New Kitten, 8 Weeks Old – Very Worried about FLEAS

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  • 16 September, 2016 at 6:14 am #852045
    Elizabeth
    Participant

    I found an eight week old stray kitten today. I took him to the vet and of course he has fleas (and worms, and ear mites). The mites and worms were treated, but the vet gave me a flea bath to give him at home. Well, the kitten (Dixon) is a long haired, and even as small as he is, I’ve never seen that many fleas on a single cat before ever. It seriously freaked me out. I gave the bath as instructed (repeating a second time, because both the vet and the bottle said I should if it was bad) and then spend five hours combing through his fur with a flea comb. It’s significantly better, but I’m still seeing the occasional flea on him. He’s locked in the bathroom right now (with food, a littler box, and toys, of course) because I have another cat that I wouldn’t want to expose, but here are my questions:

    -How long does it take for fleas to die after getting a flea bath? I tried just googling this question, but the whole internet seemed torn, and I desperately need some feedback from anyone who’s been in this position before

    -If I’m still seeing fleas in the morning, would it be safe to give him a third bath with Dawn dish soap?

    -He’s in the bathroom, but is there any way the few fleas he does still seem to have will infect my other cat? Or my apartment?

    16 September, 2016 at 9:37 pm #852059
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Usually, fleas will stay on the host, meaning the cat because they suck their blood. Yes, I think it would be safe to bathe again with Dawn, making sure you get him completely dry after you bathe him each time. Some kittens’ flea infestations are so severe that they become anemic and it can be life threatening. It sounds like you have caught yours in time. Yes, your other cat can get fleas, and so can your apartment, but if you have the kitten isolated, they will probably stay on your cat. There are many treatments for your older cat, which I would go ahead and treat and the vet can tell you which ones are effective in your area. Frontline doesn’t work too well around here, as the fleas seem resistant to it. I have had good luck with Advantage II, it works really well. Once you treat the cats, the fleas will die on them and you probably won’t have to worry about your apartment. But Advantage II also makes a furniture/carpet spray, so does Baier, I think it’s called Tiempo. There are also natural treatments such as diatomaceous earth (crushed little tiny shells called diatoms) that cut the fleas’ skin and they die. It can be purchased in bags and you sprinkle the cats beds and on the carpets. Have a discussion with your vet about all your options. Also, talk with him on when you can treat your youngest kitten.

    17 September, 2016 at 4:50 am #852074
    Elizabeth
    Participant

    Thanks for your reply!

    My biggest issue is that my other cat is also very young (I took in the stray because I wanted a friend for her, and most people agree that two kittens is better than one). But she’s too young for flea treatments. I would be much less worried if i could treat her.

    Dixon’s still in the bathroom. It’s been 24 hours and I’m still combing the occasional flea off of him (maybe 10 total since last night). And I’m about to do a second bath with dawn. In the meantime I got a flea treatment spray and treated my bedroom. I’ve been checking the other kitten and she seems fine. I’ve cleaned every nook and cranny of this bathroom and washed every single fabric item in my house basically, including my bedding (just in case), all the towels, the clothes I was wearing last night, even my shower curtain. I desperately want Dixon flea free so I cane introduce him to the rest of my apartment. Especially since the bathroom is small. I’m feeling so bad for this little guy!

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