My 1 Week Old Kittens Have Fleas

While many topical and oral flea medications can eliminate fleas in kitties even little ones older than 4 to 8 weeks of age they can t be used on those only a week old.

My 1 week old kittens have fleas. Ninety percent of the time i end up having to treat these kittens with fleas and it can be difficult to find a one time product for those under 8 weeks of age. Capstar is a popular flea product that works within 6 hours to kill 90 of fleas and it can be used on kittens as young as 4 weeks of age and older provided the kitten weighs at least 2 pounds. This application kills the adult fleas but not their offspring. While capstar is fast acting and effective at killing fleas keep in mind that the effect only lasts for 24 hours.

If fleas or flea dirt are present treat the kitten for fleas right away. Look for flea dirt which is a sign that the kitten has fleas even if you don t see live bugs. Another concern is the mother because many medications aren t safe for use in nursing moms. For the past couple of days i ve been taking care of a 3 week old kitten.

Soapy water helps prevent fleas from jumping out of the bathwater although it isn t actually necessary to remove or kill fleas. Make sure that the oil is 100 percent therapeutic grade. If you use soap choose a nonmedicated tear free gentle soap only like dawn or baby shampoo. Step 2 place a white towel or sheet on the floor and put your kitten on top of it.

Flea dirt looks like small black flecks of dirt and will be present along the base of the fur. Purchase a flea comb dish soap or a kitten shampoo and tea tree essential oil. Again newborn kittens need manual flea removal. It s been touch and go as the people that brought her into the clinic saw her get tossed out of a car window.

Avoid flea shampoos because they aren t intended for use in kittens under 12 weeks of age.