flea medicine

Question
It is flea season now and my cat has some fleas, but
she is nursing two week old babies
Can I treat her with flea drops while she is nursing
I know I can't treat the kittens

thank you so much
        Jerry An

Answer
Jerry An,

I would start to wean the kittens as soon as possible.  Usually by 3-4 weeks, you can start to give them solid food.  Once they are weaned and away from mama, you can treat the mama with something like Frontline.

What I would do, is to immerse the mother in warm water up to her neck, and, when the fleas all gather to the top of the head, pick them off with a flea comb.  You need to make sure she is thoroughly dry before you put her back with the kittens.

I would pick the fleas off the kittens with a flea comb and consult with your vet on how old the kittens need to be before you can treat them with frontline (my guess is 4 months).

One other nasty fact.  If you have had fleas, your cat probably has tapeworm, so, once the kittens are weaned and no longer nursing, you can get tapeworm medicine from your vet (a single pill, these days) and treat the mama.  I would wait until the kittens are much older to treat them and treat them only in conjunction with your vet.

Best regards... Norm.