kitten/fleas

Question
We have a 3-4 week old kitten, lousy with fleas. we have bathed 3 times, still has live fleas. is it ok to bathe her again?  

Answer
Hi, James.  I'd be very reluctant to bathe her again.  Although Advantage and Frontline are not labeled for kittens this young, they are used safely when fleas are a problem.  The threat of anemia from fleas is far greater than the possibility that there would be a negative reaction to these two flea treatments.  I've seen kittens die of flea-induced anemia.  So I have treated kittens under 10 days old with both.  On a 3-4 week old kitten, I would apply 4 drops of one or the other, between the shoulder blades.  You could certainly contact a vet to get his or her opinion on this.  I am lucky enough to have a vet who's very frank with me, and she has advised me to use one of these two on kittens with fleas.

Since she still has fleas after 3 baths, they are probably hiding in your carpeting or other soft surfaces and jumping onto her after the bath.  Frontline and Advantage will kill fleas almost instantly when they jump on her.  However, to keep fleas off of you, you will need to treat your home.  For this, I recommend rubbing Borax cleaner into all carpets and furniture.  Let it sit for two hours.  This works by dehydrating fleas and their eggs, larvae, and pupae to kill them.  Make sure the kitten doesn't have contact with the areas being treated during this time.  While it's non-toxic, Borax could dehydrate her if she swallows it.  When the two hours is up, vacuum all the Borax up.  I would toss the vacuum cleaner bag, or bleach the canister if you have a bagless, just to be safe.  Also, be sure to wash her bedding and yours in very hot water.

If fleas persist, you may need to use a flea fogger.  These are available at pet stores or lawn and garden centers.  They require that all living things leave the home for a few hours.  But they will kill fleas no matter where they hide.

Good luck!

Jessica