How to Treat Parasites in Kittens

Both internal and external parasites can affect kittens because of their developing immune systems. These parasites range from fleas, mites and ticks to intestinal worms. Left untreated, infestations cause anemia, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and even death. Rid your kitten of these pests by manually removing them or using topical or oral medication to kill them. Depending on the age of the kitten, you may need to use natural remedies on it; many parasite treatments are only safe on kittens older than eight weeks.

Things You'll Need

  • Dish soap or castile soap
  • Towels
  • Heating pad
  • Flea comb
  • Blunt tweezers
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Cat ear-cleaning solution
  • Olive oil
  • Medicated ear drops for cats
  • Lime sulfur dip
  • E-collar
  • Topical flea medication
  • Oral flea medication
  • 1/4 tsp. Diatomaceous earth
  • Cat worming medication
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Instructions

  1. How to Treat External Parasites

    • 1

      Wash the kitten with dish soap or castile soap to remove fleas. Place the kitten in a kitchen sink, wet its fur with lukewarm water, and lather its fur, up to its neck, with a small amount of the soap. Allow the soap to sit on the kitten's skin for 10 to 15 minutes to kill the fleas. Rinse the kitten with warm water and dry it with a towel. If the kitten is younger than eight weeks, place it on a heating pad, wrapped in a towel, to keep it warm.

    • 2

      Comb the kitten with a flea comb to remove any fleas from its coat and check for ticks. Apply petroleum jelly to the comb to catch the fleas and dip the comb into a bowl of rubbing alcohol to drown them. For very young kittens, use a pair of blunt tweezers to pick the fleas off.

    • 3

      Pick off any ticks that you find on the kitten with a pair of blunt tweezers. Grab the tick gently and pull the entire tick out, close to the head, which is attached to the skin. If the head remains, remove as much of it as you can. Place the tick into a bowl of rubbing alcohol to kill it.

    • 4

      Clean your kitten's ears with a cat ear-cleaning solution, found in pet supply stores, or a few drops of olive oil, to treat ear mites, a common parasite that affects kittens. Apply the solution or oil to a cotton pad and wipe away as much debris as you can from the kitten's ears. To kill the mites and relieve the irritation in the ears, a veterinarian may prescribe prescription ear drops, such as milbemycin, ivermectin or thiabendazole.

    • 5

      Bathe your kitten weekly in an anti-parasitic lime sulfur dip to treat a mange infestation on its skin that was caused by mites. To prevent the kitten from licking the solution while it dries, place an E-collar around its head for two to three hours after applying the dip.

    • 6

      Apply a topical flea treatment between your kitten's shoulder blades that also repels mites and ticks. It will kill these parasites and repel future infestations. You can use "Revolution" to kill ear mites, fleas and ticks, and some types of mites that cause mange. The medication is safe to use on kittens older than eight weeks. For flea infestations in young kittens, you can give it an oral medication, such as "Capstar," when it's 4 weeks old.

    How to Treat Internal Parasites

    • 7

      Give the kitten 1/4 tsp. of diatomaceous earth daily to kill internal parasites, including tapeworms, roundworms and hookworms. Mix this natural powder into the kitten's canned food.

    • 8

      Give the kitten a worming medication in liquid or tablet form, if it's older than six weeks, following the directions on the medication's package. Praziquantel tablets kill tapeworms, ivermectin kills hookworms and piperazine kills roundworms. You can feed the tablets to the kitten or use a dropper to administer the liquid medications. To use the dropper, open the kitten's mouth with your finger and quickly squirt the medication onto its tongue.

    • 9

      Apply a topical medication such as "Revolution" between the kitten's shoulder blades if it's older than eight weeks. This medication treats and prevents roundworms, hookworms and heartworms. "Advantage Multi for Cats" also kills these parasites, and you can use it on kittens older than nine weeks.