Newborn Kittens: Fleas?, Mother Still Bleeding?

[Goldehwolfeh]

Recently, My cat Twix had given birth to 4 kittens, and I started to notice fleas upon them.
I have one dose of frontline plus left, but the same night, before Twix had given birth to her kittens I had treated her and the father of the kittens.

It doesn't seem to be working (This goes along with my dogs as well). I will every now and then take out the bedding and switch it out with new bedding. Today, I had recently bombed my basement which was full of fleas, But we haven't figured out how it was.

I also relocated the kittens and their mother to a different room, safe and sound in different bedding while I spray down my room with "Hotshot Bedbug and Flea killer"... Which seems to only tick the fleas off...

I have washed the kittens and flea combed them, but the only kitten in the litter that seems to have more than one is my orange tabby, I recently found another one, which I couldn't manage to pull out but I think it did jump away....

I am really worried for the well-being of all the kittens in the litter, and I also seen a few small blood spots that I believe are coming from Twix..

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Sarthur2]

How old are the kittens?

 

[Goldehwolfeh]

The Kittens are 4 days old... They were born July 22nd.

 

[StefanZ]

Whatever you do, you must proceed to vigorously track them down and figth them. Apparently you have at home a strain whom got resistent to the usual anti-flea medicines...



I dont know so much about home remedies. ONE im sure of: The Di-acetomeus earth, DE, shall work and be safe for cats. Just be sure you you get it of food / human grade quality. Cheap brands as for water filters are harmful - much dust, and I think some chemicals too.

I have heard about some acid- solutions (dont remember the exact names at this moment), but I dont have sure knowledge.

You mention you saw more then one only in the red one. The probability is, they are better visible in the red, and all the others has quite a few of these fleas...

If you bathe the kittens, be sure they dont get chilled out - no draught, warm room, warm water, dry off, and a heating pad afterwards. the wet are always freezing.
If its very hot at your place, you dont need to overdo the warming up, of course.

 

[Sarthur2]

Please do not bathe the kittens again. They are too young. They must stay warm. They cannot control their own temperature the first 3 weeks of life.

Use a flea comb on them instead. Put any fleas in a bowl of water with dish soap in it. The fleas will drown.

A separate room with clean bedding will help. Put mom's food, water, and litter in the room with her and keep the other cats out.

Try Advantage II for cats. Changing the product may help. Fleas can become resistant to a product over time.

Buy a can of Enforcer flea house spray and use it on floors and upholstery. Vacuum often. Stay vigilant.

 

[Goldehwolfeh]

StefanZ , Thank you for the advice, and I am pretty sure the strain came from Negan (Father of the kittens).... It usually does get warm in my room and when it's too warm, I put a fan on. For the home remedy that you spoke of, Where would I be able to buy Di-acetomeus Earth, DE?

Sarthur2 , If possible, I don't know if Advantage is OTC at the moment but I can, however, ask my vet for one. I will look for enforcer flea house spray at my local stores, or look online. The vacuum will stay in my room to vacuum often.

Another questions, There are little blood splotches around where Twix sits, I don't know if it's because she is in eat again or if she is still bleeding slightly from when she gave birth. Although, Today, there is no new blood splotches...

 

[talkingpeanut]

How big are the splotches?

Are you keeping Twix and Negan totally separate? Mom can get pregnant again within a week of delivery.

 

[StefanZ]

Its quite common with some red colored watery discharges after a birth. More often than not in fact.
If its live blood its not that good, and depends on how much.
But you tell is less and less, so its good.

Re the DE its prob best you google on it. Its quite common. Just be sure you get food grade / human grade. Yes, it means also people do ate it, to get rid of worms and other.

 

[Sarthur2]

Most cats bleed on and off for a week or so after giving birth while the uterus heals. It should become less and stop soon.

Also, Advantage II is sold over the counter.

 

[Goldehwolfeh]

talkingpeanut , They are about nickel sized.. and Negan is separated from Twix.

StefanZ , Yeah it's not very often that it happens, usually depends on the day and it does look watery. I will do my best to google and do research on the DE to ensure the best. (Human grade/ food grade).

Sarthur2 , I will look on chewy.com to see if they have Advantage II available if not, I'll see if petsmart does... Thank you.

 

[Sarthur2]

The blood spot sizes are normal for 4 days post-partum.

Pet Smart carries Advantage II.

 

[Goldehwolfeh]

Sarthur2 , Thank you. It's better than waiting 1-2 days for it to arrive. I'll check it out once I am done volunteering at the humane society.

and I know this may seem like an odd question, But is there any reason behind why kittens have a tendency to twitch while sleeping? I have been really curious about it...

 

[Sarthur2]

I think it occurs involuntarily when cats are dreaming.

 

[KatsPurrrsians]

The twitching is completely normal at that age. It's due in part to their still developing nervous systems and inability to control their own body temp.

As far as the fleas go, treat the entire house with a flea spray that contain a growth regulator. It will say on the bottle if it contains one. Enforcer is one of the brands that we used as well when we were in your same situation. The growth regulator will prevent any new infestations for up to 7 months and controls (kills) all stages of the flea life cycle. However, since the flea spray only works through direct contact, you MUST vacuum all floors in areas that the cats have had access to at least once per day. Wash bedding where the cats and kittens nap or play. Vacuuming is what gets up the majority of the fleas & flea eggs. They live to hide in carpet/wall seams and around base boards. Spray those areas well. We used food grade DE and i think it made more of a mess than anything. There's no denying that it works, but it takes a while to do so and you basically have to cover your house in it for it to actually do its job. It works by eating away or wearing down the exoskeleton of the flea over time and the flea must crawl through it in order to be effected. Ridding your house of an infestation takes time though. No quick or easy way about it.
The Advantage is available without a prescription and is very easy to find... it's sold at petsmart or even Walmart, among other places. We had the same problem with Revolution not too long ago and switched to Advantage II and it was a Godsend! Be sure to read the instructions for age appropriate doses for Advantage because when dealing with an infestation it says you can use it (I believe) once every 7 days for adult cats and once every 14 days for kittens. But again, read the insert to get exact dosage. I know your frustration and I hate you're having to deal with this. It can and will become a very nasty and dangerous problem if not dealt with ASAP. Good luck!