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 donât know if what I mentioned in the previous point also applies.
For the mother, I donât think I have to worry, because Iâll 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 couldnât find an âAskVetâ alternative on Lemmy)
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The cat eating the kittens if you touch them thing is a myth. The only times a cat might eat their kitten/kittens is if theyâre extremely stressed, malnourished, or if a kitten is ill or dies. And even in those cases itâs still rare and the cat is more likely to abandon the kittens rather than eat them. A cat may decide to move her kittens and try to hide them if she doesnât like them being handled, but thatâs about it. And lots of cats actually like when their kittens are handled by humans for various reasons, so itâs possible she wonât have any issue with it regardless.
Iâm not sure where the myth came from, but my guess is that in rare cases some feral cats or new mothers get so stressed by humans handling their kittens too much that they eat the kittens because they feel like the environment isnât safe enough for raising a litter and go nuclear, but I doubt this happens often even among cases of cats eating their young, and like I mentioned before the cat is far likelier to abandon the kittens rather than eat them unless sheâs starving. A cat isnât going to lose the ability to recognize their kitten just because they have human scents on them. They use more than just their sense of smell to recognize their kittens, and handling a kitten isnât enough to completely remove the kittenâs smell. Catâs noses are too sensitive for that. Not to mention if that was all it took to get a mother to reject their kitten, then it wouldnât be so common for mother cats to adopt kittens that they didnât give birth to, or even baby animals from a different species. Their mothering instinct post-pregnancy is too strong for something like scent to be a primary factor.
Many flea treatments can be unsafe for newborn kittens because of how sensitive they are, so donât cover them in any mixtures you read about online without consulting a vet first. Donât use soap on them either, and submerging them in water isnât a good idea. I think the usual method for kittens that young is just using a very fine flea comb and dampening their fur with warm (but not too hot) water, then picking off the individual fleas by sight, since theyâre small enough for that method to be effective. Even if their fur is dark, the flea comb and a good light source can still allow you to see and pick them off effectively, and the water will cause them to gather in the drier spots, making them easier to find. Then you let them dry in a warm place to make sure they donât get too cold after. Kittens can be very sensitive to changes in temperature which is part of why bathing them isnât a good idea, and why keeping them warm after dampening their fur is important. Also youâll want to treat the mom at the same time, so she doesnât just give the fleas to the kittens again, and clean all their bedding and whatever their bedding is kept in (if theyâre in a box for example).
I highly recommend calling a local vet to ask over the phone about what methods to use to de-flea both the mother and the kittens, at the very least. Even better if youâre willing to get them an appointment, the sooner the better since fleas can be dangerous for young kittens, even if you donât think they have many on them. The mother can probably be medically treated, but the kittens canât. Whatever source youâre getting this âI readâ info from isnât reliable, so I would recommend consulting a professional first and foremost if you want to be absolutely sure that what you do is safe and wonât hurt the kittens. Even if you donât want to pay for an appointment, most vets are willing to answer questions and give advice over the phone. Source: I worked at a pet hospital and often consulted the vets about questions asked over the phone.
My sources were generally searching the internet and wandering through various sites, but itâs 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 donât worry, I am not going to do anything by myself and much less without consulting a professional before, I donât 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 canât 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!
Itâs worth checking if you have any 24/7 vets in the general area if youâre worried and want to contact someone sooner rather than later (these places usually take emergencies but theyâre usually willing to answer questions over the phone as well in my experience), but if there isnât 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 arenât abnormally lethargic and donât have pale gums then theyâre likely not in immediate danger, just make sure to stay on top of it and get them treated (using professional advice) as soon as youâre able. Good luck!
DO NOT GIVE KITTENS A BATH
I was in pretty much the exact situation as you with two brother kittens when I was in 4th grade. They had really bad fleas, so my brother and I gave them both a bath. They both ended up going into shock from the water. One died at the vet - the other lived to be able 21.
Please donât risk it. Iâm in my 30s now and still donât forgive myself for Ernieâs death.
Why are people upvoting you is beyond my comprehension.
The fact that you were kids and made a mistake doesnât mean that you canât/shouldnât bathe a kitten!!!
Just make sure you prepare for the task: use warm water and wash the kitten from tail to neck - itâs better to avoid the head and anyway thereâs little to no fleas on the head. Iâm no vet, but I got this advice from my vet when I found a flea infested kitten under my car.
So, for people reding this: yes, you can bathe your kitten, but get some advice from your vet beforehand!
Personally, if thereâs even a 1% chance of something killing a kitten, I donât do that thing.
Definitely talk to your very first, if you absolutely want to give them a bath, but they clean themselves with their tongues, so absolutely not necessary whatsoever.
Then again almost everything has a 1% of killing anything, the worldâs pretty dangerous. So - with a vets opnion - bathing a kitten to remove discomfornt isnt all bad news.
Great example is im sure many kittens have died eating before, but of course we still feed them
Seems like you didnât have the water at the right temp and didnât dry them quickly enough or put them back on a heating pad. Which is fully understandable because you were 9 years old. If you know what you are doing itâs perfectly safe to give them a bath but itâs not recommended unless they are infested with fleas.
Iâm sorry to hear that, I donât think itâs your fault either, many times a person acts on their own because they think they are doing the right thing but end up doing something wrong, and unfortunately as human beings we learn from mistakes.
And not worry, after reading several comments here, I will not bathe them.
I once found an abandoned kitten and gave it a gentle wash and he was fine. Did you use cold water or something?
Nope, warm water. Sure, they can come out fine. One of the two lived a very long life afterwards. Personally, if thereâs even a 1% chance of something killing a kitten, I donât do that thing.
Yes. You can also just dunk the kitten in the fleas.
No! Never dunk kittens in fleas! Use a cloth to gently apply the fleas.
kitten lady has several good videos on this, but Iâd strongly advise you to get in contact with a local rescue. They can care for and find a home for the kittens (once theyâre old enough) and spay and release mom (once the kittens are weaned). They should keep mom and kittens together until theyâre ready to wean. Main concern with bathing the kittens is that they canât self regulate temperature at that age and you put them at risk of hypothermia by getting them wet.
Source: kitten foster parent
Thanks so much for sharing the video! I never thought it was so extremely simple to use a flea comb. And Iâm 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.
Shelters are very location dependent, unfortunately. If youâre 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 youâre rural, a vet who specialises in livestock likely knows of some local charities who can assist financially in providing care, if thatâs a concern. Kitten Ladyâs 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 itâs emergency vet time. Those are signs the fleas have caused anaemia. And itâs 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 theyâre desexed, and are less prone to territorial behavioural issues like pissing all over your things.
Awesome, glad theyâll have loving homes! Enjoy having kittens around the house!
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 theyâre OK outside of this issue.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/BcDqHFAf0aU
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
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The proper thing to do would be to lick it from head to bean.
Haha, in fact that is the best way.
Youâll find it much easier to bathe in water. Bathing cats in fleas is counterproductive.
Thereâs some conflicting stuff on the things I was reading, but it seems like the safest option would be flea treating the mother and using a flea comb on the babies. However, I would highly recommend contacting a veterinarian and getting their advice first if you can.
Thanks for researching, in fact I donât know why I didnât think of using a flea comb before, that should be easy enough.
And for the mother, I will try to give her a flea treatment.