may be advantage)
I will see how she progresses the next couple of days.

 

[plebayo]

You need to treat for fleas for at least 3 months straight to get rid of them.

Go to your vet and see if you can get a capstar [your kitten should be old enough] that will kill all fleas on the cat, then apply advantage.

I personally use revolution because it treats round worms, ear mites, heartworms, and fleas, but it's pretty spendy.

Then get a flea collar and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag, and vacuum your house, I've heard of people doing this and it's supposed to help kill the fleas you suck up. In any case, you have to treat for 3 months because that's how long the flea cycle is.