My kitten is unwell!

Question
we have a kitten which is 4ish months old. He has a sister who is lively and growing more than anything, but this one isnt! He is very fragile, isnt eating, doesnt cry anymore, sleeps all the time, and gets to sleep REALLY easy (i picked him up yesterday and he fell asleep in my arms)
Sometimes he can lose his balance a bit, and it's getting to the point that when he sleeps we have to keep checking he's breathing :-(
Now, we do know he has fleas, but could fleas be causing this much damage? Because he has no character, or nothing, he just sleeps and walks really. It's getting worse day by day but i didn't know if you might have any idea what the problem is?
Thanks

Jade

Answer
Jade,

Fleas can cause anemia that can cause the symptoms you describe, treating fleas with a pet store product can also cause these symptoms especially if the concentration of the medicine is stronger than it should be. If fleas or a flea control product is causing this your vet may be able to support the kitten until he is able to cope on his own again. This kitten may also have some sort of birth defect causing these symptoms. I am not a vet so I can't give you a diagnosis, but I would really strongly suggest that this kitten sees a vet immediately. This is not a good sign that this kitten is in such poor shape, he could have dangerous infections that are viral or bacterial in nature. He may be severely dehydrated. The sooner that this kitty sees a vet the better. You should know that given the shape he is in you may lose him, so time is of the essence, this is an urgent matter. Hopefully your vet will be able to figure out what is wrong and put your kitty back on track. Please keep me posted and let me know what the outcome is. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.