Flea Treatment For Semiferals

[EmersonandEvie]

What can we use on the kittens that have fleas in our semiferal colony? I don't want to use anything topical like Bravecto because I don't want the others to groom it off.

 

[Jcatbird]

Can you handle them? A flea comb works wonders. I get a dish of dawn dish liquid and water. I comb out the fleas and dip them in the water to get them off the comb and they drown quickly. Most of the kitties I use it on seem to like the combing. Feels good.
Most things I know of can be groomed off. You could try food quality diatomaceous earth on the yard. I find that if I can clear the yard of the fleas we’re okay for awhile. A bath would be my next suggestion but that requires handling. Maybe someone else can give you better info on another treatment. Any chance you can treat the adults? There is Capstar which is a pill. It only works for 24 hours but it kills the fleas on the kitty. A kitten requires a smaller dose so it’s best to ask a vet. Age and weight are important.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Jcatbird

We can handle the two little female kittens, and we will definitely try the flea comb and Dawn! I haven't noticed any fleas/excess scratching on any of the adult cats, but only a few will let us gently pet them, let alone pill them.

 

[Jcatbird]

I know how hard it is to pill them. Apparently Capstar tastes bad too. I have managed to get some adults to eat it after placing it in a tiny bit of meat only baby food with a couple of crunchy treats mixed in. Getting them to eat it before the pill dissolves helps. Some people crush the pill and for some I crush and dissolve in a tiny bit of water so I can squirt the whole thing in their bout. Handling them makes it much easier but I really love the flea comb over everything else. Non toxic! Always a good thing. Do it often and you may be able to prevent a cycle of fleas.

 

[daftcat75]

What can we use on the kittens that have fleas in our semiferal colony? I don't want to use anything topical like Bravecto because I don't want the others to groom it off.

Topicals might be the best if you can’t handle them. Is this an outdoor colony? If so, you’ll never get ahead of the infestation using Capstar and flea combs alone. I wouldn’t worry about others grooming the topicals off. I’m sure they don’t taste good. I don’t know about Bravecto myself. It sounds like it would be ideal because you’d only have to treat them 4 times a year. But it’s also a newer treatment and doesn’t have the years of safety behind Frontline or Advantage. Whichever you go with, if you cannot treat the premises (e.g. the outdoors if this is an outdoor colony), then make sure you are interrupting the flea cycle on the cats themselves by using something with an IGR. If they are coming indoors, then you also need to treat your home. You absolutely need to treat your home with something with an IGR. Adult fleas will only be 5% of the infestation. That’s why Capstar and flea combing alone is likely to be ineffective.

If all of this sounds confusing or you need a focus, start here!
Step-by-step: How to get rid of fleas | FleaScience

 

[daftcat75]

One more note: pay attention to recommended ages and weights. You may need to use only flea combing if they aren’t old enough of big enough for topicals.