How to remove fleas from kittens. The best options for getting fleas out of a cat

How to remove fleas from a kitten at home? How effective are the shampoo, drops, and flea collar? Will wormwood, chlorhexidine and others help? folk remedies?

In newborn kittens

In newborn kittens, fleas can appear only for two reasons: infection from the mother and being in the grass.

What to do if the mother of the cat and kittens have fleas? The main thing is not to start the situation and immediately take action. Many experienced owners recommend using (for a mother cat). The product is not absorbed into the blood, but remains on the coat. According to the manufacturer, the drops destroy fleas on the animal and at the place of sleep (in the nest).

A newborn kitten without a mother does not have a very good chance of survival, and if he also has fleas, what should he do? For such babies, there is not a single safe specialized product; oils cannot be used either. The only alternative is to manually eliminate fleas.

To simplify the process you will need:

Comb with fine teeth.
Lemon juice diluted with water 1: 1 - it is better to grind the whole lemon (with peel and seeds) in a blender, squeeze the juice and mix with water.
Tweezers.
A jar with a lid, water and oil - so that the caught fleas do not run away.

Comb the kitten's coat every day with a comb dipped in lemon solution. Fleas avoid citrus smells, so they will literally run away from wet fur.

As an additional prevention, a kitten can be bathed in a decoction of herbs: wormwood, tansy, eucalyptus. The broth is diluted with water and heated. After bathing, the coat is not washed running water. So that the kitten does not catch a cold and does not get too cold, it must be kept in a towel and warmed until the coat is completely dry.

Kitten at 2 months

When the kitten is 2 months old, fleas can be eliminated using most of the known ones. Be sure to read the drug instructions before use, as insecticides are contraindicated in weak, stunted, emaciated, sick and convalescent animals.

Note! Many experienced owners recommend avoiding insecticide drops until kittens are at least 3 months old.

At 3 months

To eliminate fleas in kittens at 3 months old, it is allowed to use almost all drugs on the veterinary market. Be careful, as some drops are intended for animals weighing at least 1 kilogram.

Before using the drug, carefully read the instructions and be sure to weigh the pet. 3-4 days after treatment for fleas, it is recommended that the kitten be treated for worms as well. Many inexperienced owners are unaware that fleas are carriers of helminths.

Important! Never use products intended for humans to prevent fleas in your pet.

Means for removing and preventing fleas at home

Ms Kiss.
Rolf Club.
Bio Groom.
BioWax.
Doctor Zoo.
Beafar Bio.
Barrier 3 in 1.
Lugovoi.
Celandine.

Important! After bathing, thoroughly rinse the pet's coat with running water until the foam is completely eliminated. To prevent the kitten from becoming too cold, you need to keep it in a towel until completely dry or use a hair dryer.

Flea drops

Flea drops differ in active ingredients and duration of protection. Most drugs penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and blood lymph, after which they are excreted from the body unchanged. Drops are applied to healthy, dry skin in the area from the back of the head to the withers along the spine. Immediately after applying the drug, it is necessary to ensure that the kitten does not lick the coat. Complete absorption of drops occurs within 2-24 hours, depending on their basis.

Almost all flea drops have a similar composition of one or two active ingredients:

Invermectin.
Permethrin.
Pyriproxyfen.
Fipronil.

For the treatment of kittens older than 8 weeks and weighing more than 1 kg, it is recommended to use the following drops:

Beafar.
Hartz.
Advantage.
Advocate.
Stronghold.
Barrier Super.

When treating kittens weighing less than 1 kg, there is a risk of overdose. Nausea, excessive salivation, discoloration of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, apathy, and a decrease in body temperature should be considered alarming symptoms. If you notice any suspicious symptoms, rinse thoroughly with water and shampoo. After that, without delay, contact your veterinarian and constantly monitor the condition of the pet.

Flea collar

If this rule is ignored, kittens may experience stunted growth.

Beafar.
Bolfo.
Hartz.
Kiltix.
Leopard.
Doctor Zoo.

Note! For kittens, special bio-collars are produced that repel fleas by smell.

The experience of the owners shows that to fight fleas in the home and directly with the pet, it helps:

Natural apple cider vinegar – water solution can be applied to pet hair, skirting boards and carpets.

Herbs in fresh and dry form, decoctions and infusions- fleas do not tolerate wormwood, tansy and eucalyptus. Fresh herbs can be laid out under carpeting. Decoctions and infusions are used for spraying floor coverings, upholstered furniture and pet fur.

Vanilla- an infusion made from vanilla sticks and vodka has a strong, but only contact effect.

Pine needles and fresh sawdust- repel fleas.

Vapors of soda- destroy fleas and eggs, toxic to animals and humans. The room is covered with soda, after which the powder must be sprinkled with water and the room closed (so that there are no drafts) for a day.

Can fleas be repelled with chlorhexidine?

Contrary to popular myths, fleas cannot be defeated with chlorhexidine. Where did the myth come from? Chlorhexidine is an agent for the treatment and disinfection of wounds.

Note! Some owners believe that Chlorhexidine contains bleach, so they can chase fleas. In fact, the drug consists of water, alcohol and the active substance of the same name (chlorhexidine bigluconate).

How to remove fleas with wormwood

Wormwood is made from:

Decoction - 50 gr. dry or 100-150 gr. fresh leaves in 400-500 ml of water, bring to a boil, cool and strain.
Water infusion - pour a similar amount of crushed grass with boiling water and leave for 10-12 hours. To enhance the effect, you can add eucalyptus, vanilla.

Wormwood in fresh can be used for padding. When the grass dries up, an oily substance with a very persistent odor that repels fleas begins to stand out from it. Dry wormwood grass can be poured with boiling water (for a short time), after that, use this water to spray wool or bathe a pet.

What to do so that fleas do not scatter around the house?

It is important to ensure that fleas that jump off or fall from the pet do not begin to multiply in the home. To prevent fleas from running around the house, put them in an oily solution or crush them with tweezers. The flea shell is crushed with a characteristic click. Eggs are more difficult to destroy, because even after a click (partial damage to the shell), the larva can survive.

If fleas have already taken up residence in carpeting or bedspreads, you can get rid of them by keeping things in the cold or in direct sunlight.

If you take the carpet outside in hot weather and place it in the sun, 12 hours is enough for the death of fleas and their eggs. Some enterprising owners advise putting contaminated items in a closed car in the sun. As you know, the air in a car left under scorching rays can heat up to 40-80 degrees.

The appearance of a small kitten in the house can change the life of any person, because the baby requires careful care and concern for his nutrition and health. One of the problems that often occurs with pets and, especially, selected street animals is that they have. The problem of how to remove fleas from kittens is that the application chemicals for cubs is unacceptable because of their strong toxicity and danger to a fragile young organism.

Where do kittens get fleas?

In small cat children, as in adults, they can settle in the wool blood-sucking insects. Fleas get on them in various ways, depending on the conditions of detention:

On a note!

Good and caring pet owners should worry about it in advance, even before mating it with a cat. Moreover, this also applies to pregnant animals expecting offspring. There are special ones that are soft enough and do not pose a danger to mom and babies.

Danger of flea bites for kittens

Fleas in a kitten can cause trouble and pose a threat to his health, because the immune system in cubs is formed only by the age of six months. And newborns or monthly crumbs are completely defenseless and at risk of contracting infections and diseases that blood-sucking insects can transmit.

Possible health problems:

If the baby has any of the above symptoms, then it is necessary to carefully examine it. Knowing what fleas look like in kittens, and these are small white and black dots among the fur, you can immediately establish the source of the animal’s poor health.

Methods for removing fleas from a kitten depend on its age: the older the cub, the more there are. Please note that processing and products suitable for 3 month old baby, for a cub who is less than 1 month old, are not suitable at all and pose a threat to his life.

Treatment of newborns and kittens up to 1 month

If there is only one kitten with fleas, then the safest and most the best remedy from fleas for him - their mechanical combing out of wool with a comb. To do this, you can use a soft plastic comb with frequent teeth, blunt at the tips (so as not to injure the delicate skin of the baby).

It is better to start the procedure from the scruff of the neck, holding the baby under the belly, then it needs to be turned over on the back and combed on the lower part of the body. It is not recommended to comb out on the forehead and neck, so as not to cause injury. It is also better not to touch the paws. Combing is done twice a day, daily, until there are no more insects left. After that, be sure to periodically check the baby's coat, because. the remaining eggs and larvae may mature.

Methods and natural remedies for getting rid of fleas in small kittens:

The most effective shampoos:

Mr. Swiss-made Kiss can be used from the age of 1 month, but not more than once every 10 days (the price is about 150 rubles);
Rolf Club - applied from 2 months, price 250 rubles.

At this age, treatment of kittens with flea products containing insecticides is already available: sprays, and collars. When choosing different drugs, you should carefully read the instructions and take into account the weight and age of the kitten.
The most common and effective remedies for kittens:
Hartz: drops (3 pipettes cost about 150 rubles) and a collar (price about 450 rubles) are allowed from 3 months;
Beaphar: spray, collar (180-220 rubles) and mild drops (pack of 3 pipettes - about 480 rubles);
Drops from fleas Advantix can be applied from 2 months, have a prolonged action, the cost of packaging is 1000-1200 rubles.

When choosing an anti-flea remedy, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations in the instructions; it is absolutely impossible to use those that are designed for puppies.

Before starting treatment and deciding how to get rid of fleas in a kitten of any age, experts recommend first assessing the number of parasites in his coat: if there are not very many of them, then it will be easier to comb them out or catch them by hand so as not to risk the health of the baby. If the degree of infection with bloodsuckers is high, then even then you can apply more effective methods and remedies, as well as contact your veterinarian for help.

It is important to remember that fleas are carriers of diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis and salmonellosis!

Causes of fleas in cats

Fleas on a cat's body

The reasons for the appearance can be quite a lot. The main sources of uninvited guests the house will have:

The most noticeable symptom is that the cat itches more,
than usual.

The first symptoms are almost impossible to notice, as the cat behaves as usual. Only especially attentive and caring owners can notice that the animal itches more than usual.

After the fleas have settled in their new home, they begin to cause great inconvenience to the pet. The cat becomes irritable, often meows as if asking you for help. It also happens that the animal does not sleep well, loses its appetite and constantly tries to gnaw fleas out of its fur.

The cat is weak and does not want to play, moves a little

If treatment is not started in time, the disease will begin to progress.. The cat becomes weak and stops playing. In places of strong bites, wounds and ulcers appear. The pet itches until a bald spot forms. It does not look very nice, and besides, it may appear.

If you do not start the procedure to treat the disease, then for the cat it can end badly. The animal may develop various infections and problems with nervous system. In addition, baldness of the pet may occur.

Folk methods for getting rid of fleas in a cat

Means sold in veterinary pharmacies are not always effective.

It is unlikely that our ancestors used all sorts of collars and droplets to kill fleas. The products that our grandmothers made did not harm the animal, but only repelled evil pests. There are several folk recipes that will not cost you big money. They can be prepared using improvised means or inexpensive medicinal herbs from a simple pharmacy.

The most common folk remedies for fleas are:

Sagebrush.
Garlic.
Essential oils.
Pine sawdust.
Salt.
Tar soap.

And now in order.

Sagebrush

A solution of garlic is rubbed into the skin, in no case should it be allowed to be consumed by a cat

It is necessary to crush a few cloves of garlic, pour two cups of boiling water into this gruel and let this solution brew for a day.
The next day, wipe the pet's hair with this solution.

You should know that garlic is very . Therefore, during the application of the decoction, a special cap must be put on the animal. If the cat does not like this, or you do not have such a device, in this case, spread the solution only on the withers of the pet.

Essential oils

Take a small one and add a few drops to it essential oils. Suitable oils tea tree, lavender or eucalyptus.
Wash your cat with the resulting mixture.

Such a procedure will not only help get rid of unexpected guests, but also give your pet's fur a pleasant aroma.

Pine sawdust

Pine sawdust - this smell makes fleas leave the pet

These sawdust can be bought at a simple pharmacy or collected in a pine forest. They need

Take a full basin of warm water and pour half a box of table salt into it.
After the salt is completely dissolved, hold the pet in this water for five minutes.
Then you need to wash the animal with plain water.

The saline solution is especially detrimental to large adult fleas.

But remember that this method is used only if there are no bite wounds or ulcers on the animal's skin. Otherwise, if salt gets into the wounds, the cat can scratch them, and they will increase in size.

Tar soap

On sale there is a special tar soap for fleas

Fleas and their eggs up close

Remember! All procedures for treating an animal from fleas must be combined with a general cleaning of the house. Otherwise, after a couple of days, your animal will begin to itch again.

Thus, it is possible to rid a cat of fleas without the use of veterinary remedies. The effect will be no worse, and the money spent many times less. Be attentive to your cat and start treatment on time. The health of your pet directly depends only on you.

Video where they get rid of fleas from a cat with a vacuum cleaner

There are nuances that you need to know about, since removing fleas from a kitten is not so easy. For example, drugs that are suitable for adult cats cannot be used in relation to babies. Even products designed specifically for kittens, which include a minimum amount of active substances, have restrictions on the age at which they can be used. If a cat is feeding its young 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), stirred until foam appears and the kitten is dipped into the water. It is necessary to bathe the animal completely, just be careful 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. While bathing, fleas will run away and hide in places where there is no shampoo, which is why it is so important to lather from head to tail. After this, the kitten needs to be dried well. Some do it with a hair dryer, but it will be much better if you wrap the pet in a towel, wrap it in 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 may also be afraid of a noisy hair dryer, and in your arms your pet will quickly calm down and warm up.

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 a cold. A few fleas may remain, but the procedure cannot be repeated immediately. You will have to wait ten days. Some manufacturers of such shampoos recommend repeating the procedure no earlier than a month later. Therefore, the remaining fleas can be combed out with a comb.

Drops from fleas for kittens

These anti-flea drugs can be used from 6 weeks of age. They are very effective tool and retain their properties on the animal's fur for another month. Apply drops to the withers and rub well. It is necessary, just as 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 watch the kitten for a while. If everything is in order, use the drops according to the instructions. Usually, drops are sold in a pipette for single use, with a dosage for a specific weight of the pet. Therefore, before buying the drug, you need to weigh the kitten in order to know its exact weight.

Anti-flea sprays, powders for kittens

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

Anti-flea collars

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

Limit the cat's communication with possibly flea-infested relatives or put on a collar that will scare away new fleas.
Keep the place where the kitten is located clean, periodically spray it with special flea sprays. Pet toys should also be cleaned regularly.

Traditional medicine recipes

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

Show all

Very young kittens can get fleas from their mother cat. It is not difficult to determine that a kitten has become flea-ridden: he begins to behave restlessly, often tries to scratch at the bites, meows for no particular reason. Sleep may be disturbed, the kitten becomes lethargic and does not eat well.

Signs of flea poisoning in a kitten:

lethargy;
apathy;
drowsiness;
refusal to eat.

The younger the kitten, the more limited the range of drugs that can be used without fear of consequences.

The use of certain products is undesirable for newborn kittens:

You can not smear and splash newborn kittens with any means, even if the packaging indicates that they are completely harmless to animals. A mother cat, licking her kitten, will definitely swallow the applied preparation, and it will fall into breast milk. As a result, the baby may be poisoned. And even if the baby is artificially fed, the toxic substance can penetrate the skin into the bloodstream and cause complications. An allergic reaction is also possible.
Shampooing a kitten that is only a few days old is also undesirable. The cat itself is able to provide proper hygiene care for the newborn. Besides shampoos are intended for kittens aged 4 weeks and more.
Collars marked "for kittens" are also not recommended for babies.

If the number of fleas is too large and the situation is critical, then you should use one of the gentle methods that are safe for the kitten.

Combing

Bathing

You can wash a kitten at such a tender age with baby or tar soap.

Water must not be allowed to cool, because the kitten can catch a cold and get sick.

Flea Powder

The procedure is as follows:

1. Rub the powder into the kitten's coat with light massaging movements.
2. Shake off the residue with your hand or a cloth.
3. Comb out excess powder with a fine comb.

Shampoo

For older kittens, you can use shampoos with a special mark, which indicates the age from which this drug is allowed.

The most popular product is shampoo manufactured by Mr. Kiss. 1 ml of the product is diluted with 400 ml of water. The animal's hair is treated with this solution and left for 4-7 minutes so that the drug acts on fleas, then washed off. Do not allow the solution to get into the eyes and ears.

Drops

The drug is applied to a place that the kitten cannot reach, mainly at the withers. The wool is parted by hands and the substance is dripped onto the skin according to the instructions. The principle of action of the drug is as follows: the agent is absorbed only in upper layer epidermis and spreads over the entire surface of the skin for a certain time. Fleas, biting an animal, get poisoned and die. This protection is valid from 1 to 3 months.

The active substance in drops can be chemical or based on natural oils (lavender, geranium). The first option is more effective, and the second is safer - the choice is up to the owner of the pet.

Drops should not be used within 14 days after vaccination of a kitten.

2-3 months

At this age, the pet has already grown significantly and got stronger. And there are much more opportunities for getting rid of fleas:

anti-flea shampoo ("Doctor ZOO", Mr. Kiss, "Phytoelita", "Celandine Junior", "Gamma for Kittens");
drops and sprays (veterinarians recommend using a dose less than indicated in the instructions to avoid allergies);
flea powders ("Beaphar", "Gamma" or "Hartz").

All these methods can be used only if the kitten is weaned from mother's milk.

4 months or more

From this age, a small pet is considered a teenager and already feeds on its own. To combat fleas, you can use almost all drugs intended for adult cats, but taken in smaller quantities. You can buy drugs with a note that they are intended for teenage kittens.

Folk recipes

Owners who do not want to poison their pets with chemicals can use folk methods. The use of hand tools and herbal preparations absolutely safe and harmless for kittens.