I just adopted a kitten from an animal shelter. She's about 8 weeks old. I've noticed that her feet, tail, and facial muscles twitch pretty hard when she's sleeping soundly. It's wierd to watch. I'm not sure if this is normal behavior.
I've read that she could be dreaming, or she could be allergic to fleas. I know she has fleas right now, I picked one off of her earlier this morning. I plan to bathe her later today to treat the fleas.
Do you think that it's the fleas that makes her twitch or is this a more serious problem???
She has to go to the vet next week to get fixed . . . any advice until then?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
fleas=twitching? Please Help!
Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
seriously doudt that the sleeping twiching is fle related...at this age the nervous system is not sure wher it is going or what it is doing..if it were fleas then of course they would scratch but not in their sleep..i think the twitching is normal, you may even see nystagmus,ie the eye fluttering back and forth..next vet visit mention this to him/her..and re the fleas would be best to use a flea comb at this stage..nastjhing OK but best without an insectecide...
Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
First of all, if you plan to bathe her, do NOT submerse her in water and do NOT apply any shampoos, products or flea products to her until she is seen by your vet and the product is recommended by your vet.
Since she hasn't had an exam, this is first and foremost important to determine her health status. If she does have fleas, and until she is seen by your vet, the only safe method is using a flea comb. You can accomplish this by dipping the comb in a dish of warm water with a drop of two of palmolive or dawn dish soap....comb through fur, rinse comb, repeat a few times until there is no evidence of fleas or flea dander. Be sure she is thoroughly dry, NOT immersed in water or soaked. You don't want her suffering from hypothermia.
Since she is only 8 weeks of age and was adopted through a shelter, it's paramount she recieves a health exam ASAP, you have no idea what kinds of bacterials and virals were going through the shelter that she could pick up.
If you notice any unusual behavior, decrease in appetite, lethargy, cold extremities, etc, she could be developing flea anemia, in which vet attention is needed immediately. (this can be a life-threatening situation if flea infestation is great and is not treated)
Call your vet and try to up the appointment to sooner. Btw, spays and vaccinations are based on age and weight, she may not be at optimal weight yet for a spay, only your vet can detemine this.
Since she hasn't had an exam, this is first and foremost important to determine her health status. If she does have fleas, and until she is seen by your vet, the only safe method is using a flea comb. You can accomplish this by dipping the comb in a dish of warm water with a drop of two of palmolive or dawn dish soap....comb through fur, rinse comb, repeat a few times until there is no evidence of fleas or flea dander. Be sure she is thoroughly dry, NOT immersed in water or soaked. You don't want her suffering from hypothermia.
Since she is only 8 weeks of age and was adopted through a shelter, it's paramount she recieves a health exam ASAP, you have no idea what kinds of bacterials and virals were going through the shelter that she could pick up.
If you notice any unusual behavior, decrease in appetite, lethargy, cold extremities, etc, she could be developing flea anemia, in which vet attention is needed immediately. (this can be a life-threatening situation if flea infestation is great and is not treated)
Call your vet and try to up the appointment to sooner. Btw, spays and vaccinations are based on age and weight, she may not be at optimal weight yet for a spay, only your vet can detemine this.
..........Traci
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Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
Thanks . . . that really helped. Yes, her eyes do flutter. I'm glad to know it's a normal stage.
I will try the flea comb thing. Does the dish liquid kill the fleas? How does that work?
The vet says she has to be 3 pounds before she can be fixed. She's about that now, so we are in the process of scheduling her for surgery.
What is a good age to start bathing cats?
We actually gave her a bath a few days after we got her. (4 days ago) Just a shampoo because she smelled pretty bad and she's a indoor cat. It didn't seem to bother her too much. We didn't put her in water, just poured it over her.
Should we wait a few weeks to continue bathing her?
I will try the flea comb thing. Does the dish liquid kill the fleas? How does that work?
The vet says she has to be 3 pounds before she can be fixed. She's about that now, so we are in the process of scheduling her for surgery.
What is a good age to start bathing cats?
We actually gave her a bath a few days after we got her. (4 days ago) Just a shampoo because she smelled pretty bad and she's a indoor cat. It didn't seem to bother her too much. We didn't put her in water, just poured it over her.
Should we wait a few weeks to continue bathing her?
Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
I would understand the need for bathing (shelter dirt, smell, etc), but cats don't need to be bathed, ever (unless they get into something they're not supposed to). Cats are impeccable groomers and do not require baths like dogs.
As for the fleas, besides drowning in the water, yes, the dishsoap should kill them.
As for the fleas, besides drowning in the water, yes, the dishsoap should kill them.
..........Traci
Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
The water doesn't always drown all of the fleas. The fleas can get really buried under the fur and onto the skin. When Poopie was a kitten she had fleas pretty bad. My husband had to physically pick them off with a tweezer, while she was wet. It was the only way to get down to the skin. The comb didn't penetrate all of her fur.
Re: fleas=twitching? Please Help!
when we bathed her before, we HAD to. she had runny poop and it was on her fur . . . smelled horrible.