Our little kitten is flea fodder! Help!

[Andy Mentzer]

We have recently rescued a ferrel kitten. Heinfested with fleas.The poor little guy is being eaten alive.All of the over-the-counter products seem to be made with adult cat in mind. He seems to be about 7-8 weeks old and we fear these products might be harmful to him.( theyall say not to use on kittens under 12 weeks).Does anybody know of an effective product or method to use on the little guy?"Help me Obi-Wan-Kenobi you're my only hope"

[moosmom]

Give him a flea bath with a good flea shampoo. Kittens are very easy to bathe, all ya do is scruff him by the neck and wet him down. Lather him up and let the lather sit on him for 5 minutes. Then rinse. Do that a couple times and you'll see the fleas bailing. I thought Revolution was okay for kittens over 8 weeks old. I would NOT buy any over the counter remedies, but call your vet. He might want to see the kitten to make sure he's not anemic from the fleas. Fleas are a potential danger to young kittens.

Good luck.

[Andy Mentzer]

Thanks so much for your response. he seems to be pretty healthy otherwise. We live in an outlying area, so going to the vet isn't always practial for us or the kids.So you can imagine that we do alot of "Home Remedies". Over the counter items are all that we are left with sometimes.However ,in this case, Harmon will need to go "down the hill". He will need to get his vacs anyway.
God bless you on your advocation of adoption of older cats! I've adopted 2 (one 10 the other7) and they were the best ! Niether of them are with us anymore,but they were the most appriciative,loving animals I've ever had the pl;easure of meeting.The 10 year old one(Ludie) lived to the ripe old age of 21!Well anyway, it's off to the vet! Thanks again.

[jenluckenbach]

Glad to hear that you are on your way to the vet. But just for the future, most flea products, including cat shampoos will not be good on a kitten younger than 12 weeks. Plain ol' lemon dish soap will help you problem until the baby is old enough. And YES< Revolution flea product is safe for kittens 6 weeks and older. Also, comb regularly with a flea comb to get the ones that survive. (with fleas, there are always survivors)

[dragonchilde]

With my little one (we got her at three weeks) we had the same problem.

My vet tech (who has raised countless mommyless kittens) said that we can use the spot (we used advantage) remedies, provided that you only use a couple of drops, and put it on top of their heads, rather than their shoulderblades. Put the rest in a ziplock bag for safekeeping. I refrigerated mine after that, but that was more reflex than anything.

It got rid of the fleas, no ill effects, and I was able to re-dose when the fleas started coming back. Kitten is now a healthy (if ornery and contrary) adult.