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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]

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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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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My sources were generally searching the internet and wandering through various sites, but it's like searching for elbow pain and ending up thinking I have cancer, so I asked here.

I will probably call some vets that I have nearby, but don't worry, I am not going to do anything by myself and much less without consulting a professional before, I don't want to hurt the kittens either, my intention to ask here is because I noticed their fleas now that in my country it is night and I can't ask in any vet because they are closed, and I wanted to know if I could do something in the meantime for the kittens.

Thanks for the answer!

[–] Laticauda 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's worth checking if you have any 24/7 vets in the general area if you're worried and want to contact someone sooner rather than later (these places usually take emergencies but they're usually willing to answer questions over the phone as well in my experience), but if there isn't one then the kittens should be fine for the night if they seem healthy still aside from the fleas. The main thing you have to worry about with fleas is anemia iirc, which can be deadly for kittens if left untreated. If they aren't abnormally lethargic and don't have pale gums then they're likely not in immediate danger, just make sure to stay on top of it and get them treated (using professional advice) as soon as you're able. Good luck!