Treatment of a kitten from fleas. How to get rid of fleas from a kitten: tips for treatment and prevention

If you decide to find out how to remove fleas from a kitten, while he has not yet been weaned from his mother, you should remember about the constant care of the cat for him. As a result, all the substances applied to the baby will end up in his digestive tract. And this moment at home must be taken into account.

Advice! Before starting flea control in young kittens, degree must be taken into account. In addition, the potential harm to the pet should be taken into account.

If the kitten grows normally and develops well, and the number of fleas is small, this will not have a negative effect on its health. But if you give a kitten special drugs at home, you can not avoid health risks.

Control methods

If you have not decided how to get rid of fleas from a kitten, then you can consider all possible ways. It is worth considering the basic methods:

Mechanical destruction by combing;
The use of special drops;
Bathing with special shampoos.

Don't worry if your newborn kitten has some fleas on it. A small amount of them cannot cause harm, given the fact that soon it will be possible to use special drugs to remove them.

Getting rid of fleas of small kittens (up to 2 months)

Advice! In the process of getting rid of a newborn kitten from fleas, you can not use products that contain insecticides. If there are any drugs on the market for small kittens, then they are used for older animals.

Advice! Fleas in a small kitten are removed only using a special comb, thanks to him, they are simply combed out.

Dilute a little shampoo in water (1/300);
Stir until foam appears;
The kitten must be placed in water and processed in such a way that the muzzle does not get wet;
The shampoo needs to be soaked on the kitten's fur, it lasts about 4 minutes, and then everything is washed off with water.

After bathing, the kitten should be dried with a hairdryer and made sure that after the procedure it is not in a cold room for several hours. It is impossible to apply shampoo more than once every 10 days, since the procedures may in this case be not beneficial, but only harmful. If the kitten has reached the age of one and a half months, then special oils can be rubbed into the wool.

Advice! If the age is so small - up to 2 months, then it is recommended to do even a very small amount of shampoo or oil.

From a month or two months of age, there are many options for how to remove fleas:

Phytoelite shampoo is one of the most popular;

Rubbing in powder. It can be used from the moment the kitten is weaned;
Sprays - initially they are applied to the hands, and then used to wipe the baby himself;
Drops - they are applied from 3 months.

Of course, this is not the whole list of tools that are used to remove fleas from kittens. You can buy not any specific drugs, but give preference to their analogues. But before using these or those agents on animals, you must first test them.

Collar as one of the flea control methods

As a rule, collars do not work for long, only for several months, after which the owner has to buy new devices. If the animal is outside regularly and for a long time, then the collar will be an excellent means of fighting fleas, and will provide the necessary protection.

If we talk about the disadvantages of this method of struggle, then they can also be distinguished quite simply:

Risk of irritation for the kitten in the place where the collar is placed;
Difficulty getting used to the collar.

Nowadays, the collar is one of the more popular ways to help remove fleas from a kitten.

Flea control after three months

In this case, a whole arsenal becomes available. After all, after three months, the kitten is no longer a baby, but acts as a teenager, so he walks by himself, respectively, and the fleas cling on his own. At this age, you can use any anti-flea remedies.

These can be special drops, sprays, collars. The process of protecting against fleas is especially difficult in kittens, which are planned to be shown at special exhibitions. For example, it is not recommended to wear collars on sphinxes, and if the kitten is white, stains on the coat may appear after treatment, which also does not look very attractive. All these features must be taken into account when choosing a drug for kittens, and in a young animal the consequences will be much more pronounced than in an adult.

Prevention

Before pregnancy, you can remove fleas from a cat and take care of it throughout the postpartum period;
Keep track of who the kitten communicates with, namely - he should not come into contact with flea relatives;
In the place where the pet mostly stays, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness;
If there is a potential threat of fleas, it is necessary to take measures to scare them away at home.

If a kitten appears in your house, it can be compared to a small typhoon that can transform the life of any person. However, there is another side to the coin, which is usually faced by those who pick up a stray animal on the street. These kittens almost always have fleas, and getting rid of insects is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.

Why can't we breed fleas from kittens in traditional ways?

The problem is that a kitten under 3-4 months old has a very fragile immune system. Ideally, such a baby should still be with his mother and receive the necessary nutrients along with her milk. However, in practice, everything happens exactly the opposite. It is for this reason that fleas should be removed from kittens with extreme caution, using sufficiently gentle and non-toxic means. Ideally, of course, it is better to postpone such procedures altogether in order to enable the baby's body to get stronger and gain strength. It should be borne in mind that if there are very few fleas, then they will not pose a serious threat to the health of the baby.

Kitten shampoos and flea drops

If your baby likes to swim, then you can breathe a sigh of relief, as in this case, the easiest way to get rid of fleas is to use special shampoos. They should be used in accordance with the instructions, carefully making sure that the product does not get into the baby's nose, eyes and ears. The frequency of use of these shampoos is usually indicated on the packaging. However, in most cases, 2-3 procedures are enough for your pet to forget about fleas for a long time.

With drops, things are a little more complicated, since they can be used only from a certain age - as a rule, from 3-4 months... Of course, among such drugs, there are exceptions that allow you to etch fleas in one and a half month old kittens. But this can be done if the baby has already been weaned from the mother. The thing is that such drops are very toxic and are applied to the baby's withers. If the mother takes care of the kitten during this period, she will certainly lick the poisonous substance from its fur. In this case, not only the kosha itself may suffer, but also the babies she feeds.

In addition, do not forget that today in almost any specialty store you can buy flea collars for kittens. They are quite safe and effective, but they can irritate the skin in the neck area or rub it hard. In addition, the baby will constantly try to get rid of the collar, which will cause him a lot of inconvenience.

Folk remedies for combating fleas in kittens

If you are afraid of harming your pet with chemicals, then you can prepare a warm bath with the addition of ordinary table salt (1 tablespoon per 200 ml of water). In such a solution, you need to lower the baby for 10 minutes, making sure that water does not get into his ears and nose. Then the kitten must be thoroughly wiped, and, while the coat is not completely dry, comb it out with a comb. By performing this procedure several times a month, you can easily remove insects from a kitten. Also, at home, you can prepare a decoction of tansy or wormwood (1 tablespoon of dry grass per 250 ml of boiling water), which should be wiped off the baby several times a week. About 3-5 procedures are enough for the animal's insects to completely disappear.

Cat fleas can cause unpleasant itching, skin redness, and dermatitis in the animal. If the pet is not helped in time, then he may develop anemia. But the most unpleasant and dangerous in this situation is an infectious disease - plague, tularemia.

Anxiety;

The animal constantly scratches and bites itself;

Severe itching;

The appearance of black dirt on the wool;

Kittens

You should be careful if cat fleas appear in a small kitten, since its immunity has not yet matured. Often, pets simply can not stand the bites, they lose weight dramatically, suffer from dermatitis and anemia. In such cases, you should contact your veterinarian to avoid serious consequences, because often insufficient attention to this problem can lead to death.

The most gentle way to get rid of fleas from a kitten is combing. Of course, it will take a long time, but the result will pay off. The combed out fleas should be placed in a bowl of hot water and detergent.

Pregnant and lactating cats

How to get rid of fleas from a cat at home?

There are several answers to this question. Let's make a reservation right away that the best option is a combination of several methods, so to speak, an integrated approach. Let's consider each of them separately.

Drying

Cleaning the cat litter

If bloodsuckers appear in a certain place, then it will be good to put a bowl of soapy water there. This will be a kind of trap. All you need to do is change the solution as often as possible (about once a day).

Bathing

Treatment

To prepare a solution, you should take 4 tbsp. l. rosemary, pour a glass of water and boil for 30 minutes. Then strain, cool, moisten the animal's hair.

You can drop essential oil (eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, tea tree) on the collar. If you decide to use this method, remember that you need to act very carefully, as cats are quite sensitive to essential oils, especially eucalyptus and tea tree oil, so do not apply them directly to the skin of the animal. But also in the case of processing the collar, do not overdo it - a few drops are enough.

Sometimes it happens that the owner has already tried everything, but the result is disastrous - the cat has fleas. What to do when nothing helps at all? The answer is simple - try the citrus tea. To do this, several lemons are cut into pieces, filled with two glasses of water and boiled for 5 minutes. You need to insist all night. The finished product must be sprayed onto the cat's fur - this is a prerequisite. This broth should be used for prophylaxis once a month.

How to remove fleas from a cat: traditional ways

2. Collar. This option is very effective, but there is one but. It will take a long time before the first results are visible. The only negative is unpleasant odor and discomfort.

You can also purchase a flea collar with essential oils. In addition, there are accessories on sale, in the production of which only natural ingredients were used - herbs. However, such things are, of course, more expensive. But is it possible to save on pet health? If you can't afford to buy herbal products, avoid at least pure "chemicals" that can harm your pet's health.

Hazardous substances in the collar that can harm your cat:

Amitraz;

Permethrin;

Organophosphates.

The application is also quite simple. Flea drops are applied along the ridge to the skin of the animal and behind the ears.

Such products are divided into natural and chemical additives. The latter are suitable only for adults, since when a cat licks wool, the remains of the detergent can get into the stomach and provoke unpleasant consequences. In the case of an adult animal, this, of course, is not fatal, but the baby can become seriously ill.

In no case should you apply shampoo along with flea drops, as these drugs can simply neutralize each other. When choosing a detergent, pay attention to the composition, not the conspicuous packaging.

5. Spray. It is a reliable and effective drug that is most often prescribed by veterinarians. This drug also helps young kittens.

If the cosmetic product is of high quality, then fleas are exterminated instantly. When using this method, extreme caution should be exercised, because the product can get into the eyes of the animal. Flea sprays have a fairly high cost, but it is justified. After processing, you should ventilate the room for half an hour.

How to remove fleas from a cat? Simple rules

The main thing is to know that timely assistance to your beloved animal can prevent the occurrence of serious problems that can be caused by cat fleas. It is a pity that our pets cannot talk, so they would tell us what worries them. Take care of your pet, because we are responsible for those we have tamed. Be sure that he will definitely respond in kind to your attentiveness and love. Health to you and your pets!

It is important to understand that treatment of kittens for fleas is required in any case when they become infected. Fleas cause severe itching in the animal, sometimes allergies and dermatitis, and in case of serious infection, they lead to the exhaustion of the baby and the development of blood diseases in him.

On a note

In the photo below - fleas in a kitten's wool:

To get rid of kittens from fleas, a large number of effective means are produced and sold today, they all have their own specifics and require a careful and deliberate approach to use. Immediately you need to be prepared for the fact that the treatment of kittens from fleas requires a little more effort than in the case of adult animals - due to the need to observe increased safety measures.

Flea symptoms in kittens

Finding out if a kitten has fleas is quite simple: with their bites, they cause constant itching in the animal, and the baby often scratches his paws behind his ears, tries to bite insects out of the wool. From especially strong bites, the kitten can twitch and wake up, abruptly break away from food and play.

The photo below shows the fleas in close-up - the culprits of the kitten's torment:

On a note

If the kitten itches, but he does not have fleas, just as the mother cat does not have them, the baby should be shown to the veterinarian - the cause of the itching may be subcutaneous mites or dermal diseases. These diseases should be treated in very different ways.

An indirect sign of the presence of fleas in a kitten is helminths. This is especially true for kittens that have not yet begun to eat meat and fish. For example, in a month-old kitten, fleas and worms usually appear at the same time - first, fleas begin to feed on the animal, and after a week or two from them, the baby becomes infected with worms.

An important point: when you find fleas in a small kitten, you cannot immediately rush for the first remedy that comes across and treat the crumbs with it. The specificity of removing fleas from kittens is the strict observance of strict safety measures.

Safety rules: when drugs are more dangerous than fleas themselves

For example, some organophosphate insecticides (Malathion, Dichlorvos), as well as pyrethroids (Permethrin and its derivatives Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Alphametrin) are dangerous for kittens. If the kitten flea medicine contains these ingredients, it should not be used on babies under 6 months of age.

It should also be remembered that kittens can be treated for fleas only after weaning them from their mother: all flea remedies remain on the baby's fur for some time, and if the mother cat licks it, part of the drug will definitely get into her milk. The lactating cat itself is also prohibited from chemicals.

Kittens of different breeds and ages: what medications are right for them?

Depending on the age and breed, getting rid of fleas from a kitten should be the best means for him.

Let's consider the main ones:

Finally, from the age of three months, you can save a kitten from fleas with Advantix drops, Bars means for kittens, specialized Hartz and Blohnet preparations.

British kitten, bobtail, persian, Himalayan kitten get rid of fleas usually with the help of shampoos. Kittens with short hair are easier to treat for fleas with drops or sprays.

Gennady, Tver

On an individual basis, a kitten may experience allergies or side effects from a particular remedy. In this case, the use of the drug should be discontinued and a product with another active ingredient should be purchased. In case of a strong reaction to the drug, the kitten should be shown to the veterinarian.

On a note

It is believed that the safest way to rid kittens of fleas is to use special insecticidal powders. However, their use in kittens of long-haired breeds is quite problematic.

Flea spraying

Kitten spray should be applied after good feeding. The kid should hold his head so that he does not accidentally substitute it under the stream of the drug, gently push the fur apart and spray the opening areas of the skin.

Care should be taken to ensure that the spray does not get into the eyes of the cub. After handling the kitten, you should play for half an hour or an hour, after which you should immediately redeem it.

Hartz and Frontline sprays are also good, but only for kittens from the age indicated in the instructions for their use.

“The easiest way to cure a kitten of fleas is with a spray. Such a pshikalka costs a little more than drops, but gives an almost instant result - fleas either die on the kitten, or jump off it. We sprinkled our miracle with Hearts, there were no problems from it, the fleas disappeared immediately ... "

Irina, Moscow

Powders for kittens and rules for their use

Flea powder for kittens is suitable in most cases. Usually, Hartz or Gamma powders are used to get rid of fleas from kittens.

The latter can be used for a kitten up to 1 month old, provided that for several hours after treatment he will not be in contact with the mother.

You can remove fleas from a kitten using insecticidal powder according to the following plan:

If the kitten continues to suckle the mother during this period, after processing it must be placed in a separate tray and bathed in an hour or two. After that, it can be put under the cat again.

How to wash a kitten from fleas?

It is best to wash a kitten from fleas with Phytoelita or Mr. Kiss - they are as safe as possible and practically do not lead to side effects.

The kitten bathes with flea shampoo in the same way as during normal water procedures.

It is only important to thoroughly lather the product and make sure that all the kitten's fur is treated with it.

The foam is kept on the pet for several minutes, and then washed off with plenty of running water.

What to do if the kitten is poisoned with flea medicine?

On rare occasions, a kitten may accidentally swallow flea drops or lick shampoo or powder off the coat. This in most cases does not lead to serious consequences, but sometimes the baby develops allergies, vomiting, drooling, anxiety, shortness of breath, nasal and eye discharge, and other signs of intoxication. If it seems to you that the kitten has been poisoned by flea drops, you should give him more water or milk and see the veterinarian as soon as possible. Beforehand, the drops themselves from the kitten's skin can be wiped off with a cotton swab with vegetable oil.

And finally, if the kitten's fleas were successfully bred, it remains to consolidate the result. The first is to buy anthelmintic drugs and etch helminths from the baby. The second is to look for fleas in the apartment, and if they are found, take them out in any way, up to the treatment of fleas from the entire room. In the future, the kitten should buy a special "children's" flea collar and let it out into the street only in it.

There are nuances that you need to be aware of, since it is not so easy to remove fleas from a kitten. For example, drugs that are suitable for adult cats cannot be used on babies. Even products specially formulated for kittens, which contain the minimum amount of active substances, have age restrictions from which they can be used. If the cat is feeding the cubs with milk, the use of any insecticidal preparations is unwise. And yet, if you find that the kitten has fleas - what to do if the baby is not weaned from the cat? Next, we will try to figure out in which cases the use of this or that remedy will be the most effective and safe for the kitten.

If the kitten has not yet been weaned from the cat

How to use flea shampoo for kittens

Shampoo is added to warm water (the first time a couple of drops, and then according to the instructions), stir until foam appears and the kitten is dipped into the water. It is necessary to bathe the animal completely, just be careful so that water does not get into the ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Having lathered it completely, including the head, it is necessary to withstand the foam on the fur for 4-5 minutes, and then rinse well with warm running water. When swimming, fleas will run and hide in areas where there is no shampoo, which is why it is so important to lather it from head to tail. After that, the kitten should be well dried. Someone does it with a hairdryer, but it will be much better if you wrap your pet in a towel, wrap it up with a soft warm blanket and warm it in your arms. In addition to the fact that bathing is not a very pleasant event for cats, the baby can be frightened by a noisy hairdryer, and your pet will quickly calm down and warm up in his arms.

After the coat is completely dry, do not let the kitten out into drafts and into a cold room so that it does not catch cold. A few fleas may remain, but the procedure cannot be repeated immediately. You will need to wait ten days. Some manufacturers of such shampoos recommend repeating the procedure no earlier than a month later. Therefore, the remaining flea beetles can be combed out with a comb.

Flea drops for kittens

These antiperspirants can be used from 6 weeks of age. They are very effective and retain their properties on the animal's coat for another month. Drops are applied to the withers and rubbed well. It is necessary, just like with shampoo and with the use of other insecticidal agents (sprays, powders), to make a test - apply a very small dose to the withers and observe the kitten for a while. If everything is in order, use the drops according to the instructions. Drops are usually sold in a single-use pipette, with a dosage for the specific weight of the pet. Therefore, before buying the drug, you need to weigh the kitten in order to know its exact weight.

Protective sprays, powders for kittens

When the kitten reaches two months of age, in addition to the above procedures and tools, you can use special sprays and powders for kittens. They are applied to the coat all over the body, including the head, paws, tail, and rubbed into the animal's skin. For about 15 minutes after applying the drug, the pet should not be allowed to lick itself. If the coat is long enough, the product may be ineffective, as the ingredients must be well absorbed into the skin and not remain on the fur of the cat. With the correct use of the drug, the active substance will be active for 5-6 months.

Oversized collars

If you took a kitten from the street, brought out flea beetles and want them never to appear, you must follow some rules. Namely:

Limit the contact of the cat with possibly flea-infected relatives or put on a collar that will scare off new fleas.
Keep the place where the kitten is clean, periodically spray it with special flea sprays. It is also necessary to handle pet toys regularly.

Traditional medicine recipes

How to remove fleas from a kitten without using insecticides? If the kitten is very small or sickly, the chemicals can harm it. In this case, in addition to combing out, you can use folk recipes, which are also very effective. You can bathe your baby in warm water with table salt. You need 5-6 tablespoons of salt per liter of water. You need to bathe for at least 15 minutes. Do not wet your head so that water does not flood your eyes and ears. And flea beetles that climb into the head should be manually removed. After the pet is dry, you need to comb it out again well. You can also bathe the kitten in a decoction of tansy and wormwood - the smell of these plants scares off fleas. In addition, tar soap perfectly removes fleas and destroys their larvae. They need to rub the wet hair of the kitten and leave for 15 minutes, then rinse the cat well with running water. The advantage of traditional methods is that they are absolutely safe for small kittens. In order to get rid of fleas in the apartment, you can spread the stems of wormwood on the surfaces and leave until it is completely dry.