A kitten in the house brings a lot of joy with the playful antics of your little best friend. There is also a lot to consider; you are busy with raising your kitten and must think about vaccinations and deworming. Of course, you don't want to deal with those pesky little critters, namely fleas and ticks. Fleas are found both indoors and outdoors and are active year-round. It's almost impossible to prevent your kitten from coming into contact with them sooner or later. Moreover, many kittens come with fleas from the litter. Besides severe itching, a heavy flea infestation can cause anemia, which in very severe cases can even lead to death. Fleas can also be the source of a tapeworm infestation.
Combating ticks is especially important if your kitten roams outside through grass and shrubbery during the warmer months (March to November). In addition to being a nuisance, ticks can also transmit unpleasant diseases. Pharmacy4pets helps you prevent or combat fleas and ticks on your kitten.
The flea cycle
The most common flea species on the cat is the cat flea. The dog flea can also occur on cats.
Fleas feed on your kitten's blood and lay eggs in its fur. One adult flea can lay up to 1000 eggs during its lifetime! The eggs fall out of your kitten's fur and into the environment. The eggs hatch after one to several days. The larvae then hide in dark spots in the house, such as in the cracks of your wooden floor, under cabinets, or in the carpet. They feed on household dust, skin flakes, and droppings from adult fleas. After some time, the larvae pupate and can survive in their protected cocoon for months. Certain stimuli (such as warmth, vibrations) trigger the cocoons to release adult fleas, which then seek food and end up on your kitten. These fleas lay eggs again, and the cycle repeats.
Checking your kitten for fleas and ticks
With a flea comb, you can check if your kitten has fleas. By carefully combing the fur, especially in areas where fleas like to stay (the base of the tail, armpits, and groin), you can find adult fleas or flea droppings. You can recognize fleas by their flat appearance from the side. They do not walk or fly, but rather jump. Flea droppings look like dark brown to black granules, often mistaken for sand. However, the difference is easy to spot by tapping the granules onto a sheet of white paper, then moistening and rubbing them with a drop of water. Because flea droppings are made of dried blood, they turn reddish-brown when moistened. Sand remains unchanged in texture and color. You cannot see the flea eggs with the naked eye.
You can recognize a tick as a cream-colored to black 'bump,' round to oval/flattened, that clings to the skin.
Removing a tick
The longer a tick is present, the greater the risk of disease transmission. Regularly checking your kitten is therefore essential. If the tick is removed within 24 hours of attachment, the risk of disease transmission is negligible.
When removing the tick, it is important not to disinfect or smear the tick bite with oil beforehand. To remove the tick in one go, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with the tick remover and carefully pull it straight up out of the skin with a twisting motion (when using a tick remover) or slide the tick hook under the tick and then twist it out. Disinfect the wound if necessary with Betadine solution. In the days following the bite, it is important to regularly check the skin to monitor for any signs of infection. For mild redness and swelling, you can apply honey ointment. If this does not help sufficiently or if the skin becomes significantly inflamed, contact your veterinarian. "Erythema migrans," the red, ring-shaped rash around the site of a tick bite that is alarming in humans, is NOT seen in cats.
Combating fleas and ticks on your kitten
Fleas are easy to treat but can be persistent. A thorough approach is therefore important! The choice of product depends on the age and weight of your kitten and your own preference. Many products can only be administered from a certain age and/or weight. Extra care is needed with young kittens! Pharmacy4pets offers various treatment methods so you can choose the one that best suits your kitten.
Flea and tick drops
The use of flea drops in pipettes or spot-on is a quick and effective way to de-flea your cat and/or protect against ticks. Advantage and Vectra Felis effectively kill fleas on your kitten and can be used from 8 weeks old (Advantage) and from a body weight of 600g (about 6 weeks, Vectra Felis). For very young kittens, Stronghold is a good option. This product can be administered to healthy kittens from six weeks old and also works against lice, roundworms, and (ear) mites. Stronghold is only available with a prescription from your veterinarian. The mentioned products are safe, kill fleas quickly, and work for about 4 weeks.
Spot-ons containing fipronil as an active ingredient, such as Frontline, Frontline Combo, and Pestigon Combo work for 2 weeks against ticks and can be used from 8 weeks of age and a weight of 1kg. Often kittens at 8 weeks weigh less than 1kg; in these cases, spot-on with fipronil is not a suitable option. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of resistance to fipronil in fleas. An alternative is Stronghold Plus, which, unlike regular Stronghold, can only be given from 8 weeks of age and a body weight of 1.25kg. Stronghold Plus protects against ticks for up to 5 weeks and also works well against fleas, lice, roundworms, and (ear) mites.
Tick and flea collar for kittens
A treatment method that works for a longer period is the flea collar. The Seresto tick and flea collar protects your kitten from 10 weeks old and for up to 8 months against ticks and fleas. When using the collar, contact with the skin of the active ingredients in the collar is very important. The collar must therefore be worn tightly enough to work properly. Since a kitten grows quickly, it is important to adjust the collar in time. The collar should not be too tight, of course.
Tablets for fleas and ticks
Tablets like Adtab kill fleas and ticks quickly, safely, and effectively. The tablets work for one month and can also be given to kittens from 8 weeks of age and with a minimum weight of 500g.
Flea spray
You can also de-flea your kitten with a flea spray. The sprays from Frontline and Effipro can even be used on very young kittens (be sure to use the 100ml variant). The spray should be applied over the entire coat or distributed with a glove. Proper dosage (spraying often enough) is of course crucial for good efficacy. Unfortunately, there is increasing resistance to fipronil, the active ingredient in, among others, Frontline. Spraying also often causes a lot of stress, but it is the only option for kittens weighing less than 500g.
Treating fleas in the house
Only 5% of the fleas are on your kitten. This means that up to 95% of the fleas are in your environment. By treating both your cat and your home simultaneously, the flea infestation will be brought under control faster. The best way to treat the environment is by thorough vacuuming and using an environmental spray (also spray the vacuum cleaner bag after vacuuming!). If you have other pets, such as a dog, don't forget to treat them too.
If you have both a dog and a cat, it is important to know that cats cannot tolerate permethrin, a flea treatment that works fine for dogs. Permethrin is found, for example, in Advantix. Permethrin poisoning in cats causes neurological symptoms. Therefore, flea treatments for dogs should not be used on cats. It is even safer to choose a product with a different active ingredient than permethrin for your dog if you also have a cat, especially if they have a lot of contact. If you have any questions about fleas on your kitten or about products from Pharmacy4Pets, please contact us.