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Home Remedies for Kittens with Fleas!

Safe Flea-Treatments for Kittens!

By Emmeline ReaderPublished 6 years ago 9 min read
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This little man was named Poltergeist, and he had one of the worst flea infestations I've ever seen when I first brought him now. He has since gone to his forever home with one of his best friends Iliad and is very happy! Love you forever buddy.

Running a rescue that deals primarily with barn cats and strays, we run into fleas quite often. For the adult cats, throwing a Seresto flea collar on them and bathing them once a week usually does the trick. However, finding something that can be used on kittens and won't harm them is quite a task to tackle.

If you're struggling with fleas with your kitten, fear not, because I am about to give you ten totally safe ways to treat your kitten for fleas, and even give you prevention for future dates.

10 Steps to Treat Your Kitten of Fleas and Prevent them in the Future!

1. Start out with a dawn dish detergent flea bath. I wouldn't trust large dog flea treatment shampoos on small kittens because of the chemicals inside of them, especially because the kitty is so small. Fill up a tub or sink with enough warm water that the cat can stand in it up to their chest.

You then want to drop 1-2 drops of tea-tree oil into the water. You are then going to mix some salt into the water and stir this all around very well! If you have them, put some rosemary leaves into the water. All of these things have smelled pretty good so far... but unfortunately, now you're going to add in about a capful or two of apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar. Either one works!

Stir these ingredients all in together, and you have made a concoction of flea-killing death!

2. For our next step, after your cat has completely calmed down and dried off, you are going to take some diatomaceous earth, put some gloves on, rub the earth all over your hands, and then spread it all throughout the cat's body. Avoid around the eyes and mouth so they don't get any of it in their lungs, and make sure you do not breathe it in either.

There is a myth that diatomaceous earth rips apart your lungs... but this is not true. It tears through the flea's exoskeleton and harms them so much that they either die or abandon ship!

If there are any fleas left after our first step, they are good and gone now!

3. Now, if you are really into killing fleas and wanting them to die a horrible death (aren't we all?), you can use the lemon spray. Now, here is the thing. The citrus smell can really irritate a cat's lungs if it is used too often. Use this no more than twice a month, and only use it in careful moderation for when you do!

In order to prepare this spray, it is going to take a little bit of work! However, all you need is 1 lemon! Cut a lemon into quarters and submerge it in a small pan of boiling water, let it steep overnight, and then put it into a spray bottle. You can use the spray not only ON your cat but around super effected areas of the house (just don't let your cat in there for the time being if you're going to use this).

4. Now it is time to start dealing with the aftermath of all of this. The fleas are dead and gone, but there will always be a few remaining. But I have a treat for you! What if I told you I knew a little secret that not only helps your cat's skin heal from the flea-bites and the itchiness, but makes ANY remaining fleas jump off and never want to come back?

You guessed it (actually no you probably didn't...)! Aloe vera! Mix some aloe vera juice/cream with a bit of cayenne pepper and put it into a little mason jar so you can use it in the future. Rubbing that on sore spots will help heal them up, and also keep the fleas away!

5. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to dealing with fleas is the fact that you can treat just the cat all you want, but if you don't treat the environment — you're out of luck because the fleas will just come right back in! But fear not, I have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to dealing with fleas inside the environment as well!

Are you a tea drinker? Perfect! Because for this little trick, you're going to need some earl grey tea for the underneath of your couches, chairs, beds, and anywhere else that has carpet that is dark and cool for the fleas to lay eggs in!

Take a bag of earl grey tea, cut it open, and sprinkle it all over underneath the previously listed areas. Don't worry about places without rugs, they won't go underneath there. Leave the earl grey for about a two-day period, and then move whatever furniture it is under and vacuum it up. This will make the fleas leave that area, pushing them out into the open where there is no place for them to hide under... a.k.a easily reachable spaces for YOU!

6. Now that the fleas are out from their usual hiding spaces, you should have been vacuuming every single day, which is the main way to get rid of fleas, to begin with! (Make sure you dump your vacuum cleaner so the fleas don't just crawl out after. Dumping them outside far, far away from your house or into water is a good idea. Or, if you're having a fire, dump them in there).

With the earl grey underneath the furniture, it is HIGHLY unlikely that they go back to those places, leaving them vulnerable to the Ultimate Flea Killer 5000 (or... just you... who knows, you might be the Ultimate Flea Killer 5000 after reading this post!). If you have a very good vacuum, this tip is going to be the one for you!

Take some salt, and spread it lightly all over your carpet's surface. Leave it there for 6-8 hours and let the salt do what it's meant to do — dehydrate fleas to the brink of death! Once that 6-8 hour period is up, (make sure that there are no pets in the room during this process), vacuum up whatever is left and you should have a bunch of dead, or half-dead fleas out of the way and gone forever!

7. If you thought we were done, oh-ho-ho, we are not. You might be thinking, "But Emmeline! What if we DON'T have carpets and are still having a flea problem?!" I completely understand your concern. There are ways for fleas to thrive on hard-wood, although it is much harder for them.

Do you wish you had something that is going to not only make your house smell good but kill the fleas as well? We are going to return back to one of our previous posts, LEMON SPRAY! You shouldn't have used all of the lemon spray on your cat from earlier, especially if you followed the steps correctly.

If you have to make some more up, that is fine, but you're going to spray whatever is left in the bottle all over your floors. Let it sit for an hour or two, and then scrub it off. For this step, you can add peppermint oil and tea tree oil along with lavender into the mixture, because the fleas hate those and will go running! Plus, it'll make your house smell even better!

During this time, make sure that your cat or any other animals aren't in the room.

Bonus tip: If you only have hardwood floors and you have a flea infestation, make sure you remember to treat things like your broom, where lots of fleas can easily hide, and even lay eggs!

8. We're nearing the end now, but the flea-killing will live eternally. If your pet has a bed, which most dog and cat owners provide for their animals, you can bet your britches that is also infested with leaves, eggs, and larvae, especially if your pet spends most of their time there!

Buy a flea collar for an adult cat, and then cut it up into four pieces. It can go underneath dark furniture that is flea-infested, under your pet's bed, and then you can use the other pieces for whatever you wish as long as it doesn't go on the kitten!

This will not only prevent future flea larvae and eggs from being laid, but it will get rid of them once they hatch! However, in order to kill them, you will have to keep up with these remedies. But if you stick to the schedule, although harrowing, it will be worth it in the end for both you and your kitty!

9. This step is for the kitties you couldn't get to or treat fast enough, and have scratched out giant patches of fur from their bodies because of the fleas. This also happens when a cat or kitten is allergic to fleas, which makes it all that more important to keep them away from them!

Rosemary will help promote growth simulation on hairs that were previously destroyed by bites, flea-biting, or scratching before!

There are two ways to do this step, and I will let you choose which one you think is best!

  1. Acquire a handful of dried out rosemary leaves, and crush them into a fine powder. This powder can then be rubbed all over the cat's bed, and any place else that they sleep!
  2. Take two cups of fresh rosemary leaves and steep them in some boiling water. Then, remove it from all heat after half an hour of steeping and wait until it is lukewarm. You can pour this mixture into a sink, tub, or container of some kind to them soak your kitty in this. You should then hold your animal on a towel so they don't drip everywhere and let them air-dry in a very warm environment so they don't get sick.

10. Well, we're at the end. This step isn't really much of a step, rather than a compiled list of ways you can prevent fleas in the future without actually having to use any of these remedies.

  • Limit your cat's outside time. Even if your cat is an outdoor cat, which you should try to break the habit of if you have a problem with fleas, they need to only be outside for an hour or two a day.
  • Flea comb! Flea comb twice a week, this will alert you of any new flea problems and be getting the flea dirt off of the animal is very good for their health, as when they clean themselves they ingest the dirt and it makes them very sick.
  • Constant vacuuming! Keep up on the vacuuming. Don't let yourself tire out and stop doing it because then they will come right back in!
  • When they're old enough, flea collar immediately!
  • Talk to your vet. If you are still having problems with fleas after all of this, make a very detailed list of everything you have done to prevent and stop the fleas, and bring it to either your vet or another professional that can help you!

Thank you for reading, and I hope now you can get some help for your kitty, and you can relax and rest! If you are interested in reading about our rescue or staying updated about the cats we take in, this is a link to our Facebook page.

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About the Creator

Emmeline Reader

My name is Emmeline, I'm 19, and I rescue animals

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