Can You Use Anti
No, you cant use anti-flea spray that is made for dogs on your cats. The chemicals used might be slightly harsher for dog sprays than they are for cat sprays. Furthermore, since cats thoroughly groom themselves with their tongues, they might end up ingesting the poison.
That can have drastic consequences for its health. It would be ideal to use anti-flea sprays that are specifically manufactured for kittens and cats to drive away these stubborn parasites.
How Do Young Kittens Get Fleas
One old myth says that kittens can be born with fleas, but this is not true however, if the queen has fleas or if there are fleas on other pets or soft furnishings in the home, kittens can catch fleas pretty much immediately after they are born.
It is wise to ensure that your queen is of course flea-free well before she has her litter, and as well as checking your pets themselves, make sure that your home is not harbouring an infestation or fleas in larvae form. If your whole home needs treating for fleas, this should not be done whilst the queen are inside, and so it is best to do this as early in the pregnancy as possible.
However, if you have adopted a pregnant queen or find yourself with a cat that is expecting unexpectedly, as it were, you may not get the chance to do this before the litter is born.
Back To What’s Important
Once you’ve rid your kitten, home, and yard of pesky fleas, it’s time to snuggle up with your adorable pal once again. With all of the flea business behind you, you can enjoy that love-affirming purr you’ve come to adore.
1. Senestraro, Aja. How to Get Rid of Fleas on Kittens.” PetMD, 7 April 2020, .
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Flea Bites And What They Do
Flea bites can make your pet uncomfortable and itchy, but they can also bring a host of other problems:
- Allergic reactions: pets can be hypersensitive to flea saliva and suffer an allergic reaction.
- Blood loss: fleas feed on blood, so young or frail animals can become weak and even die as a result of blood loss.
- Tapeworm: flea larvae can become infected with tapeworm eggs. If your pet eats an infected flea it can become host to this parasite. If your pet has fleas you should also make sure your pet is treated for worms.
- Disease: fleas can also pass diseases to your pets. For example, myxomatosis is a serious disease in rabbits which can be spread by fleas.
Keep fleas at bay by checking out our range of flea treatments for your pets.
Dos And Don’ts For Effectively Killing Fleas On Cats And Kittens
Do’s
- Start early before the infestation gets worse. This will make elimination of the problem easier and faster.
- Clean the walls and floors of your house daily. Water your yard frequently and mow the lawn regularly. A tidy and neat environment will minimize infestations.
- Bathe and comb your cats regularly. Check for fleas after their bath.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the yard and in areas where your cats prefer to spend their time.
- Launder your fabrics with hot water and use borax powder for regular cleaning.
- Use only natural methods of flea elimination.
- Consult with your veterinary doctor.
Dont’s
- Never use topical flea treatments that are meant for use on dogs.
- Do not apply topical flea treatments on cats that are pregnant.
- Do not use citrus and essential oil sprays excessively.
- Avoid pennyroyal oil flea treatments.
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How To Get Babies To Stop Biting While Nursing
Its recommended by many nursing mothers as well as breastfeeding experts that if baby bites, take them off the breast, end the nursing session, and say something calmly such as No biting mommy. Nursing can resume in a few minutes if the baby seems interested, and you can praise your little one for a good latch-on
How To Treat Cat Fleas
If your cat does have fleas, you need to respond quickly to ensure they dont spread or further irritate their skin.
Important: never use a dog flea treatment on your cat, as the ingredients which treat fleas in dogs can be extremely harmful to cats, leading to seizures or even death.
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The Best Oral Flea Control Product
Comfortis Chewable Tablets start killing fleas within 30 minutes and offer a full month of protection with one easy-to-give flavored pill.
Pros: Fast-acting treatment starts killing adult fleas within 30 minutes, safe for kittens 14 weeks or older, easy to give alone or in food
Cons: Does not kill flea eggs or larvae or prevent parasites other than fleas, not labeled for use in kittens younger than 14 weeks or breeding, pregnant, or nursing cats
Parasites prevented: Adult fleas
Duration of effectiveness: 30 days
Safe for: Cats and kittens 14 weeks and older, weighing at least 4.1 pounds
Not labeled for use: Breeding, pregnant, and nursing cats
Prescription: Yes
Our top choice for an oral flea control product for cats, Comfortis Chewable Tablets, is fast-acting and good for cats that can’t tolerate topical flea preventives. Its active ingredient, spinosad, starts to work within 30 minutes and kills 98% of adult fleas on cats within four hours.
Although topical flea control products are typically easier to use , there are some cases when an oral preventive is a better choice. For instance, some cats with sensitive skin can’t tolerate a spot-on treatment. “An oral flea preventive product is better if a cat has had focal hair loss related to the application of a topical product or if it has a severe flea-related allergy,” said Sawyer.
Why Does My Cat Still Have Fleas After Treating Her And The Environment
The apparent failure of treatment almost always results from improper application of the preventive, inadequate treatment of the home, or exposure to other infested pets or environments. There is no evidence of fleas developing resistance to insecticides, especially once-a-month topical flea preventives that contain a sterilizing agent or IGR in addition to the adulticide. Consider treating storage sheds, cars, and any outdoor sleeping spots. Bear in mind that your cat may be going into other people’s houses if allowed to roam outdoors. Most of these problems can be overcome by using an effective flea preventive product on your cat in addition to treating your home.
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Assess The Flea Situation
How you respond to your kitten’s flea problem depends on your pet’s age and weight. If your kitten is younger than 12 weeks, you need to wait to introduce flea prevention and treatment products. Most flea prevention products are age- and weight-specific, so be sure to check the product’s guidelines before you use it. If you’re still unsure about a product or the age and weight requirements, ask your veterinarian.
Catsespecially kittensdon’t tolerate chemicals and drugs in the same way dogs do, so make sure to use products designed specifically for cats.
If you have a flea infestation, you should:
Why Is Flea Control So Important
Naturally, fleas are annoying and itchy for your kitten. However, they can also transmit tapeworm to your kitten and in severe cases can cause anemia . Some cats and kittens are allergic to flea saliva, meaning they get a very nasty skin reaction to any flea bites.
On top of this, fleas can, and will, also bite humans! Once your kitten brings fleas into the home, their life cycle means that they can survive in the carpets and soft furnishings for many months.
So as you can see, flea control really is essential!
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Dealing With Fleas On Young Kittens
Kittens can become infested with fleas virtually as soon as they are born, and while fleas are easy to treat and resolve in older cats with a spot-on treatment or other method, few products are safe to use on very young kittens.
Additionally, whilst for most adult cats the occasional flea that is quickly treated is not usually a major problem, fleas on young kittens can have a significant impact on their health, wellness and development, leading to potential problems such as anaemia and flea bite sensitivities.
In this article, we will look at some of the options for dealing with fleas on very young kittens, and how to resolve the issue effectively and safely. Read on to learn more.
What Are The Best Flea Treatments For Kittens
The best flea treatment for kittens depends on their age and weight. If you can use flea medication safely, this will be the most effective solution. However, kittens younger than 8 weeks or weighing under 2lbs require different treatments, such as combing or flea baths. Here is a look at these options in more detail.
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Avoid Natural Flea Control Products
If you’re considering using natural flea control products that contain essential oils, exercise caution. Some essential oils can be toxic to cats.
All three veterinarians we consulted do not recommend natural products, which do not work nearly as well as veterinarian-recommended topical and oral flea control products. “They are just not proven to be really effective,” Bourgeois said. “My biggest concern with natural products is, even if they’re safe, if they’re not effective, that’s not helping our pets. I get more concerned about the secondary ramifications for the pet if we’re using something that hasn’t been proven to be effective, versus products that have been proven to be effective and well tolerated.”
What Does A Volusia County School Nurse Do
School health services are a public service provided to students in Pre-K through 12th grade. These services are considered to be both preventative, as well as treatment directed. School nurses and health aides address a constant flow of students entering the clinic with an assortment of health issues.
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Treating Your Kittens Fleas
Fleas can be an unwelcome surprise, but getting rid of them is actually easy, unlike a cousin in a 1980s family sitcom. A few options are available to you. Some work well in tandem with other treatments.
- Comb your cat with a flea comb dipped in a mixture of soap and water.
- Bathe your kitten in a flea shampoo not going to lie, this isnt going to be a fun time.
- Treat your cat with a flea spray.
- Use flea preventative medication year-round.
How Do Fleas Affect My Cat
Many cats live with fleas but show minimal signs. However, problems can occur.
Some cats develop an allergy to flea bites, especially if they are repeatedly bitten. Flea allergic cats groom or scratch excessively after being bitten by even a single flea, and often develop skin infections secondary to this self-trauma. Lesions most often appear at the base of the tail. Excessive grooming may also result in removing all evidence of a flea infestation on your cat. To eliminate this possibility, your veterinarian may advise rigorous flea control even though no fleas can be found.
Adult fleas live on animals and feed on blood. A single adult flea consumes many times its weight in blood over its lifetime. If a kitten, or a debilitated or older cat, has a lot of fleas, the blood loss can be severe, resulting in anemia.
The flea acts as the intermediate host for one species of tapeworm. This means that the tapeworm must complete part of its life cycle within a flea. Flea larvae become infected by eating tapeworm eggs, and if a cat swallows an infected flea while grooming, the tapeworm larva will develop into an adult tapeworm. Any cat with fleas is likely to also have a tapeworm infestation .
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How To Deal With Fleas And Ticks With Newborn Kittens
This article was co-authored by Daniel Lioy-Ryan, PhD. Dr. Daniel Lioy-Ryan is an Animal Behaviorist and the Co-Founder of Cats in the City. With over a decade of experience, he specializes in understanding animal behavior, safely grooming cats, and working with cats at all life stages. Dr. Lioy-Ryan holds a PhD in Neuroscience from The Oregon Health & Science University. This article has been viewed 50,518 times.
Newborn kittens with fleas or ticks should be treated immediately. Blood sucking parasites can be fatal to kittens as they can cause anemia, or a low red blood cell count, or carry Lyme disease.XResearch source However, most professional flea and tick products contain toxic ingredients that can be fatal to kittens.XResearch source Focus on removing the fleas and the ticks from the kitten using kitten friendly methods, and then get rid of any fleas or ticks still in your home to prevent another infestation.
Removal Of Fleas Outdoors
To deal with a flea problem, you must not only know how to get rid of fleas on cats.
You must also know how to keep them away from your yard. Fleas hide in the lawn, and the following tips will help you to control them:
1. Mow your lawn properly. – Mowing your lawn to a proper height can contribute to reducing the places where the fleas hang out.
Fleas hide in the longer grass. However, you shouldn’t mow your grass too short. This would discourage spiders and ants from staying in the lawn. They are two major flea predators.
2. Avoid overwatering. – Fleas prefer a moist environment. If you overwater your lawn or have a poorly draining garden, it can attract fleas.
If you have a drainage problem, aerating may help. For moist, shady areas on your property, the following tips can help with the problem.
3. Keep your property clean. – Neatness can assist in eliminate habitats for fleas to hide and lay eggs. You need to remove any yard debris, such as piles of wood, bricks, and stones.
Remove any discarded pots and other garden items. At the end of the growing season, make an effort to clean up the garden, yard, and any storage areas under a deck or in a crawl space.
4. Check places that your pets hang out. – Flea larvae will remain within 50 feet of your pet’s preferred resting locations.
Clean around any cool, shady spots that your pet likes, such as spaces under decks and porches.
Some animals look for trash. Skunks may come onto the property to look for grubs.
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What Are The Health Risks To A Cat
Fleas are more than just a nuisance. These parasites can pose a threat to your cat’s health. A severe flea infestation can seriously damage a cat’s skin, induce an allergic reaction, or cause them to become anemic from blood loss. Fleas are also responsible for cats contracting parasites like tapeworms and may transmit diseases.
“Fleas can pass on diseases to cats, which can then be passed on to people,” Jeffer said. “The most common one that we see is cat scratch fever , which can cause all kinds of issues in people, but in cats, it can make them very sick.”
The Challenges With Flea Treatments In Young Kittens
Once kittens reach eight to twelve weeks of age, many of the most popular veterinary approved flea products can be used on them, and so the main issue when it comes to fleas occurs in kittens under eight weeks old, which is when a flea infestation is potentially the most risky.
However, virtually all effective flea treatment products contain an antiparasitic agent to kill fleas, which is not harmful to older cats but that can be too strong for young kittens, and so, this makes them inappropriate for treating tiny cats.
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Fact Checked By A Hello Ralphie Expert Veterinarian
Fleas are a common external parasite that feed off your cats blood. Although they can create some health concerns, itchiness and allergic reactions on your cats skin is a common symptom. Some fleas even carry certain species of tapeworms, which make your cat susceptible to contracting parasitic infections.
The good news is there are many available products that can help protect your cat from getting new flea infections, as well as treat any pre-existing infections.
Choosing A Safe Flea And Tick Medicine For Dogs And Cats
When considering flea and tick prevention for kittens and puppies, your first step should be a visit to your veterinarian to discuss options that are right for your situation.
Because many insecticide-based treatments are unsafe for animals 8 weeks and younger, Dr. Dryden recommends, asking about non-chemical alternatives, including flea combs, gentle shampoos and other grooming tools that are safe for your young pet.
Once your puppy or kitten is past the age threshold, choose a parasite prevention program thats best for her and stick with it throughout adulthood, Dr. Dryden says. Check the products label to make sure its formulated for use on your particular petincluding her species, age and weight. Also take a look at the active ingredients to be sure youre targeting the right parasite.
To make your job easier, weve done part of the work for you! Below, youll find a list of the most common active ingredients in topical and systemic treatments that are available over the counter or through your veterinarian. Note that permethrin-based chemicals are only safe for dogs they are toxic to cats of all ages. This is NOT to be confused with pyrethrins.
Always follow the label instructions on the product you are usingformulations and instructions can change without notice.
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