Kittens With Fleas: How To Treat Kittens Under 6 Weeks

Dealing with fleas on kittens can be as easy as finding the right product, but what if they’re under 6 weeks of age? For the past couple of days, I’ve been taking care of a 3-week old kitten. Ninety percent of the time I end up finding fleas on kittens and it can be impossible to find a one-time product that is safe for those kittens under 6 weeks of age.

As far as this 3-week kitten goes, it’s been touch-and-go as the people that brought her into the clinic saw her get tossed out of a car window. This poor baby hit her face and had her lip pulled away from her jaw. We’re missing some teeth from the trauma, too.

This kitten was covered in fleas and I had to treat her, so I thought I would share with you what my treatment consists of for kittens with fleas that are under 6 weeks of age.

How To Treat Kittens With Fleas

1. The Bath

What is needed:

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Luke Warm water
Warm Towels

Directions:

Take a small amount of Dawn and make a ring behind the ears going around the neck. Be sure to get between the hairs, down to the skin and not get any in the ears.
Get the body wet without touching the ring we just created.
Create a good lather of Dawn starting with the toes, tip of tail and the ring around the neck and work your way in adding more soap as needed.
Let sit for 2 minutes.
Rinse well.
Take a wet washcloth to clean the ring behind the ears and to wash the chin and face.
Dry the baby with warm towels so we don’t drop their temperature too much and dry the best you can.

2. The Preventive To Treat Kittens With Fleas

To kill anything that the bath didn’t completely get rid of we need a preventative. With the baby being under 6 weeks of age we have to be careful with what we use.

My GO TO PRODUCT is the Vet-Kem Ovitrol. It hasn’t let me down yet.

3. The Collar

I’ve gone as far as putting a Seresto Collar in the bed with the baby. Normally kittens under 6 weeks are tiny and need to be kept warm and in a confined space. Placing the Seresto Collar in the confined space will apply what is needed as the baby moves around on it. Use caution with your Seresto Collars- if it’s not from a Veterinarian, it’s not guaranteed to be a true Seresto Collar.

4. Other Pets

If you have other pets in your home you’ll want to get them a preventative for fleas. As the flea eggs hatch from the kitten, we don’t want them to jump over on to your other pets. See Fleas: How To Kill Them and Keep Them Away if you don’t have them covered already.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there aren’t flea products for kittens under 6 weeks that don’t have their consequences for something so tiny. Even with using Vet-Kem and a Seresto Collar you take the chance of the fumes being too much for the kitten. Even a frequent dawn bath can dry their skin out and drop their temperature. As always, it’s best to contact your local veterinarian if you have questions or concerns.