[stun181]

Can I give my 8 week old kitten milk? My kitten has fleas.. Will a flea collar help?

[twinkiedooter]

Yes you can give her milk. A flea collar will help but you must kill the fleas in your home as well.

[JudyKayTee]

Can I give my 8 week old kitten milk? My kitten has fleas..Will a flea collar help?

It was my understanding that you should NEVER put a flea collar on a puppy or kitten - my Vet is dead against them at any age because the animal constantly breathes the vapor.

Check the label before you use any flea product on any animal -

[twinkiedooter]

I agree about flea collars also. If you are looking for flea control without the poison may I suggest using 20 Mule Team Borax. Sounds funny, but I have used it for years with no adverse results on my dogs and cats. The fleas eat the borax and essentially explode (not really but you get the idea) because they cannot "burp". It takes about 2 weeks to 3 weeks fully get rid of the fleas if you have a bad infestation though. First I would take and vacuum the rugs, clean bare floors by moping, etc. Then I would sprinkle around the borax into the carpeting and the animal's bed. Don't bother with the bare floors though as fleas like carpeting and furniture better. I have actually taken the borax and put a little in my hand and then worked it gently into the animals coat. You don't want to put much onto the animal's coat though and if you don't want to put any at all on the animal, that's okay also as the fleas jump on and off the animal once they are done feeding and live in the carpets and on the furniture.

I lived in South Florida for many years and never had a flea problem with my German Shepard dogs once I tried the good old borax. They were constantly picking up fleas from outside. I was spending a small fortune on professional products that I would get from my vet to spray the yard and house and animal. Once I stumbled onto the borax treatment from another dog owner, I had no fleas period. I would do my home about once a month with the borax once I got the infestation under control. Let the borax in the carpeting between vacuuming so the fleas can "eat" their fill and "blow up". You can take your foot and use a fanning motion and "smush" it into the carpet or take your hand. Either way fleas are hard to get rid of once they are entrenched in your home.

[HSK]

Kitten milk, not the milk you would drink. You can get it at any pet store.

[RubyPitbull]

Stun, at 8 weeks old, your kitten is too young for you to use a flea collar on her. Judy is right, collars are loaded with pesticides and her little body can't handle that. Frankly, I don't like using them at all and prefer the use of other flea preventatives when they are adults. You also shouldn't be giving it cows milk. It is not the same as her mother's milk but in any event, at her age, she should be on kitten chow, drinking water and using a litter box.

If you take the suggestion of the borax (which a lot of people use) you need to ensure that no traces of it are left behind that the kitten might ingest. At this point in time, I would strongly advise you to make an appointment with a veterinarian, have your kitten checked for general health, get it up to date on shots, and discuss feeding and the flea problem with the vet.

[Wondergirl]

Cats and kittens frequently lick themselves, their fur, to groom themselves. DO NOT put any powders of any kind on a cat or kitten until a vet has okayed it.

What works for dogs will not always work for cats because dogs do not lick their fur.

Also, cats and kittens are usually lactose intolerant and cannot digest cow's milk. Diarrhea will result. Use the canned special kitten milk from a pet store or cat food section at the grocery store.

[twinkiedooter]

My adult cats and kittys never got sick from the borax as I didn't use a whole bunch on their body and would put the majority of it on their neck area where they cannot lick. Like I said, you can just treat the carpeting and their bedding and that will take care of the flea problem.

[leesaC23]

Just a question for twinkiedooter , I have 2 kittens that are 3 or 4 days old , and I'm just wondering...
Can I make some sort of milk for them , can they drink milk powder?

[Wondergirl]

just a question for twinkiedooter , i have 2 kittens that are 3 or 4 days old , and i'm just wondering....
can i make some sort of milk for them , can they drink milk powder?

Don't give them cow's milk (causes diarrhea). Buy kitten milk at a pet store. Twink might have additional suggestions.

[JelloPumkin]

LeesaC23:

No, the issue with dairy products is the lactose, a type of sugar naturally occurring in all milks. As kittens develop past weaning age they lose their ability to digest lactose and it may cause diarrhea.

Some cats can continue to drink small amounts of milk throughout their lives, but small amounts only. Most will get the runs from more than a bit of milk.

This also holds true for powdered milk. Powdered milk has the fat and the moisture removed only. The drying does not affect the amount of lactose.

So watch the kittens carefully for loose stool. If they seem unaffected they are probably not drinking enough to cause them digestive upset. Just watch it!

Diarrhea causes dehydration which can have a serious impact on a kitten's health. It also has a negative nutritional effect since the diarrhea causes food to pass out before the nutrients hae been absorbed from the intestinal tract.

[tuckjane]

Kittens and Cats are very allergic to the lactose in our milk. So no you should not give him any milk. I am allergic to milk and drink Laidaid. My cats love it and there is not any lactose in it. Please don't give the kitty milk!
Jane