Uh Oh . FLEAS! Help me please!!!!

So, my vet said that he didnt think the kitten had feas...well he was just in my bed w/me-i know i know, nd i was s cratchin under his neck when i saw a bug crawlin under his fur

could this be fleas? he doesnt even scratch much

then i see like tiny lil blood stains on the sheets (not mine LOL)
like little dots.

Message edited 8/4/2007 6:16:45 PM.

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

we were told to wsh ours with dawn dish washing soap-

good luck

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

How big is the bug? Maybe it's a tick?

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

its actually a bit bigger than a flea-im scared to look again lol


but he doesnt scratch a lot-

what is the lil blood stains bout tho !

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

Is he shaking his head/ Maybe it's ear mites?

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

How old is the kitten? Call the vet and see if you can apply Frontline or something.

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

Ok...I searched all over for you...it's definitely fleas. The blood drops are the dead giveaway.
Here's what it says to do (please don't use Dawn Dishwashing liquid, it's much too caustic for a tiny kitten)....

First, go ahead and pick a flea medicine and get it coming to you. If you order it over the Internet, it will take a week or so to get it anyway, and you'll want to use it whenever your kitten is old enough. I recommend taking a look at Frontline, Advantage, and Program, but you can talk to your vet as well about which one is best for your kitten. Make sure to adhere to the age limits of the one you buy - they are each different, and it's not a good idea to risk using it earlier. If you aren't sure how old your kitten is, ask your vet, and play it safe by waiting a week or two after how old you think they are. With fleas, you don't want them getting developmental problems by giving them chemicals too early. While you're waiting, you can do a few things. First, give your kitten a flea bath. Don't use any chemicals - use baby shampoo. It won't hurt them, and it will stick to the fleas and let you get them out of the fur. Water will drown the fleas and make them rush to the head. Since a kitten is pretty small, you'll need to look through the fur and try to pick off fleas as you see them. This won't solve all your problems - kittens have adult fleas, but the eggs will still be around your house, and they'll just come back in a few weeks. Vacuum, and wash the bedding that your kitten sleeps in every day or two in hot water. You can keep the flea problem down this way until your kitten is old enough to take flea medicine - then most brands will kill off the problem for awhile, as long as it's an indoor cat. Also think about taking a look at natural flea control methods until you can use the medicine.

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

And if you want to try some natural flea control products to clear out the house....

Ultimate Flea Trap - This device by Victor is also heat based, and it attracts fleas up to about 30 feet away using a small heat lamp. The trap is designed to be open from all angles, so the fleas can get into it from any side. Once they jump in, a glue pad inside the trap sticks them to it and keeps them from getting away.
Environmental Control - One way that doesn't rely on doing anything to your pet is to control the environment. There are a lot of ways to do this - first and foremost, don't let your cat or dog outside. Cat fleas and dog fleas can only come from other animals - if your pet is an indoor animal, it likely won't have a flea problem. Prevention is the best method, and for cats at least, you shouldn't be letting them outdoors anyway. For large dogs, this won't be an option - you need to walk them, and they need to get out into the yard to play. But you don't have to let other dogs into your yard - that alone will go a long way towards getting rid of fleas.

You can also use various products that are designed to get rid of fleas without chemicals. For instance, one new product is a freeze-dried worm or nematode that eats flea eggs. Some people may be uncomfortable with modifying the environment in this way, but chemicals may be even worse. Talk to your veterinarian about this (as with all methods), there are several brands such as Intervention that can help you out without you really having to do anything actively.

Grooming - Regular grooming can also eliminate fleas without chemicals. Use a fine comb and go through your pet's hair - you can easily get rid of fleas this way naturally, and while it won't get them all, you'll spend quality time with your pet. With some pets, it may actually be a good idea to trim their fur. You can get a grooming kit that comes with clippers designed to cut fur to various lengths. Why do this? Because if you're only going to rely on natural ways to control fleas, then if you have a long-haired pet, it is harder to get the fleas out when bathing them or grooming them. Keep in mind though that it's only helpful to trim their fur if you're going to have the discipline to personally bathe and comb them. Trimming the fur only makes it easier for you to find and kill the fleas yourself - it doesn't do anything to get rid of them other than that. One of the weirder inventions I've seen recently is the flea zapper comb. This is a comb with a mild electrical charge that is supposed to kill off fleas as you comb your pet, but will be too mild to affect you or the animal. I haven't tried it and can't find any discussion of whether it works or not online, but it's pretty cheap so if you're going natural for environmental reasons or if you're a gadget junky you might check it out.

Herbal flea collars - There are many herbal flea collars designed to use various scents to drive away fleas. I am a little ambivalent about these, but they could be worth a try. Just check out the specific brand with a vet and make sure there is nothing to worry about with anything in it. The only one I've found easily available online is Petguard, which is designed to be environmentally friendly.

Diatomaceous earth - This is basically a non-chemical kind of soil designed to kill insects. It doesn't have any chemicals - it relies on tiny, sharp edges on the dirt that do damage to the exoskeleton of a flea or other pests. The fleas will then die of dehydration - they essentially leak water, and they can't replace it fast enough. It's a non-chemical means of flea control, but it can be rather messy to use. It's made mainly of fossils from water plants, so there isn't much risk in using it. It might not mesh well with your current soil though, and you should be careful if you have plants or gardens that it might affect negatively. If you're using it in the yard, get one of the larger bags so you can repeat the dusting if it rains, etc. However, one of the good things about it is that it's safe to use around your pet's bedding or other areas - you'll have to clean it up later, but it can be much better than setting off a flea bomb or a flea bath. Unfortunately, there's not much this will do about flea eggs, which could remain dormant for awhile. You can go with smaller bags of the earth if you're just using it indoors.

Vacuuming - One safe, natural method to get rid of fleas is to vacuum frequently. Unfortunately it's usually not 100% effective, which means while it will reduce the flea population it will rarely eliminate it. Hi, I have fleas in my small studio apartment(with carpet) and have no animals. Must've brought them in myself. Does anyone have a suggestion for the best brand model/make of vacuum cleaner to invest in? I am looking for a 12 amp canister vacuum with disposable bags and no hepa filter. thanks for any help."

If you don't have pets, regular vacuuming can be a good way to get rid of fleas in your apartment. Vacuuming is usually not all that effective with pets because while you'll get a lot of them, they'll just be more in a few weeks when they hatch from the eggs and they'll get right back onto the pet. It's not that uncommon to get fleas even when you don't have pets, though, because all it really takes is one or two to get into your house and they can lay hundreds of eggs.

If you want to get rid of them by vacuuming, getting one with disposable bags is probably the way to go. Sucking up fleas in a vacuum doesn't usually kill them. If you leave the bag in the vacuum, they will be dazed for awhile but they'll crawl right back out in a few hours. You will also have eggs hatching in the bag or vacuum chamber. Vacuuming has to be done regularly for a week or two, because the heat and vibration will cause the flea eggs in your carpet to hatch earlier. It also can't pick up larvae from the carpet because they generally attach themselves to the fibers. However, it gets many of the adults and eggs. You should also think about putting something in the vacuum bag to kill the fleas: cut up bits of flea collars are often recommended, and you could also just spray a bunch of bug spray in there after you use it, or dump some flea powder in.

Finally, wash your bed sheets every day or two while you're doing this. You are the only source of blood in your house, and they will usually bite you while you're asleep. That means adults and eggs in your bed.

As far as which vacuum brand is best: I've searched around for awhile trying to find somebody talking about which vacuum is particularly good for fleas or which ones don't work, but haven't been able to find specific commentary.

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

thank u so much!!!

i cant believe the ***** doctor didnt see -we've been there 3 times already for his leg that has heeled up

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

He might have just picked them up...or they may have been eggs that just hatched.

The important thing is to bathe him and get your house taken care of. Fleas are hard to get rid of if you get infested and the warm weather is prime for them.

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

thank u-i have to take him to the vet tomorrow

Re: Uh Oh . Please help-Fleas???Pease dotn move!

Re: Uh Oh . FLEAS! Help me please!!!!

I cant go to the vet unitl tomorrow. In the meantime, im makin him stay in the bathroom until i vacuum more

i dont know what else to do around the house-i know wash my sheets/comforter a lot-and vacuum a lot-do i spray w/anything??


im so upset

Re: Uh Oh . FLEAS! Help me please!!!!

I know it is upsetting but it will work out. I have had fleas, I promise, it will work out.

You can do this...

go buy a flea comb at petco or pet store.

Take a glass or clear tupperware with water and dishwashing liquid like Dawn, etc and make a sudsy glass of water.

Go outside, comb thru the kitten gently, have someone help you. When you see a flea, grab it with the flea comb (they work great!), and immediately put the comb submerge it i fully into the glass/tupperware.

The flea will be in teh comb, and will drown....keep the comb in a few secs until you see the flea come loose and try to swim and drown.

That is the main thing you can do right now, that wont harm a kitten and will help kill the fleas (if there is more than one on the kitten).

WB if you have any questions.