this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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54
It's possible to bathe a newborn kitten with fleas? (lemmy.one)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
25 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Hi, well to start I usually feed any cat that came to my house, and a pregnant cat start coming around 2 months ago but unlike the others cat, she remained on my yard and basically she lives here.

At some point, when I realized that she was pregnant, I started to lock her on my house where she can give birth and be safe.

Just some 3 days ago, she gave birth to 2 completely black kittens (she is black with white points) and one white kitten with black points. But when I was looking closely at the white kitten, I realize that he had fleas, and obviously all the kittens and the mother have, but they are too dark to watch the fleas.

I read that an easy way to remove the fleas is bathing the kitten, but ironically I also read that if a person touches a kitten too much, the mother can stop recognizing it by its smell, and even eat it, without mentioning that they are only 3 days old, so I guess that this is not an option.

I also read that fleas abhor the smell of chamomile tea, so I could do a bit and rub a bit over the kittens without bathing them, but I don't know if what I mentioned in the previous point also applies.

For the mother, I don't think I have to worry, because I'll buy her a pipette,

I also want to clarify that the kittens are not infested with fleas, maybe they have 5 or 10, but they are 3 kittens that sleep one on top of the other, and I prefer to be safe rather than sorry.

(Sorry if this is not the correct place to ask such a question, but I couldn't find an "AskVet" alternative on Lemmy)

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[โ€“] zipzap_cat 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

kitten lady has several good videos on this, but I'd strongly advise you to get in contact with a local rescue. They can care for and find a home for the kittens (once they're old enough) and spay and release mom (once the kittens are weaned). They should keep mom and kittens together until they're ready to wean. Main concern with bathing the kittens is that they can't self regulate temperature at that age and you put them at risk of hypothermia by getting them wet.

Source: kitten foster parent

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Thanks so much for sharing the video! I never thought it was so extremely simple to use a flea comb. And I'm not entirely sure if there are local rescues where I live, and even so, some of my relatives have already fallen in love with the kittens and want them, but believe me, if this had been an option before she gave birth I would have considered.

[โ€“] zipzap_cat 4 points 1 year ago

Awesome, glad they'll have loving homes! Enjoy having kittens around the house!

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Shelters are very location dependent, unfortunately. If you're in a wealthier country / area there are likely some good ones around. Please get the kittens checked by a vet as soon as you can though, fleas can cause anaemia in kittens and kill them quickly. Even if you're rural, a vet who specialises in livestock likely knows of some local charities who can assist financially in providing care, if that's a concern. Kitten Lady's website is great for practical young kitten tips and product choices if you need to do some hands-on care yourself. Someone else already linked her YouTube videos which are also great, but I find the organisation a bit hard to navigate by comparison.

If the kittens look like they have pale gums/tongue or they are lethargic, or stop eating it's emergency vet time. Those are signs the fleas have caused anaemia. And it's important to keep them warm. 24 hour veterinaries exist in many cities. They frequently offer payment plans too.

They do need to see a vet soon though, even if they look healthy, so they can be checked and dewormed. Once they have been given the all clear, for good beginner-friendly long term care advice Dr. Uri Burstyn "Helpful Vancouver Vet is great. Also Jackson Galaxy for understanding cat behaviour is a fun watch for your family members who have fallen in love.

Please also consider getting them all desexed. There are programs globally working with vets to help get stray populations sterilised, which is recognised as the most humane approach to limiting cat populations. Cats also typically have longer lives when they're desexed, and are less prone to territorial behavioural issues like pissing all over your things.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

As much as your relatives might like the kittens, they do need vet care. Fleas can kill kittens quite easily and you might lose all of them, bathing them can also kill them.

Either you take them yourself or try to find a rescue who can. They can safely treat the family and check that they're OK outside of this issue.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/BcDqHFAf0aU

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.