Cats and kittens regularly play host to fleas and these little insects don’t simply irritate your pet. Fleas can cause anemia due to blood loss, which could make your adult cat really sick, and can sometimes be fatal in little kittens.

Topical treatments or collars tend to be the preferred method of flea treatment for cats and kittens since it is notoriously difficult to make them swallow pills. The product you choose to kill the fleas on your cat or kitten will depend largely on their weight and age.

When using topical treatments to get rid of fleas on cats and kittens, be sure to apply the medication on the spot between their shoulder blades on the skin. This will prevent them from licking the treatment. Allow the product to fully dry before letting your cat get wet, and before you let young children or other pets near them.

Bear in mind as well that the most effective way to get rid of fleas in the house is to treat your pet, home, and yard at the same time.

Getting rid of fleas on kittens younger than 4 weeks of age

Use a flea comb and bath on very young kittens because many flea treatments in the market have a minimum age limit of 4 weeks and a weight limit of 2 pounds.

Run the flea comb through your kitten’s fur before you give them a flea shampoo bath, as you should only run a flea comb on dry fur. Depending on the infestation level, you may need to repeat the process regularly to make sure you get all the fleas off your kitten. 

Getting rid of fleas on kittens 4 weeks of age or older

While it may be challenging to make cats swallow pills, if your kitten is at least 4 weeks of age and weighing over 2 pounds, you may want to consider giving them the oral treatment Capstar. Not only is Capstar one of the few products that treat such young kittens, but it is also a fast-acting treatment, which means it kills adult fleas within 30 minutes of administering and is safe to be used up to once per day.

Revolution for cats is a very popular and effective topical treatment for kittens over 6 weeks of age and weighing under 5.5 pounds. Revolution not only gets rid of fleas, eggs, and larvae on your pet, it kills newly emerged fleas before they can lay eggs as well.

Capstar

Revolution

Getting rid of fleas on kittens 8 weeks of age or older

There are a few more topical treatment options available for older kittens. Frontline Plus can be used on kittens 8 weeks of age and older, weighing at least 1.5 pounds, while kittens 9 weeks of age and weighing at least 2 pounds can be treated with Advantage Multi. Both Frontline Plus for cats and Advantage Multi for cats kill fleas, eggs, and larvae, offer your kitten protection from fleas for 30 days, and are designed to be used once a month.

If your kitten is at least 10 weeks of age, you can also use the Seresto flea collar not only to kill fleas (and ticks) and its larvae on your cat but also provide a safe and long lasting flea protection (8 months) for your pet.

Frontline Plus

Advantage Multi

Seresto

 

Activyl

Getting rid of fleas on cats and kittens 6 months of age or older

For cats and kittens over 6 months of age and weighing at least 2.6 pounds, Bravecto is the perfect flea treatment product. Bravecto topical kills fleas, eggs, and larvae and provides up to 12 weeks of protection against new infestations.