Why is my kitten's bath water red and still has fleas on its face?

The reddish color in the water comes from the flea poop (or "flea dirt", as it's often called). This looks like little black specks in the fur. The black specks are actually digested blood from the fleas, and will turn red in water. So this is nothing to worry about, just a normal part of having fleas. Once you get rid of the fleas, you should stop seeing the reddish color in the water :) I would suggest using a good quality monthly flea medication such as Stronghold or Advocate - you can get these from your vet. They're generally safer and much more effective than over-the-counter flea meds for cats.

Fleas and allergies to fleas can set-up an environment for infection. It's possible that this is complicating the recovery process. The skin will often start to heal once the fleas are gone, but it's worth treating for infection by giving a bath with a medicated cat shampoo (can get this at the pet store). I recommend discontinuing the use of dawn, because this can be very irritating to the skin and actually delay healing or make the problem worse. Dawn will also not completely get rid of the fleas. In general, only products labeled for cats should be used, because their skin pH is different than peoples. It's best to just give a bath with the medicated shampoo once every 2-3 days, until the skin starts to look normal. It's expected that it will take a month or more until the kittens start to look normal again, so stick with it and they should get through this fine. Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the cats and environment for fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ If the skin problems are not getting better, or are getting worse in the next two weeks, then it's best to have your kittens evaluated by a vet, because they may need additional treatment.

Cute kitty. This is likely a flea and actually you can bathe kitty as early as 2 weeks of age, since that is when most kitties can regulate their own body temperature. Fleas are very small and move very fast. They can cause itching and also they can carry tapeworms which can come out in the stool and look like little grains of rice. And actually Pinky is old enough for topical Revolution flea prevention, which is ok to give to kitty’s who are at least 6 weeks of age. Ask your vet for a prescription, since this is not available over the counter. But you can go ahead and bathe Pinky now, just blow dry him a bit to speed up the drying process if it is cold temperature where you are. I hope this helps and best wishes with your kitty and these fleas. Take care.

I would recommend a Dawn dish soap bath with warm water and make sure you dry Sally well. I would look for a product called Frontline Spray, which should be labeled for young cats. Once she is 6-8 weeks, talk to a vet in your area about topical products, like Revolution or Frontline Gold. I also recommend treating the house for fleas with a carpet spray. Remember to throw out the vacuum bag and treat the other pets in the house for fleas. Make sure Sally is eating a quality diet with the proper vitamins and minerals the help the anemia. If the anemia is severe, she may require a blood transfusion. Kisses to Sally!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Sonny does have fleas. The tiny red dots are flea poops (dried blood) that are now wet/rehydrated. I recommend contacting your vet for flea prevention medication to use every 30 days. Over the counter products don’t work and can be dangerous for cats. If you use a veterinary products you won’t need flea collars or flea baths (which also don’t work). You need to treat all pets in the home every 30 days. You should also get a home treatment, follow the directions and vacuum all flooring and surfaces well then throw out the bag. If you do this every 30 days as directed you should be flea free in 3-4 months. Good luck and kisses to Sonny!

Poor kitty. In order to know what the stuff in in her poop, we would need to see it. It could possibly be blood, so its best to get this checked out by your vet if you suspect its blood or if it continues to show up in the stools. You can also take a picture of it if it happens again and share it here on the forum so that we can give our best opinion on what it is and if it warrants a vet visit or not. Often-times it takes several baths with dish dawn detergent to get rid of all the fleas. Subsequently you should also treat the house with a flea fogger (purchased from your local Lowes or Home Depot) or a spray such as Frontline that can be used on surfaces. The bleeding you saw when you washed her was likely mostly the fleas and bloody poop (flea dirt) insteda of Snowball actually bleeding. Check her skin for any signs of a serious infection and have this treated by your vet if needed. Also, if Snowball is more than 2 lbs, then at this age she can have a flea product called Capstar (Nitenpyram). This will kill all remaining fleas within 1 hr, but is not a preventative, so the fleas can get back on her if she is exposed to them again, which is why it is so important to treat your home and not allow her outside until she can get on a regular flea preventative (Revolution). Revolution can be given to kittens as young as 8 weeks of age. : ) The capstar instant flea killer can be repeated daily if needed and again is safe for any kitten over the age of 4 weeks or more than 2 lbs. In order to know what the stuff in in her poop, we would need to see it. It could possibly be blood, so its best to get this checked out by your vet if you suspect its blood or if it continues to show up in the stools. I hope that this helps and best of luck moving forward with your kitty Snowball. Take care! : )

Given that they are both fine and happy now, I wouldn't be concerned. Cats typically are not fans of being bathed, and it may have been a bit shocking for them to get out of the warm water into the cooler bathroom air. That may have been why they fell down. Flea baths do not provide lasting protection against fleas, and since cats hate baths so much, it would be better to use a flea treatment program for them. I will put one below for you, I hope this helps! First, I would give them Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash their bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.