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What's safe for fleas on my nursing cat and her newborn kittens?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 100 years and 11 months old | 6 lbs

My mama cat has three 2-day old kittens. She has fleas and they are on the babies. Can I use a flea collar on her or what can I do???

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 2nd, 2017

Great question! I don't recommend using a flea collar, they aren't very effective and often cause skin problems. You can give her Capstar, which is a one time pill that starts killing fleas in 30 minutes. It is safe to give nursing mothers. Then follow up with Revolution. It's a spot on treatment that is also safe to use on nursing mothers. 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.. Make sure Miss Kitty and her kittens are away from where you sprayed the flea spray until it is completely dry.

As for the kittens, they are too young for flea treatment and do not put anything on them. You can gently bathe them in warm water and Dawn dish soap, using a flea comb to get all the fleas out of their fur. Be sure to dry them completely so they don't get cold.

16Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jenny, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 31st, 2017
Advantage has been used safely in pregnant and nursing cats. I would let the kittens nurse, then remove mom to apply the medicine. It will take about 30 minutes for the medicine to dry, so I would keep them apart for that time frame, you do not want the kittens to lick that area.
10Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lauren M. Jones, VMD
Veterinarian
Published on June 24th, 2017
No, the kittens should not nurse from their mother after a bath with flea shampoo because they could develop tremors and neurologic side effects depending upon the active ingredients in the shampoo. At this point, try bathing your cat in original blue Dawn dish soap to remove any residue from the flea shampoo and then allow the kittens to nurse. Advantage flea prevention is safe to use in lactating cats, and can be found in most pet stores.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Published on October 3rd, 2017
Unfortunately, that product is NOT safe for cats that are nursing because the kittens will ingest the product as they nurse. You are correct that the safest option for the kittens is to bathe them with Dawn, but be careful to keep them warm because kittens cannot regulate their body temperature normally. For mom, there are very few products that are safe for nursing moms. I would recommend contacting your vet and see if they have any of the prescription products that are listed as safe for nursing moms. If they don't, then the safest thing to do is continue with regular baths and flea combing for now until the kittens are no longer nursing. (You can get a flea comb at a pet store which will help you remove the fleas.) Good luck! I'm sorry you're having too deal with this. I hope that was helpful.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on August 23rd, 2016
Unfortunately, flea collars aren't that effective at getting rid of fleas. The mother cat will need a spot on treatment, such as Frontline or Revolution, both of which are safe to use on nursing mothers. Remove the flea collar before giving her the spot on treatment. You can also give her Capstar at the same time, it's a one time pill that starts killing fleas in 30 minutes. You will have to wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. Do NOT use the spot on flea treatment on the kittens, it is not safe to use on them. You can gently bathe them in warm water, towel them dry, and then use a flea comb to comb out the fleas. A spot on treatment cannot be used on them until they are at least six weeks of age.
34Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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How to safely treat fleas on a nursing cat and her kittens?

Frontline spray is safe to use on kittens from two days of age. If the kittens are that age, you can safely use it on them. It can also safely be used on Baby. You will also have to disinfect the environment, as fleas live in the home and not on the animal. 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. If you do use a spray like Indorex, do not allow Baby and her kittens in that area until the spray is completely dry. I hope this helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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Is it safe to use Capstar or Frontline on my cat who just had kittens?

Both Capstar and Frontline Plus are safe for nursing queens. You may also need to treat the environment with something like Fleabusters. There is no flea preventative that is approved for the kittens - if they have fleas a flea comb would be best.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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Is Revolution safe for newborn kittens and their nursing mom?

You can treat the mom with revolution but there are no products labeled for kittens until they are 4 weeks old. I would not place the revolution on 3 day old kittens. all you can safely do for them is bath them in dish soap or baby shampoo and pick them off the babies. Keep the environment clean and treated and by treating the mom, then you can control the problem until they are old enough to have their own medicine

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Nursing cat and kittens have fleas. What safe treatment can I use?

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. Continue to keep the kitten separated from mom. They should have been weaned at 8 weeks of age anyway. They should definitely not be drinking her milk now. Keep them separated until her milk dries up. I strongly recommend you have her spayed as soon as possible before she becomes pregnant again. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-cats/ ) You are also not dosing correctly. They should each be getting a whole tube. As long as they are at least 1.5 pounds in weight they should have a whole tube. If you are unsure of their weight you will need to weigh them. You can get a human baby scale or kitchen scale to weigh them. All animals in the household should receive flea treatment EVERY month and you should also treat the environment for fleas; indoors and outdoors or you will continue to have problems. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-1389-knockout-es-area-treatment.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-9065-vet-kem-yard-spray-32-oz.aspx ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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Safe flea treatment for my kitten and home with small children?

Treating a flea infestation involves treating the pet(s) as well as the environment. Frequently, these "natural" products do little to resolve an infestation.They don't last long enough and/or are simply ineffective. You can use CapStar, a small pill, to kill any fleas on Luna within 30 minutes of ingestion This can be obtained from your veterinarian and can be given daily if needed. A monthly topical , such as Frontline or Revolution, should be used for at least 3 consecutive months to break the flea life cycle.You can apply it at night and it will be dry and safe by morning when the kids are awake. Treat the environment by vacuuming everywhere Luna has been. Discard the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately afterwards. Wash ALL bedding in the hottest water allowable and dry it in the dryer to kill any flea eggs. A safe area treatment would be Advantage Carpet and Upholstery Spray. See the link below for more information. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/advantage-carpet-and-upholstery-spot-spray

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My 3-month-old kitten has fleas. What's a safe and effective solution?

Baths do not help get rid of fleas. she is not too small to get flea treatment, at her age she can have every flea treatment on the market. here is the list of the best flea products on the market. Spot ons: Revoulution (stronghold in the UK) Advantage Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats Tablets: comfortis Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex

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Safe to worm nursing cat and her kittens? When to flea treat them?

I usually do not recommend using Praziquantel in lactating mother cats, Pyrantel Pamoate is usually fine and they can be dewormed from around 4 weeks of age. flea treatment can be given as soon as 2 days of age-- the ONLY safe product is Frontline spray.

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