This unlike most of my writing in books and blogs is not a work of comic genius but (I hope) an informative article that will save the lives of more than one Kitten because I have noticed that the vast global conglomerates who make Flea spray are advertising their products so Flea time has come around again and we are all about to get sprayed with pesticides most of which would be banned if they were used on humans.
What my rather eye catching headline means is this. Ok we all get Fleas because we have fur coats, or are like Hedgehogs and live outside, but that is no reason for you humans to reach for a can of Flea spray without first thinking and definitely reading this article for some helpful hints and tips before you start to mist up every Kitty in sight.
Why you may ask is this Cat getting all serious, well the answer is pretty simple, if you use Flea spray or Flea powder on a Kitten there is a good chance that you will kill it, because kittens are really very fragile.
Ok call me a “daft Cat, Fleas have to be got rid of!” I hear you mumble. Well you are right and there are ways to get rid of Fleas in young Kittens without getting rid of the Kitten permanently.
As you humans may or may not know Fleas can actually do young Kittens a lot of harm, they can cause death by Anaemia and of course that means that Fleas have to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
If your Kitten or Kittens are with their Mum and nursing it’s more than likely that Mum has a Flea problem so the first thing you need to do is to treat her, when she is taking a break from looking after her Kittens if you can. If there are other cats or dogs in the household you need to treat all pets and also your house.
Not many people know that the safest way to treat a Kitten under 6 weeks of age for Fleas is simply to give them a bath in warm water and a very mild shampoo like a baby one, then just pick off the Fleas that don’t jump ship so to speak.
Most mild shampoos can be effective against Fleas and will kill them quickly which just water won’t. When you wash a Kitten or indeed a Cat the best way to do it is in the kitchen sink, gently dip the Kitten in the water and then using your hand pour water over their fur then gently rub in the shampoo around the neck, face, head, ears, and under the chin.
I can’t stress this enough do please be careful not to get soap in the Kitten’s eyes. You may notice that Fleas are not daft and as your Kitten gets wet they will scurry up the Kitten’s body heading for the high dry ground of the head area you can stop this by carefully washing the head but don’t forget what I said about the eyes.
While you change the water to rinse your Kitten wrap your Kitten in a blanket change the water and then carefully and gently put your Kitten back into the water with most of the Kitten’s body underwater and leave the Kitten like that for a few minutes to drown as many Fleas as you can.
It almost goes without saying, but I know you humans are a little hard of understanding so I will say it having two people wash a Kitten makes life a lot easier, one to hold the Kitten and the other to wash, and of course two humans almost equal a Kitten in Brainpower – well that is what I have found tee hee.
The things to remember when washing a Kitten are.
1. Don’t let the Kitten get cold
2. Don’t let the Kitten’s head go underwater
3. Don’t get shampoo in the Kitten’s eyes
4. Kittens can break so be gentle
After you have given your Kitten a bath use a flea comb. If you don’t own a Flea comb then the good news is that they are cheap to buy and very effective and will get all of the Fleas that have been clever enough to stay in the Kittens fur in spite of the bath.
The best time to comb your Kitten is it’s still damp. Just comb over his body with a flea comb and then pick off the last of the Fleas while they are struggling to get away through the damp hair.
It’s a good idea to have a container of boiling water handy so that you can drop the fleas into it as you catch the little blighter.
I promise that hot water is best because I remember as a Kitten watching Fleas actually jump out of cold water. Another idea is to have some sticky tape placed sticky side up and put the captured fleas on this. Combing may be easier on a shorthair kitten than a longhair one.
The things to make this easier.
1. You can put some Vaseline at the bottom of the comb’s teeth. It will stop the Fleas escaping the comb
2. Put a little Vaseline on the tip of your fingers that is you see a Flea on your kitten you can dab it quickly with a blob. I know it sounds as though I am pulling both of your legs but I assure you that it will stop the Flea from running away and so make it much easier for you to catch the Flea.
About the Author
The Cat is one of the most successful feline authors in the history of Catkind. His sharp elegant wit has produced the bestselling book ‘Getting Out – Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary’ and of course the much plagiarised gag of the same name which appears on all of the funniest joke sites on the internet.
Copies of the Cat’s masterpiece of feline literature ‘Getting Out – Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary’ and his latest wonderful book ‘The Cat’s Travelogue’ can be purchased at a bookstore near you or from the internet at Amazon.com and here for the Travelogue The Cat’s Travelogue Paperback Edition or at what The Cat calls his www – wickedly wonderful website here www.thecatsdiary.com where you can not only learn more about me the genius Cat but also play my games they are all paw picked by me and have been described as “exactly what free on-line games should be, fun, free and fantastic.”
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