They're Here!!!!! :-)

[JBalways2000]

my boys are here-and im so totally and utterly inlove:smt007 they are so gorgeous-we were playing with them in the carrier at every opportunity:D we decided to cancel the vets appointment we had set up for them and just collect some frontline pippettes instead. one problem-they do have fleas:? i havnt seen any actual fleas on them(because they are both mostly black and quite fidgety!! hehe) but i noticed alot of "dirt" in one of the boys fur-which was dried blood:? ive gave them the frontline, and also gave them and their poops a check-no sign of worms so maybe she did worm them after all. they both seem incredibly healthy otherwise, nice and chunky and very playful! we were getting lots and lots of licks from them on the way home and they have had a good feed and drink. theyv also decided to play in their litter tray:roll: :lol:

one question-i have them in a pen downstairs right now. with them having fleas, are they ok to wonder the rest of the house now? or is it best to let the frontline kick in? my vet told me they cant pass the fleas onto my other animals, and that once ive put the frontline on they will be fine to wonder the house, but thought id check with you guys first! never had to deal with fleas so any tips or advice is most welcome! because ive treated them so fast, will there be a need to treat the house? oh, and how long after treating them with frontline can i give them a wee bath? they are a little grubby at the mo, and what with all the dried blood etc in their fur.

i have took some piccies and will formally introduce them shortly;) SOOOOO happy!:D

[sweetmimi]

I think you have to leave the frontline on for at least 48 hours before you can bath them, As fir soraying the house it all depends on how long they were in the home before you treated them with the frontline.
I think it would be OK after about 30 minutes after the treatment to let them have the run of the house though if you dont want to keep them caged.
Would not worry too much about them being a bit stinky its best to wait a couple of days before you bath them.

[dinahsmum]

How lovely and exciting for you!
As for your questions - I think I'd give the vet a ring to get the official line. No point in undoing the work of the Frontline. Think Sweetmimi is prob right - don't wash them for a bit (if at all - I'm not keen on washing cats)

[JBalways2000]

Thanks for that. well i got the frontline on the way home with them(vets is on the train route) and treated them within about 10 minutes of being in the house!(they were in the carrier whilst i was getting the frontline ready, then i frontlined them and put them in the pen) so would you say my house is safe?

something else im worrying about-does frontline treat mites? on the packet it says it treats lice, ticks and fleas but im worried one of the boys might have ear mites. i could be being paranoid but hes been flicking his ears a little. they'v both had a scratch where i put the frontline, but im guessing thats normal?

i should have started this thread in health really! didnt realise id turn it into a flea/mite thread:oops: :lol:

[dinahsmum]

Some of the spot-on treatments do mites - it should say. Your boys may well have mites if they didn't come from the best of backgrounds. Have you got a dog - if so make sure it doesn't go near the kits till their ears are treated ... dogs suffer much worse.

[JBalways2000]

il have another read of the leaflet again in a minute then. i know the frontline spray does mites because i have a bottle of it here still that i was given for my rats when they had lice a couple of years ago, so hopefully the spot on is the same.

i havnt got a dog, but i do have other animals-dont suppose anyone knows if bunnies, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters or mice are effected by any kitty parasites?(yep, i have quite the zoo here! lol)

ive just had to drag my fiance away from them so they can have a sleep-he couldnt stop playing with them:lol: but they looked sleepy so have left them to it for a little while. will try uploading those piccies in a minute-dying to show them off!:D

[Fran]

Congratulations on the new arrivals!!

Frontline spot on as far as I know doesn't treat for ear mites. Stronghold does but as you have already used the Frontline you would be better consulting your vet for an alternative treatment if you think they have ear mites. Also, fleas and worms go hand in hand, so if they have fleas there is a big chance that they have worms too whether you see them in the faeces or not. If they were mine I would worm them too :)


Have lots of fun with them :D

[borderdawn]

Congrats, want pics!
Dawn.

[JBalways2000]

have just been playing with them again and i have a feeling they do have ear mites-one of the boys was acting a little strange and kept going to scratch his ear and losing balance a little:? but they are both shaking their heads a little and were both scratching more then:? probably nothing too much to worry about but i think i might get them to the vets tomorrow after all and get them checked over. plus i can get them wormed and treatment for ear mites if needed then.

just off to make a thread with some piccies in now;)

[JBalways2000]

have now uploaded piccies:D i forgot to say that i read the frontline leaflet again and it definately doesnt mention mites-im wondering what treatment will get rid of ear mites? i know the vet i was taking them to see, mentioned advocate as it does mites aswell as fleas, but obviously they'v had their flea treatment now! i picked up the flea treatment from a different vets(my usual vets, i was going to bring the boys to a new vets) and now im not sure which vets to bring them to for everything else!:?

[dinahsmum]

Sure that sounds more complicated than it really is! :?

Anyway, to take it slowly, it does sound as though the boys need to have their ears treated. If you hadn't done the Frontline they could have had a spot treatment that does mites as well. But they can't now, as you will overdose them on flea killer. So, I guess the answer is drops from the vet. Decide which vet you will use and 'just do it'. (If you are embarrassed about switching between two practices (not a great idea :? ) you could always tell the vet you do use that the previous owner did the Frontline immediately before you picked them up)

[Sweet]

Great news on your new arrivals.....off to look for pics x

[JBalways2000]

Dinahsmum: yep think i made it sound more complicated! lol and i think il take your advice and say that their previous owner gave me/done the frontline yesterday.

i have an appointment all booked for them for 5.40 this evening so will get all appropriate things! one thing thats worrying me, the person i got the boys from said that she wormed them with something she got from a vets. now im not sure whether to believe her considering she said they didnt have fleas!! do i still worm them today? if she DID only worm them last week(and again, not 100% sure if she did) would it be safe to do it again so soon? id rather get it done today if i can for piece of mind and making sure the boys are ok.

another thing-i know i probably dont need to treat my home for fleas as i treated the boys so quickly, but im very paranoid about this sort of thing. does anyone know of a product that is safe to use around animals and fish? it would be impossible for me to move all of the animals out of the house to treat it:? downstairs where the boys are is laminate flooring, and they have a duvet cover laid out in their pen-i was thinking of washing that and their toys/bowls today and bleaching the floor where they are but didnt know if the bleach would be too strong for their little noses?

sorry for all the silly questions:oops: would really appreciate some advice though!

[dinahsmum]

oh what a fussy new mummy you are! :lol: ;)

Good that you are going to the vet. Don't worry about the worming - they will sort it. Modern wormers are very effective and not as 'fierce'/purgative as in the olden days. Kittens almost always have worms from their mothers (so I'm told; seems strange when you think that most adult cats ought to be worm-free :smt102 ) and it is quite normal for them to have several doses of treatment whilst they are little.

There are flea products which you can use in your house - you have to keep the pets out of the room for a little while whilst/after you spray. Acclaim is one, Nuvan Top is another. I think they are both very toxic to birds and especially fish. I would only use them as a last resort and only when you know there are fleas.
Laminate is a good thing and fleas won't be able to do their lifecycle on that. Your cleaning idea sounds fine. Don't have the bleach solution too strong, there's no need for that.
If you want a natural flea deterrent use lavender oil. Dilute it hugely (say 5 drops to half a pint of water) and spray or sprinkle a few drops on a piece of clean cloth, let it dry and then put the cloth near the pets' bed.
Lots of vaccuuming helps keep them at bay too.
By the way, disinfectant (anything which turns cloudy in water) is very toxic for cats, so take care with that.

Now - go and play with them, coo over them whilst they are asleep and enjoy them. You're not supposed to worry! :)

[JBalways2000]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

you know me so well already!:lol: :lol: im such a huge worry wort-i really have to work on that:oops: :lol:

thankyou for all the tips and advice-feel much better after reading that!:D i will let you know what the vet says-i better go get playing with the kittens as ordered!;) :lol: