update on stray kitty

[HappyLady]

Turns out stray kitty is a mama kitty. :) I put a storage bin with a blanket in it on my porch for her and today two kittens, about 3 weeks old, appeared in it. :lol:

 

I'm happier that they're in, what I am assuming is, a better location than where they were before, but I really wanted to bring them inside since I can confine her now. Unfortunately, they all have fleas. :(

 

I called my vet and they said to wash them in Dawn dish detergent, but I can't put flea meds on any of them yet. I can't imagine what it's going to be like bathing an adult cat. :glare: I'm thinking maybe I can bring all of them in the bathroom and keep them confined in there and *fingers crossed* no fleas get in my house.

 

Any suggestions on all this? I've never bathed a cat before. :confused:

[Jeannie in NJ]

You probably will not be able to bath the mama cat. Maybe you can just put the Dawn on a damp, slightly wet washcloth and wipe her with it. Also get a flea comb and put a bowl of water near you and comb the fleas out and put them into the bowl to drown. Most cats love being combed. If you bathe the babies, make sure to dry them off well, don't leave them too damp.

[Belacqua]

The babies shouldn't be problem to wash, but Mama might. I'd suggest a big towel to wrap her in and thickish rubber gloves (such as regular dishwashing gloves). Long sleeves.

 

We once had some success bathing a cat by putting her in a laundry basket, then lowering that into the bathtub. Still, it was not pretty.

 

Good luck!

[Lara in Colo]

this is how I bathe a cat:

 

bath tub filled about 5 inches with warm water. Fill and turn off water before getting the cat (the sound frightens them)-- you want the water to be deep enough that the cat can lie on her side and have only her head above water.

 

have LARGE towels nearby and another person to help.

 

soap (not much, the more soap, the more more rinsing)

 

grab the cat by the feet, holding feet tightly and don't let go!!

 

you must watch the teeth (esp since this isn't your cat (in her heart yet))

 

swish the cat in the water on her side til wet.,(sort of a forward and backward motion)

 

shampoo (get help)

 

rinse the same way. (only rub with hands on fur)

 

IF there are fleas, they will go to the head--pick 'em and pop'em now.

 

Talk in a low nice voice the whole time. What you say doesn't matter, but the tone is important.

 

If the cat is doing fine, let her stay submerged a while so you can get all the fleas to run for the head.

 

Take cat out and wrap in towel (wrap the feet down so cat cannot crawl out)

Take care always to keep the feet contained. Only the head should be showing and the feet should be trapped.

 

Now go to a quiet room and hold cat, talking gently while letting the towel absorb the water.

 

I give the cat access to a warm blanket (heating pad under it) or a spot of sunlight.

 

 

remember NEVER LET GO OF THE FEET UNTIL IN THE TOWEL

[Catwoman]

Thanks for the update -- I hope you're able to get rid of the fleas. I hate fleas!

[Barb_]

 

We once had some success bathing a cat by putting her in a laundry basket, then lowering that into the bathtub. Still, it was not pretty.

 

 

Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?

[Tree House Academy]

You should be able to put flea meds on momma cat. I would NOT bathe a feral mother cat. LOL

 

The babies will do GREAT with dawn dish soap and a flea comb. I bottlefed an abandoned baby that was 2 weeks old at the time and covered with fleas. We used the dawn on him twice and the flea comb every day for a week. He was confined to a cage/box so I did not get fleas in my house. If you treat momma cat with "Revolution," it will clear up fleas in just a few hours. Revolution is wonderful - and does intestinal parasites at the same time. A flea comb will get the flea dirt and any survivors out of her fur. Confine her to a room with a hard floor until then.

 

Rebecca

 

(Who only has 7 cats from which to base her experience. LOL)

 

ETA: PICTURES! :)

 

Baby Meowgie when we got him

 

 

Baby Meowgie as he started to get old enough to play with

 

 

"Baby" Meowgie now. :001_wub:

 

Edited September 28, 2012 by Tree House Academy

[mom2jjka]

You could also try calling a pet groomer. (Some of the ones around here advertise that they will also groom cats.)

[SonshineLearner]

You should be able to put flea meds on momma cat. I would NOT bathe a feral mother cat. LOL

 

The babies will do GREAT with dawn dish soap and a flea comb. I bottlefed an abandoned baby that was 2 weeks old at the time and covered with fleas. We used the dawn on him twice and the flea comb every day for a week. He was confined to a cage/box so I did not get fleas in my house. If you treat momma cat with "Revolution," it will clear up fleas in just a few hours. Revolution is wonderful - and does intestinal parasites at the same time. A flea comb will get the flea dirt and any survivors out of her fur. Confine her to a room with a hard floor until then.

 

Rebecca

 

(Who only has 7 cats from which to base her experience. LOL)

This.... Seriously, I would not bath the Mama. I would put the meds on and leave them in somewhere like the garage.... You'll have to do the meds, then do the kitties... then put them back together. I'd also ask my vet about the pill for the Mama that kills fleas on contact. If she's hungry, perhaps she'd eat that in a pill pocket or smushed with salmon or something like that. Then put Mama and babies back together. Seriously, for the love of your other animals, don't put them in the same vicinity till you get them cleared from the vet. At this point, I think a Feline Leukemia test (and whatever the vet recommends) could be done only on the Mama cat.... If you're gonna keep the cat, why don't you pay the money and have the vet techs do your work :)

[Jpoy85]

The mom cat you CAN and SHOULD put flea meds on her. The babies are too young. Dawn will work. Regular dawn will work.

[Tree House Academy]

This.... Seriously, I would not bath the Mama. I would put the meds on and leave them in somewhere like the garage.... You'll have to do the meds, then do the kitties... then put them back together. I'd also ask my vet about the pill for the Mama that kills fleas on contact. If she's hungry, perhaps she'd eat that in a pill pocket or smushed with salmon or something like that. Then put Mama and babies back together. Seriously, for the love of your other animals, don't put them in the same vicinity till you get them cleared from the vet. At this point, I think a Feline Leukemia test (and whatever the vet recommends) could be done only on the Mama cat.... If you're gonna keep the cat, why don't you pay the money and have the vet techs do your work :)

 

 

Absolutely! Do NOT put those cats near your other animals (especially other cats) until you can have them tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV...and until you get rid of the fleas. Keep litter boxes seperate for quite some time and until you know if momma is having normal poos. I almost killed my elderly cat once when I brought in a stray that had giardia!

[Critterfixer]

Go get you a dose of Revolution for cats for your mother cat, or a dose of Frontline. Both are approved, safe and tested for lactating and pregnant females.

 

The kittens at three weeks should pose no problems for a bath.

 

Bites are dangerous, and so are scratches. Play it safe and get rid of the fleas.