What Do I Do If Newborn Kittens Have Fleas

Blood sucking parasites can be fatal to kittens as they can cause anemia or a low red blood cell count or carry lyme disease.

What do i do if newborn kittens have fleas. When the fleas surface pluck them out and send down the drain. Bathing a kitten that is younger than 8 weeks old is generally not recommended as they have difficulty controlling their body temperatures at such a young age. However most professional flea and tick products contain toxic ingredients that can be fatal to kittens. If you have a kitten under 8 weeks old that has fleas it s a better idea to use a flea comb to remove the fleas.

Vinegar makes your kitten s blood unappetizing to fleas. Put a thick soapy lather of dawn around the neck and ears first as they will run fast and far to get away from the soap. Drop fleas in a bowl of hot soapy water. Then remove the fleas from the kitten.

The best way to treat fleas is to make a warm bath of just water. Keep the kitten away from any flea drugs or chemicals. A kitten s body is small so there isn t a large area to cover and you should be able to remove the fleas with your fingers or tweezers easily. You can also mix equal parts water and vinegar and apply it as a conditioning and flea repelling rinse after a bath.

Rinse thoroughly with warm after to remove all detergent residue. If they do make their way to the head use tweezers or a flea comb to remove. Get the kitten wet from the neck down do not get water in their ears or eyes. Most of the fleas will die and those that won t will be stunned enough so that they re easy to pick off.

Avoid flea shampoos because they aren t intended for use in kittens under 12 weeks of age. Fleas hate it but it is safe for your pet. Create a ring of detergent around the neck to prevent fleas from running up the body and onto the head. Instead you will need to provide the kitten with a bath.

If you use soap choose a nonmedicated tear free gentle soap only like dawn or baby shampoo. Once they are wet get some dawn dish soap. Newborn kittens with fleas or ticks should be treated immediately. Place the vinegar and water mixture into a spray bottle and spritz your kitten s fur allowing it to dry naturally.

While you re drying them pick the fleas off with tweezers and wash them down the sink. Soapy water helps prevent fleas from jumping out of the bathwater although it isn t actually necessary to remove or kill fleas. Have tweezers at your side. If fleas or flea dirt are present treat the kitten for fleas right away.

Flea dirt looks like small black flecks of dirt and will be present along the base of the fur.