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Mews & Merlot

Saving the tiniest lives, one glass of wine at a time.

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Getting Rid of Fleas on Kittens

If you've found a kitten outside or notice excessive scratching, there's a good chance your kitten has fleas. Here's how to identify and remove fleas.

If you’ve found a kitten outside or notice excessive scratching, there’s a good chance your kitten has fleas. Fleas, small (about 3 mm long), brown parasites that survive by ingesting the blood of their hosts, can be very dangerous to a tiny kitten. A kitten covered in fleas can easily become anemic.

How do I check for fleas?

If you have a light-colored kitten, checking for fleas is pretty simply. Unless heavily infested, you might not see any active fleas. However, you will be able to see flea dirt.

Flea dirt is flea feces—a mix of blood meal and flea waste product—that appears as tiny, black specks on the kitten’s skin or fur. You’ll likely see this around the tail, up the center of the back, the groin area, and between the hind legs.

For darker-haired kittens (or if you’re still unsure about the presence of fleas), there are two methods you can try.

  • Flea comb. Use a flea comb to see if it pulls and live fleas from the fur. Dip any live fleas in a cup of soapy water to kill them.
  • Paper method. Hold your kitten over a piece of clean, white paper and run your fingers through her fur. If tiny black specks fall, you’re likely seeing flea dirt.

How do I get rid of fleas?

If your kitten is over eight weeks and 1.5 pounds, you can use a topical solution, like Frontline Plus, to kill the fleas and break the lifecycle. Heavily infested kittens might benefit from a dose of Capstar, which starts killing fleas within 30 minutes.

The most cost-effective method (and the only one safe for kittens under eight weeks), is a flea bath.

How do I perform a flea bath?

A flea bath will kill live fleas, wash away flea dirt and larvae, and help your kitten feel better. Baths can be traumatic, so try to be as quick (under three minutes) and gentle as possible.

Start with warm water (too hot can scald them, too cold can cause hypothermia) and Dawn dish soap. Put some soap on your fingers, wet and create a lather, then create a soapy ring around the kitten’s neck, being careful to avoid the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. This prevents the fleas from running up to the head while you bathe.

Start at the neck and work your way down, creating a lather with the warm water and dish soap. Be sure to get between the toes, under the arms and legs, around the genital area, and on the tail.

Rinse completely clean with warm water and immediately wrap in a towel. With the kitten wrapped, spot clean the head with a soapy cotton round or washcloth.

To prevent chilling, it’s safe to use a hair dryer to dry the kitten. Just be sure it’s on a low setting and held at least two feet away. I like to put the kitten on my lap and use my spare hand as a barrier between the hair dryer and the kitten. This also allows me to run my fingers through the fur to help the drying process—and comfort the kitten.

Put the kitten back in a warm environment to relax and prevent chilling—which can be fatal to a young kitten.

Filed Under: Health

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THE INFORMATION SHARED ON THIS SITE IS THE RESULT OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.
PLEASE CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH DECISIONS.

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Aster, Lily, Daisy, and Tulip are ready to find th Aster, Lily, Daisy, and Tulip are ready to find their forever homes! Comment of message for an application 😺
We’re ready to start looking for forever homes f We’re ready to start looking for forever homes for Nacho, Queso, and Colby Jack! We’ve determined they don’t have vision issues. However, they all might need surgery to treat their eyelid agenesis and Queso may have a cataract. 

The cheesy boys wont be ready for surgical intervention until they’re about 6 months old, so they will be placed in foster-to-adopt homes until then. 

What does this mean?

Mews & Merlot will cover their veterinary care through any surgical treatments. After surgery (if needed), they will be able to be fully adopted by the individual/family. 

What is required of the foster-to-adopt home?

You must be willing to either transport the kitten to and from the specialist (we are talking to ones in Fairfax and D.C.) OR bring the kitten back to the foster in Stafford for the foster to take to appointments, then pick up again from the foster after. 

These are some of the cutest, sweetest boys—and their eyes give them extra character! Please share so we can help find the best homes for them ❤️
Tulip, Aster, Lily, and Petunia ❤️ Tulip, Aster, Lily, and Petunia ❤️
If there’s one thing Colby Jack excels at, it’ If there’s one thing Colby Jack excels at, it’s telling you how he feels 😹
Nacho has perfected the cat nap 😻 The cheesy b Nacho has perfected the cat nap 😻

The cheesy boys are growing great! We know that they currently have vision issues, but we’re hopeful they’ll improve over time. The limited vision has made litter box training slightly more difficult than usual, but we’ve been having great success using Dr. Elsey’s Kitten Attract litter. It’s a bit expensive for our limited funds, and kittens go through litter very quickly, so if you’re able to help, we’d really appreciate it! We’ve added the litter to our Amazon wishlist, which is linked in the comments. 

Nacho, Colby Jack, and Queso appreciate your support ❤️
Meet Rosie, Petunia, Lily, Daisy, Tulip, and solo Meet Rosie, Petunia, Lily, Daisy, Tulip, and solo male Aster! These babies have been here for about 5 days, and while they have cute floral names, they’re growing like weeds 😻
And last but not least, congrats sweet Poppy! She And last but not least, congrats sweet Poppy! She found a great home with another kitten to keep her busy ❤️
Happy adoption to Max and Wanda! 🎉🥰 Happy adoption to Max and Wanda! 🎉🥰
Happy adoption day to Val and Nemo! Happy adoption day to Val and Nemo!
I’m not really sure how sweet Poppy hasn’t had I’m not really sure how sweet Poppy hasn’t had any interest! Her cute face + unique coloring + absolutely sweet as pie personality makes for one pretty great girl!
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THE INFORMATION SHARED ON THIS SITE IS THE RESULT OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH DECISIONS.