When can you wash a kitten for fleas for the first time and with what?

There are many effective ways to protect yourself from ticks, fleas and lice. One of the most gentle among them is antiparasitic shampoo. The fact is that after its use, practically no active substances remain on the animal’s fur. Even kittens can be bathed with such shampoos, but before use, be sure to read the instructions in detail. Remember that the shampoo used must be intended specifically for kittens

The advisability of bathing

First of all, this is an opportunity to get rid of insects that parasitize a small pet. The active substances that make up industrial sprays, tablets and gels are quite aggressive. The baby’s immunity is just beginning to develop and any poisoning caused by toxic drugs can be fatal.

Bathing a kitten with flea shampoo is the only panacea for blood-sucking parasites. Therapeutic water procedures are especially important for purebred cats, for example, Scottish or British, because they have a very difficult time being around these insects.

Bathing

For reference! Some cat breeds love to swim and enjoy spending time in the water. Among them are Maine Coons, Bobtails, Egyptian Mau and Bengal cats.

Which brand of flea drops for dogs is best to choose?

There are many manufacturers of medications for animals, but not all can offer high-quality products. The rating experts, the VyborExpert team, selected only reliable, proven brands that have certificates and have passed state certification. To familiarize readers with each brand, brief characteristics are presented:

Bars is a brand of the Russian corporation Agrovetzaschita, registered in 1993, which produces medicines for pets, fish, birds, and reptiles. The company has many awards and a GMP certificate, which allows it to successfully export goods to other countries.
Novartis is a popular pharmaceutical brand from Switzerland founded in 1996 as a result of an alliance of two brands. The manufacturer is known in 140 countries around the world, is a member of EFPIA and even occupies a place in Forbes, which speaks of its scale.
Astrapharm is a company from Russia with a large production complex and a research laboratory. The corporation develops medications for animals in the form of tablets, sprays, and aerosols that meet all quality standards.
Inspector is a trademark owned by the Ecoprom company, registered in 2005. The manufacturer cooperates with the German laboratory Veterinary Bio, creating unique and highly effective drugs for animals of European quality.
RolfClub is another Russian brand that is part of the Ecoprom company and represents a series of various products for animals. The brand offers collars, shampoos, tablets for pets, as well as insectoacaricidal medications.
Bruno is a large corporation from Russia that produces a variety of animal care products. The company cooperates with the Swiss laboratory Swiss Laboratory Defense, where special unique products are developed for almost every breed.

The best dewormers for dogs

Contraindications

Despite the apparent safety of this enterprise, it has a number of contraindications. The critical point is age. Under no circumstances should kittens under 3 months of age be allowed to participate in water procedures. During the washing process, skin lubricant dissolves, which opens up wide possibilities for dermatitis and other skin problems.

Swimming restrictions:

Disease . If the kitten is sick (problems with the gastrointestinal tract, helminths, lichen, infections, etc.), then before bathing you should consult a specialist.
Vaccination . Your pet should not come into contact with water for two weeks after any vaccinations.
Surgical intervention . If there are fresh stitches on the body, then water procedures are strictly prohibited.
Stress . When a cat is psychologically unstable, it cannot be treated with detergents and water. This will only aggravate stress and discourage your pet from water procedures.

Rules for applying the medicine

Before using the medicine, you need to weigh the animal to determine the dosage.
On the packaging of any drops you can find information for what age and weight the drug is suitable. It is better to carry out processing with rubber gloves. The animal is clamped, the fur is spread at the withers and the required number of drops is applied. After application, you need to gently massage your neck so that the drug is absorbed faster.

Do not use the product if there are scratches or redness on the skin. It is recommended to test the drug in advance - drop one drop on the animal’s skin and see if an allergic reaction occurs.

After treatment, the cat should not be allowed outside or bathed for several hours. If there are children or other animals in the house, you need to temporarily isolate the cat from them for the period specified in the instructions.

Drops are not suitable for all animals. They cannot be used for pregnant cats, kittens less than 2 months old, sick or malnourished animals. When treating a healthy adult animal, you need to make sure that the pet cannot reach the application site. Do not allow the medicine to get into the eyes or ears of the animal.

If after applying the drops signs of poisoning appear - vomiting, increased salivation, loss of orientation, you need to contact a veterinarian.

At what age can you bathe a kitten?

Is it possible to bathe a kitten that is a week old or a little more? Absolutely not. Babies, unlike adults, are more vulnerable to diseases due to weak, immature immunity. Water violates the integrity of the protective film, which is fraught with the penetration and development of harmful microorganisms, including fleas.

There is no need to wash your pet for the first 2 months of life . All hygiene procedures, as well as cleaning from blood-sucking and other parasites, are undertaken by the kitten’s mother. If for some reason the latter is absent, then procedures can begin at 30 days of age.

At 3 months, the baby will already be stronger and bathing will not cause him any significant harm. Breeders do not recommend postponing the procedure to a later date. The older your pet gets, the more difficult it will be for him to get used to water. So the question: “When can you wash a kitten?” can be answered with confidence - upon reaching 3 months of age.

Types of cat shampoos you can use to wash your pet

In order to wash a pregnant cat with shampoo at home, choose the type that will not harm your star’s body. Below you can see examples of such products that you can use to wash your animal.

With liquid shampoos, washing will be easy and simple. If you have a chance to buy an imported product, take it, since the domestic product has proven itself a little worse in this regard. Such shampoos cannot be used more than 3 times a year.
Dry shampoos. They are used if animals are afraid of water, and you want to wash it. The problem with using such shampoos is that some violent animals simply do not allow the shampoo to be combed out of their fur. This is typical for long-haired cats. Dry shampoo may contain substances that make combing much easier.
Special shampoos. They are completely identical in their functions to dry shampoos, but are much more convenient to use. They also additionally have a pleasant scent that you can choose any day.

How often to wash?

Too frequent procedures deteriorate the quality of the coat. It is necessary to treat a kitten for fleas taking into account its breed, the specificity of its hair coat and its state of health. When it comes to pets that do not leave the apartment, they need to be bathed approximately 6 times a year .

Important! If fleas or worms appear, the procedure should be carried out immediately, even if the last contact with water was very recent.

As such, there are no restrictions in cats with little or no fur, like Sphynxes or Abyssinian cats. They get dirty noticeably faster, so the frequency of their bathing is reduced to once a month .

Features of the life activity of fleas on the skin of animals

Since the skin is a protective barrier, it is most susceptible to various diseases.

Cats' thick fur with an insulating undercoat traps warm air directly against the skin. A favorable temperature environment is created for the life and reproduction of fleas.

If your cat scratches its ears frequently, this may be a sign that it has fleas.

Fleas are attracted to body heat, vibrations from movement, and the smell of the cat. Dormant larvae quickly “come to life”, quickly turn into fleas, and then jump on the animal.

Ways of infection by flea parasites

Contact with the environment and objects on which flea larvae are found.
Contact with sick animals.

The presence of fleas in a cat is confirmed by the following symptoms

Fleas are the most common type of flightless blood-sucking parasite.

Dullness and hair loss.
Scratching and excessive licking of the fur (it is constantly disheveled) is a sign of flea dermatitis. A flea allergy is a reaction to a substance in flea saliva that prevents blood clotting.
Numerous peeling flakes of skin, sometimes with a bloody stain around the edges.
Intraepidermal hemorrhages. If you spread the fur with your hands and look at the condition of the skin, you will see distinct dark red lesions on a white background. In advanced cases, dark red scabs appear, the skin becomes covered with cracks and ulcers.
A specific sign of fleas is the presence of insects or their metabolic products in the form of black spots (dots) on the skin. More often they are localized in the area of the hind legs (the so-called “panties”) and the back.

Intense scratching can lead to secondary infection with the development of purulent complications.

Flea bites cause pain and itching to an animal.

Additional pathogens and infections carried by fleas

Yersinia, salmonella (affect the intestines);
pseudotuberculosis;
tularemia and brucellosis (especially dangerous infections);
tick-borne encephalitis virus;
trypanosomes.

Detergents

Regular soaps or shampoos will not work for humans. The kitten needs special products for bathing, and in case of flea infestation - containing active substances of a medical nature. In pet stores and veterinary pharmacies you can always find solutions depending on your situation and your budget.

Shampoos

Popular flea shampoos for kittens:

Kiss;
AVZ Elite Organic;
Api-San;
Beaphar;
Lugovoy;
Leopard.

How to properly bathe a kitten for the first time?

This is an important and responsible moment not only for the baby, but also for his owner. If the kitten does not experience stress the first time, then subsequent procedures will also take place without incidents - dissatisfied meowing and scratched hands.

Important! Breeders advise bathing the baby in a basin, and not in the bathtub. In such conditions it is much easier to hold it, and the pet will feel more confident in a small container.

Bathing process:

Fill 2 basins with warm water so that it reaches the kitten’s belly.
We cover the pet's ears with cotton pads, and it is also advisable to wear a harness.
While stroking the kitten, we lower it into the basin.
We scoop up the water with our hands and pour it over the baby.
Add flea shampoo, lather and apply to the coat.
Rinse the kitten in foam, and then in clean water.

After bathing, you need to wrap your pet in a towel, trying to squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the fur. After a couple of minutes, change it to dry. As soon as the water has drained, you can transfer the kitten to its usual environment - a house or to its mother cat. The latter itself will rid the baby of residual moisture.

Important! You cannot use the shower when bathing your pet. The kitten may be frightened by the strong jet and noise, which will discourage repeated procedures.

Basic rules for washing kittens

If you follow a number of simple rules, then during subsequent baths the kitten will experience noticeably less stress.

Recommendations:

The procedure cannot be carried out immediately after eating.
It is advisable to wash the kitten during its molting period.
Before bathing, the coat must be combed and tangled.
There should be no drafts in the processing area.
For the first time, it is better to take unscented flea shampoo.
The temperature in the basin should not exceed +40⁰С and not fall below +37⁰С.
The head should be wetted with a sponge, not with water from your hand.

During the first bath, an assistant will also help: one person calms the baby, while the other performs all the necessary actions.

Symptoms

Fleas make your puppy naturally want to scratch. The baby scratches the bites with his paws and gnaws fleas out of the fur with his teeth. With severe infestation by parasites, the animal’s life turns into severe torment, the following are observed:

changes in behavior.
The pet behaves restlessly, may whine pitifully, jump unexpectedly in its sleep or while walking;
deterioration in appearance.
The baby's skin may be red and irritated, and characteristic bald patches may be observed at the bite sites. Along the back and on the neck you can notice pinpoint redness covered with dried crusts;
flea feces in fur.
On the baby's fur or bedding you can see small black lumps resembling poppy seeds;
decreased activity, deterioration of general condition.
An animal infested with parasites may be nervous or lethargic. Depending on the degree of infestation, appetite decreases or increases, body weight changes, and appearance deteriorates.

How to teach a kitten to bathe?

First of all, the owner himself needs to tune in. Cats feel people very subtly and the latter’s excitement is immediately transmitted to the animal. Therefore, before bathing a small kitten, you need to calm down and relax.

In the basin

Before filling the basin with water, you should put your pet in it and play with it so that it gets used to the environment. As soon as the baby gets comfortable, you can pour water. At the same time, it is very important to stroke the kitten, while talking to it in lower tones.

How to dry?

Immediately after bathing, the baby should be wrapped in a terry towel. At the same time, you cannot rub the fur too much, otherwise the hair will become crumpled, and then tangles will form. If the wool is long, you will need several towels.

Afterwards the pet is released: it will lick and comb itself. After bathing, the kitten should stay in a warm room for at least 12 hours. A draft or low temperature is under no circumstances acceptable.

Important! If the baby trembles for more than 5 minutes after bathing, then you should resort to using a hair dryer or heater. In this case, the air flow should not be hot. In parallel with drying, you need to comb your pet.