What To Do When 2 Week Old Kittens Have Fleas
Other flea medications safe for kittens list 8 weeks of age as a minimum.
What to do when 2 week old kittens have fleas. If you use soap choose a nonmedicated tear free gentle soap only like dawn or baby shampoo. These combs have very closely spaced tines that help grab the little fleas and their eggs from your kitty s fur. Once finished place them on a clean dry towel and comb using flea comb while their fur is still wet. Use a flea comb to brush through the fur to locate the insects.
It s been touch and go as the people that brought her into the clinic saw her get tossed out of a car. Drop the fleas you found and put them in a cup of alcohol or hot soapy water and wash fabric and bedding with hot water. Instead give kittens a warm bath and rinse them with mild soap. You may also find flea eggs which appear as small white grains.
If fleas or flea dirt are present treat the kitten for fleas right away. This application kills the adult fleas but not their offspring. In consultation with your vet kittens over 4 weeks old may be treated with capstar there is a minimum weight requirement. Use a flea comb to remove fleas from both mother and babies either prior to or after a bath.
Avoid flea shampoos because they aren t intended for use in kittens under 12 weeks of age. For the past couple of days i ve been taking care of a 3 week old kitten. Flea dirt looks like small black flecks of dirt and will be present along the base of the fur. If you find either fleas or flea dirt which appears as brown dots your kitten has fleas.
Again newborn kittens need manual flea removal. Soapy water helps prevent fleas from jumping out of the bathwater although it isn t actually necessary to remove or kill fleas. While capstar is fast acting and effective at killing fleas keep in mind that the effect only lasts for 24 hours. Instead you will need to provide the kitten with a bath.
Never use a topical chemical treatment on a neonatal kitten as this may be toxic to a young kitten. Before you move the litter into the new room give it 24 hours for the flea treatment used on the queen to take effect and talk to your vet about the right product to use a range of well known brands can be used safely on nursing cats.