4 to 6 week old kittens with fleas

rang_27

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I took in a couple of kittens on Monday night. they are about 4 - 6 weeks old based on size. they are eating on their own and I have been feeding wet food and KMR. They are rather small about 0.75 lbs. It is a long story, but basicly a feral group of cats was spayed, neutered and  moved from an unsafe location to a farm that was looking for cats. The people that moved the group thought all of the kittens had already passed away, but then these two appeared. So I agreed to take them to socialize them. The only issue I am having is that they have fleas. I have treated them with Capstar (1/2 a pill each per the vet), but the fleas must not have been old enough for the cap star to work becuase they are still all over the poor babies. I have bathed them twice. I'm just wondering if there is somethign natural that would be safe for kittens that young? They are skinny and were dehydrated as well so I am trying to get them fixed up before treating them with a stronger product.
 

catnamedpanda

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I wouldn't use any flea products on them they are to young and small. Keep giving them baths, I don't know what you are using to bath them but the blue dawn soap works really well. I know feralver told me once that anise extract ( just a few drops) in combination with the dawn works wonders. When you bathe them make sure to make a soap ring around their neck so the fleas won't run there. Mine often already have fleas on their heads so I use baby shampoo and wet their faces and wash it too. Once I have the entire cat wet I usually see fleas "jumping ship". After you are finished soaping and such really rinse and look around for fleas to rinse out. Also if they will tolerate it blow dry them it will blow the stunned fleas out of their fur. After they are dry I would take a flea comb to them and see if you can find anymore. You may have to really bathe them like this a few times before they are flea free.
 

orientalslave

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If you keep getting fleas on the kittens then I suspect you have fleas in the house so that needs dealing with as well, or the room they are in if they don't wander. 

This might be useful:

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/fleas/info.html

Also remember that fleas are associated with worms, so your kittens need thoough worming as well.  Unfortunately Milbemax isn't available in the US - a tiny pill that does tapeworms and roundworms - so you will have to find what is available ane effective.  Drontal is effective but the pills are so huge that it's a real fight to get one down.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/worming/info.html
 

catnamedpanda

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With tiny little kittens an entire dontral would be too much, I have given it to kittens in quarters before by vets prescription. I'm pretty sure you can only get dontral at the vet anyways.
 

clynn11

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I recently rescued a kitten who was absolutely INFESTED with fleas. He was about 6 weeks old when I got him. The first bath- I thought he was injured somewhere I didn't notice because the water was PURE blood red. Turns out it was just the flea dirt and blood- poor baby. Took about 4 baths with Dawn and many, many hours going over him with a flea comb- but eventually he was flea-less and SO grateful.
 
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rang_27

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I stopped by a local holistic Pet Food store that has helped me with issues with my dog with cancer. I asked them and they recommended buck mountain parasite dust. http://www.buckmountainbotanicals.net/treatments/parasitedust.html

I'm going to rebathe them tonight & take a look again. What I found were not full grown adult fleas they were actually too small for the flea comb I have.
 
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