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Questions
- How Do Kittens Get Fleas?
- What Age Can You Flea a Kitten?
- Flea Treatment for Kittens
- How to Bathe a Kitten with Fleas
- How Often Do You Flea a Kitten?
There’s nothing more exciting than bringing your new kitten home and getting to know them, from spoiling them rotten to learning their likes, dislikes, and endless quirks. But there’s always a worry that your fragile, little new addition could fall sick. A kitten’s immune system is still developing even when you bring them home, so they’re much more susceptible to falling ill.
You have to think about vaccinations, worming and flea treatment for kittens. Keeping on top of their well-being means they can grow up bring and strong with a fully developed, robust immune system. While they’re still young you just need to be a little more mindful, so we’ve collected all the helpful advice for keeping your new addition flea free!
How Do Kittens Get Fleas?
It’s sometimes not very clear where your kitten could have picked up fleas at such a young age. Generally, adult cats will get fleas when they go outside roaming for a period so when you have a kitten who hasn’t really had any contact with the outside world, it’s a little less clear. It’s very normal for kittens to get fleas; they can pick them up from the environment or even from other animals.
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Some kittens can catch fleas very young if their mother hasn’t been properly treated, or if you have a multi-pet household, your kitten might pick them up from your other pets. As soon as you get your new addition home, make sure you have all the information regarding if they’ve ever been treated for fleas so you know when they’re due or if you need to get flea treatment for them as soon as possible.
What Age Can You Flea a Kitten?
Ideally, their mum would have received treatment for fleas which helps to reduce your kitten’s chance of getting them. A kitten can be treated around the 6-to-12-week mark depending on the product you use and your vet’s advice.
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Not all treatments can be used on kittens of around 8 weeks when you bring them home. Johnson's 4Fleas Tablets Cat And Kitten very clearly states that it can be used on kittens, but most come with a guideline of how much your kitten should weigh before you are able to apply treatment to make sure they get the right dosage.
Flea Treatment for Kittens
When you’re looking for flea treatments suitable for kittens, you should always refer to the packaging and then only use the product if it specifically states that it’s safe to use on kittens. Most products will say when they are and the ones that don’t state an age limit may not be safe for kittens, so it’s best to avoid them for now.
Spot on treatments is one of the most frequently seen and marketed as safe to use on kittens along with treatments in the form of tablets. For kittens who don’t like to swallow tablets, spot on treatments are easy to apply like the Frontline Spot On For Cats and Kittens – a perfect choice for any unwanted pests. You can also use sprays for your home to protect soft furnishings and bedding from fleas.
There are also sprays that can be applied directly to your kitten’s coat like Johnson's Cat Flea Pump Spray but this should only be applied to kittens aged 12 weeks and older.
How to Bathe a Kitten with Fleas
For kittens younger than 12 weeks, an effective method to remove fleas is to bathe them. You should avoid using flea shampoos at this age but using a nonmedicated and fragrance free shampoo such as the Johnson's Cat Flea Cleansing Shampoo will wash out any fleas without damaging your kitten’s coat or skin.
This will need to be repeated to make sure any eggs that survived the bathing are removed. However, you shouldn’t bathe a kitten more than once or twice a week. If they’re bathed too often you remove too many oils from their fur which can leave their skin dry and damaged.
After a bath, be sure to keep your furry friend nice and warm in a blanket or towel. While they’re still so young they struggle to maintain their own body temperate so being left to roam around while damp can make them vulnerable to getting too cold. Wrapping them in a nice dry towel or sitting with them in the sun is a great way to keep them warm while letting them dry off naturally.
Many felines aren’t a fan of water or being bathed but introducing it from a young age will get them used to tolerating the occasional bath if you ever need to wash them again.
How Often Do You Flea a Kitten?
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Once your kitten is old enough and big enough to start flea treatments, they usually last a month, so it should become a monthly ritual to keep on top of their prevention. A great way to make sure they are always free from fleas is regularly brushing their coat to make sure you can’t see any flea dirt or live parasites. Fine toothed combs like the Smart Choice Flea And Dust Grooming Comb won’t miss a single bit of dirt, so you can check to make sure exactly what is hiding away in their coat.
Regular brushing isn’t only helpful in the detection of fleas, but it helps to remove dead fur that your kitten will otherwise have to groom out themselves. The more of a helping hand you give them, the less potential for fur balls.
To keep your new addition free of any nasty parasites and any other feline essentials you may need, take a look at our wide range of cat products available.