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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | spayed | 1 year old | 2.53 lbs

I detected some fleas on my newborn kittens. I've being told that I can't use Advantage on the mother. Can I use the powder created for preventing fleas on the kittens? (Pictures below). Is it true the best way to prevent newborn kitten from fleas is to dampen their coat with warm water & use a flea comb? I hope you can tell me ways to help the kittens and their mother free from fleas. Fleas and tapeworm keep attacking the mother. :/

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 21st, 2019

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.

4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on February 22nd, 2020
Frontline is safe for nursing cats. For the kitten, you can use a flea spray sprayed onto a towel and then use the damp towel to wipe the kitten. Make sure it is a spray approved for cats. All other animals in the area will need to also be treated for fleas, since fleas on a kitten usually indicate a severe infestation of fleas in the area.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on August 22nd, 2018
Almond's kittens are so beautiful! Yes, you can bathe her. Do it in warm water and Dawn dish soap, and use a flea comb to comb out the fleas. You can do the same with the kittens, just make sure they are completely dry after their bath. Frontline spray is safe to use on the kittens to kill the fleas, and you use Advantage flea treatment on Almond. It's safe to use on nursing cats. 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. Best of luck, I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on May 20th, 2018
If the kittens are still nursing, it's not safe to put a spot on flea treatment on MumMum because they could lick it off and flea treatments are toxic to cats and kittens when ingested. If the kittens are no longer nursing, you can use the treatment on her, and keep her separated from them for at least 24-48 hours until it's completely dry. Then it will be safe for them to be around her. Best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on July 6th, 2016
Lucifer is old enough to have flea treatment put on him. I recommend getting a spot on treatment like Advantage or Revolution. You have to get the one for kittens or you could accidentally poison him if you get one for bigger cats. You can also give him Capstar, it's a one time pill that starts killing fleas in 30 minutes. You can give him the Capstar, then follow up with the spot on treatment (follow the directions on the package). You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash all his bedding and toys in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. A flea bomb would work well to kill all the fleas in the house.
10Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

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

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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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.

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

Is my newborn kitten safe from fleas if my adult cat has them?

He should be fine, but you can't guaranty he won't get fleas. keep an eye on him, it's usually easy to spot fleas on newborns. from the age of 2 days Frontline spray can be used for fleas in case you find any.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

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

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Cats have fleas & worms. How to treat them & home safely with babies?

All the cats in the house will need to be treated with the deworming treatment and flea treatment. If two of the cats have fleas, then the third likely has them as well and needs to be treated. Even if the third doesn't at the moment, there will be fleas in the home, and it could easily get them, so it does need protection. In addition, it is possible that your third cat also has tapeworms. I would get an additional flea treatment and deworming treatment, and give both to all of them. As for treating the house, I would wash all the bedding in hot soapy water. 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. In terms of your twins, keep them out of any rooms where you use the spray (same for the cats) until the spray is fully dried. If you do decide to flea bomb the house, remove the cats and your twins for the entire day. At the end of the day, it should be safe to bring them back home. You can talk to an exterminator to get more help on this issue.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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