8 Ways to get rid of fleas on kittens
![Flea on kittens](https://images.medicinenet.com/images/mobile/hp_promo/cat-man.jpg?output-quality=75)
Ctenocephalides felis is a predominant flea that infests cats worldwide. It infests homes and makes both pet’s and owner’s lives miserable. It is important to control flea infestation as fast as possible. Various measures can help control flea infestation.
Some are as follows:
- Cleanliness: Wash every surface and furniture of the home weekly and wash the kitten blanket in hot water and detergent.
- Combing: Comb your kitten with the flea comb dipped in a mixture of mild soap and water once a week. It will remove fleas from the kitten’s body. Dunk the comb into hot, soapy water to kill the fleas.
- Shampoo: Although bathing can help your pet, it is not mandatory. Lukewarm, mild soapy water can be used for killing fleas. Usually, flea shampoo is not necessary because it may be too harsh and do not have a lasting effect. Be careful while using medicated shampoos. If your kitten’s skin looks sensitive and allergic or has open skin wounds, consult your vet before using shampoo because it may irritate or worsen the infection.
- Apple cider vinegar: Diluted apple cider vinegar in water may remove fleas from your pet’s fur and skin naturally. However, kittens may not like it. Mix in their water or food.
- Let your kitten groom itself: Cats clean themselves more when they get fleas. It helps them to get rid of fleas. However, if your kitten is chewing or scratching itself or has hair loss or bloody red skin, then consult the vet for flea allergy.
- Collars: Special flea collars are available in the market to repel the fleas. These collars emit a substance that is fatal for the fleas. Seresto® collars are very popular. These contain a special powder that may repel fleas for up to 8 months. Read the labels and directions of use carefully. Wash your hands with soap and water after you handle them.
- Consult your veterinarian: You must consult your veterinarian if you suspect your kitten has fleas. Once they confirm the diagnosis, they may suggest
- Medicines (tablets) such as Lotilaner, Advantage, Activyl, Advantix, Advocate, and Revolution kill fleas in as little as 30 minutes, and the protection lasts for a month. It is easy to apply, effective, and once a month treatment.
- A topical skin treatment that works well for a month or kill fleas. Follow the instruction and directions of use while applying it to the kitten’s fur or skin.
- Special cat flea sprays or rinses that must be applied to a clean, mostly dry coat weekly or often in case of severe flea issues.
- Precautions: Dogs and cats are not the same species. Avoid using products intended for your dogs on your cats. Some dog products are even lethal for cats. Take more precautions and be gentle while applying insecticides to kittens. They are particularly very sensitive to these products.
How to identify flea infestation in your kitten?
If your kitten gets infested with fleas, you can see the kitten has
- Itching and persistently chews, licks, or scratches the surfaces and ears.
- Hair loss.
- Open sores or scabs on the skin that leads to secondary bacterial infection.
- Skin irritation and redness.
- Visible small dark spots on fur that move or flea eggs like tiny white grains.
- Droppings that look like specks of dirt.
- Anemia (iron deficiency).
- Pale lips and gums.
- Lack of energy.
How does a kitten get fleas?
Kittens can easily pick-up fleas outdoors. Female fleas lay about 40-50 eggs per day that lead to an infestation in days. Fleas jump from one pet’s fur to another. The kitten may get those fleas from their mother cat during nursing or breastfeeding.
Fleas often lay their eggs on your other pet animal, and some may fall off and hatch on your carpet, bed, or other furniture. Then, new fleas target your pet to feed on their blood and lay more eggs. Carpets and humid places contribute to the essential environment for flea growth.
How to prevent flea infestation in kittens?
To prevent a repeated flea infestation in kittens,
- Use medicine such as Activyl that will make female fleas sterile and prevent them from laying new eggs.
- Vacuum the carpet two to three times a week to remove eggs and dormant fleas.
- Wash pet blankets weekly in the washing machine and sundry them.
- Spray flea killer insecticide in the house, kennels, and yards.
- Treat the lawn with pesticide if your kitten keeps getting re-infected every time it goes outside.
- Fog the house to prevent flea larvae development.
- Replace carpet and keep your home as dry as possible to make your house less flea-friendly.
- Use a flea comb on all your pets.
- Take all the precautions to ward them off any time of the year, although fleas are more common during summer.
- The most essential element in controlling fleas is the treatment of all susceptible pets, including the mother cat in a house, frequently with the effective product to ensure flea egg production is halted.
![](https://images.medicinenet.com/images/quiz/human-body/human-body-s1.jpg)
QUESTION
What percentage of the human body is water? See AnswerHealth Solutions From Our Sponsors
https://pets.webmd.com/remove-fleas-from-pet#1
Vetwest Animal Hospital: https://www.vetwest.com.au/pet-library/flea-allergy-in-cats
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: https://www.aspca.org/
Top What Home Remedy Kills Fleas on Kittens? Related Articles
Common Medical Abbreviations & Terms
Doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals use abbreviations, acronyms, and other terminology for instructions and information in regard to a patient's health condition, prescription drugs they are to take, or medical procedures that have been ordered. There is no approved this list of common medical abbreviations, acronyms, and terminology used by doctors and other health- care professionals. You can use this list of medical abbreviations and acronyms written by our doctors the next time you can't understand what is on your prescription package, blood test results, or medical procedure orders. Examples include:
- ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
- ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
- cap: Capsule.
- CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. A treatment for sleep apnea.
- DJD: Degenerative joint disease. Another term for osteoarthritis.
- DM: Diabetes mellitus. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- HA: Headache
- IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease. A name for two disorders of the gastrointestinal (BI) tract, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- JT: Joint
- N/V: Nausea or vomiting.
- p.o.: By mouth. From the Latin terminology per os.
- q.i.d.: Four times daily. As in taking a medicine four times daily.
- RA: Rheumatoid arthritis
- SOB: Shortness of breath.
- T: Temperature. Temperature is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
How Can I Get Rid of Fleas on My Kitten?
A female flea lays up to 50 eggs a day. Adult fleas live on pets, such as cats, feeding on blood and laying eggs in the fur. These eggs drop off in areas where the pet sits or sleeps and hatch into a larval stage. The larval stage then burrows down and encases itself in a cocoon to become the pupal stage, which can lie dormant for up to 6 months.Lice vs. Fleas
Lice and fleas are small wingless insects. Lice are parasites that can crawl and infest the human skin and scalp. Although they can bite people, fleas are parasites that mainly feed on non-human hosts and can jump from one host to another. Lice infestations and fleabites are treatable and typically do not cause long-term problems with proper treatments for home, people, and pets.What You Need to Know About Fleas and Ticks
Watch this pet health slideshow to see the warning signs of flea and tick infestation and the best treatments for dogs, cats, and your home.