Flea Treatment for Kittens: An Introduction

For young kittens, flea treatment offerings are limited. Younger kittens can become anemic as fleas feast on their blood. Fleas multiply quickly, so you must take immediate action on removing these parasites. However, kittens are often too young for commercialized flea treatments.

Topical Flea Treatments

Topical flea treatments effectively kill fleas and the eggs they lay. They require a prescription from your veterinarian. With kittens, flea treatment products place restrictions on the minimum age of the pet using the product. Look at the age restrictions for the following products:

  • Advantage - Kittens must be eight weeks or older.
  • Frontline® - Kittens must be eight weeks or older.
  • Revolution® - Kittens must be eight weeks or older.

In addition, some kittens suffer allergic reactions to the topical flea treatments. Other pet owners find fleas build up a resistance to the cat flea medicine over time. Unless you have an older kitten, flea treatment medications are too harsh for young animals.

Flea Dip and Flea Shampoo Products

Most flea dip or flea shampoo products, like Ectokyl, state that the treatment product should not be used on kittens under the age of 12 weeks. Veterinarians may recommend a diluted version of these products for younger kittens, but you must ask first. Small kittens are subject to poisoning if you use the product at full strength.

Drawbacks to Using a Flea Bomb

When using flea bombs, you and your pets must leave your house for a few hours while the product works. This is problematic, especially with kittens that may not enjoy traveling. If you opt to stay overnight in a hotel, it can be hard to find hotels that accept animals.

Another problem with flea bomb treatments occurs when you have gas appliances like a stove and furnace. You must blow out the pilot lights and shut off the gas. This extra hassle may require a visit from your gas company if you are unsure how to safely turn the gas back on and relight the pilots.

While flea bombs do effectively kill fleas, they do not kill the eggs. Flea eggs hatch up to a week later. You will need to set off a second flea bomb to kill newly hatched fleas.

Safe and Effective Kitten Flea Treatment Options

When you want a safer method of kitten flea treatment for your pet, purchase a box of Borax Powder, some baby shampoo or Dawn dish soap and a flea comb. Make sure your bathroom is warm, use a space heater to heat the area up. Bathe the kitten in warm water using the baby shampoo or dish soap, avoiding the nose and eyes, to create suds in the kitten's fur. Leave the suds for five minutes before rinsing.

Fleas will crawl to areas on the head, such as the nose, eyes and ears. Pick them off with fingernails or blunt-tipped tweezers. Wrap the kitten up in a warm towel and scrub well. Once the kitten's fur is drier, use a flea comb to remove any addition fleas or flea eggs. Place the kitten in a basket lined with a heating pad covered in a blanket and let the kitten groom him/herself.

While the kitten dries in the closed room, sprinkle Borax powder on carpeting in areas where the kitten frequents. Let it sit for half an hour and then vacuum it up. Borax kills fleas.

Bathe and comb him twice a week for two weeks. Eventually, you will rid the kitten of all fleas.

 

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