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