Is It Bad If Newborn Kittens Have Fleas

Most flea products are toxic to very young kittens and cannot be used until 6 8 weeks.

Is it bad if newborn kittens have fleas. Fleas can make kittens itchy and spread disease and if they re really severe they can even cause serious blood loss and illness. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Newborn kittens with fleas or ticks should be treated immediately. Make sure you deflea all of your pets and soft furnishings before your queen gives birth to ensure they don t suffer from a flea infestation.

Signs of fleas on kittens close up of a flea and flea dirt in a cat s coat a flea infestation isn t always evident especially if the cat has a dark coat or the flea population is low. Some methods for getting fleas off of pets such as flea combing and bathing will only kill the adult fleas on your kitten they don t prevent new fleas from jumping on them. The mother may have fleas the kitten may have picked them up outside or sand tracked indoors can even contain fleas. Instead you will need to provide the kitten with a bath.

A kitten has less blood than a full grown cat. The most notable health issue that kittens with fleas face is anemia. If fleas or flea dirt are present treat the kitten for fleas right away. Again newborn kittens need manual flea removal.

Fleas feed on the kitten s blood and the small size of the kitten allows anemia to set in much quicker. Blood sucking parasites can be fatal to kittens as they can cause anemia or a low red blood cell count or carry lyme disease. In consultation with your vet kittens over 4 weeks old may be treated with capstar there is a minimum weight requirement. Kittens cannot be born with fleas.

Other flea medications safe for kittens list 8 weeks of age as a minimum. It also lacks the strong immune system to properly defend itself. As soon as you notice there are fleas either in the house or on a pet take action. Fleas can make a new home on your kitten in many ways even in indoor cats.

This application kills the adult fleas but not their offspring. If their mum or any other household pet has fleas kittens can become infested immediately after birth. Call the vet to find out if there is a flea med that is safe for the nursing mother and kittens the vet meds are the only ones that are safe to use depending on the age of the kittens.