Question for cat lovers!

[rearing_palomino164]

Hello ponies!
Don't think of this as a dumb question, I haven't had a kitten since I was 13, haha!

Anyway, I recently brought home a new kitten. She will be 8 weeks old as of June 2nd. Me and my boyfriend found out that she has fleas and it's impossible to find anything for kittens younger than 12 weeks to help with flea and tick problems. I haven't tried or used anything on her and have only brushed her with a flea comb. She has her first vet appointment on Monday. We're hoping that maybe they'll have something we can buy from them to help get rid of them. If not, I guess we'll have to wait til she's 12 weeks. 
I heard that washing a kitten in Dawn dish soap and luke-warm water is one way that can help? Has anyone had experience with young kittens and fleas and how did you help get rid of them?

Also, she loves to chew!! Especially on toes and hands. Anything you ponies would recommend for her to chew on? Thank you for your help! 

[Yuitsu]

Hmm.

She shouldnt have been taken from momma til 8 weeks. A week or so may not sound long but when you think that in those 8 weeks she will learn everything from momma, it makes a difference.

Afaik there are no treatments for kittens that young. Not even vet ones. Brush her and flea spray your house, because they'll be laying eggs in the carpets.

Chewing is how she's going to suss out what tastes good, yucky or is just fun. I've not known a kitten not into fingers and toes. I let mine play with my fingers but stopped if he went too far. We still play sometimes and he's almost 4 but he knows to be gentle. Make sure you have a scratch post/cat tree so she can climb and go nuts. Things on strings are good too.

[lose]

Frontline make a spray that is squirt per so many 100 grams you should be able to pick it up at any vets or good pet store. Here's a link to the product I'm talking about
http://www.petmartpharmacy.com/view/?ref=10372

[Kiwi]

I know of people that use Brewer's Yeast - I'm sure a small amount would be ok for a kitten. Basically you just sprinkle the powder on their food, they are supposed to like the taste, and then when it comes out through their skin the fleas won't stay. You still have to clean them out of your house/carpet/etc, but they won't be on kitty anymore.

[Tiffymh1fan]

Congrats on your new Kitty!! I want to see a kitty! Got any pictures? As far as fleas my vet did give me drops for mine. at 9 weeks. but I only gave it half and my cat was fine. The fleas are murder I bet. I cant stand seeing poor kittys itch 
Mine are very playful still and are years older now. they still nibble on everything but not tear it up. One cat will wait for me to get out of the shower and bite my toes Its creepy.

[RandomPony]

The way I can guess form the chewing that she's teething, which I wouldn't know on anything you can give her apart from toys, but for the fleas its best the wash her in dawn dish soap! I found that the dish soap kills fleas, and it should be a bit more safe for her then the adult stuff. Just make sure you run her under the water for a while to make sure all the soap is off though   Also you can use with that garlic tabs, because fleas are like Vampires they don't like garlic! Just poke those down her throat; cut it in half because it might be too big for her to swallow. 

[Lightning Twirl]

You might want to research a natural remedy to repelling fleas! Kitty is so young and keeping plants around might be a safer option than chemicals! I know that my husband uses herbs to repel mosquito, spiders, and beetles and they are simple things like sage, orange peels, and mint. It seems to work, especially lightly burning some sage! No bugs here! I would be afraid that kitty might get into the plants, heehee they can be naughty!  You might really want to consider giving kitty a few warm baths a day followed by a combing, I used to have  kitten with fleas and it seemed to kill or stun the fleas! I have heard of people using flea combs and petroleum jelly to make flea catching easier. Yes yes pictures please!! ♥♥♥ I LOVE cats!

[kaoskat]

We used the dishsoap (don't actually remember which) on our cats when I was a kid. It really didn't seem to do anything.

[Marigold]

Dawn is used on all kinds of animals including young animals during oil spill clean up activities.  It should be safe for kittens.  If you use any kind of dish soap, I recommend Dawn for that reason. 

[Squirrelypaws]

We recently had a litter that we turned over to a rescue because we were moving, and the woman who picked them up immediately treated them all with Frontline, so I think that comes in a kitten formula. They were all eight weeks old. So it might be worth asking your vet about that.

If not, Dawn should be fine to give her a bath. We've used it in the past, and it did seem to help, but as there's really nothing in it to prevent fleas from getting back on the kitten, you need to do it every day or every couple of days.

There's a pill you can get from the vet that is safe for kittens; we've used it on a five-week-old litter that we bottle-fed. I believe it was called Capstar? That'll kill any fleas currently on her, but you'll need to either give her baths with Dawn or comb her regularly until she's old enough for the spot treatments.

[CrazyCatPony]

I use the dawn trick to get rid of fleas... just let it soak on her for about 5 min... wash off then use a little conditioner so her skin doesnt get dry.

[Galactica]

Dawn and a flea comb are a good idea- asking your vet is another good idea.

The problem is that the strong commercial flea medicine (ie Advantage) is really toxic- so it can hurt small kitties.   My own cat is violently allergic to it.

[rearing_palomino164]

Thanks for all of the great info everyone!! I asked my friend who works at a vet office and she said the dawn and water will be ok to use. And using the flea comb. I'm nervous about going straight out and buying any chemical repellant until she's a bit older. I also worry about washing her too much with the Dawn, I don't want her to catch cold.  We'll see what the vet reports for us. 

Here is her picture. Her name is Domino. She loves sleeping on my boyfriends chest and cuddled up to your side in the bed at night. She's a sweet little one.
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[Moony]

They make a kitten/puppy formula of Revolution. It is a spot on treatment your vet should carry I work at a vet office and we had a speaker come in and speak to us about fleas. They can lay dormant in your home for months at a time so having to wash your kitten everyday seems like a hassle versus protecting her all month with a once monthly flea treatment It i?is recommended that you use a flea treatment for at least three months in a row

[Aednatia]

what a cutie!