# How long to isolate a stray?



## Oriole (Jan 11, 2010)

This is my first time fostering a stray kitten - I saw an add which said that an approximately 3-4 months old abandoned kitten had been found and that the woman who had taken him in could only have him until yesterday. Sadly, this is a very common situation here especially with the state of the economy  

Somehow his picture just 'spoke' to me - I instantly connected with him and knew that I would not forgive myself if I did not help the little guy. So last night I went to get him and now he's isolated in my bathroom (only room with door, but also the best room for flea containment). 

Last night, I dewormed him, bathed him with a special flea shampoo and when he was dry, treated him with Frontline Combo solution for fleas. He wasn't the worst case of flea infestation, but I think there were at least some 15-20 fleas on him. It's now been 12 hours since the bath and the Frontline treatment and I can happily say that I can no longer find any on him.

He is otherwise in good health, he was already checked out by a vet who confirmed only the need for deworming and flea control.

I have two cats of my own - a 4 year old and a 7 month old. Now the question is: how long do I have keep the stray isolated until I can be sure that the fleas won't jump onto my two cats? I got the pet-safe spray for treating the apartment in general, though I'm not sure how often that should be done.

Also, if they begin communicating, will that mean that I need to deworm my two kitties as well, just in case they have ingested some larvae eggs?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

> Oriole said:
> 
> 
> > his picture just 'spoke' to me - I instantly connected with him and knew that I would not forgive myself if I did not help the little guy.
> ...


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

laurief said:


> > Oops. Frontline should not be used within a week of a bath. Frontline distributes through the animal's skin layer by attaching to the skin oils - the same skin oils that you removed when you bathed him. So the Frontline you applied right after the bath had no way of distributing through the skin layer, making it effectively useless. The flea bath apparently removed the visible fleas, but it would be a good idea to buy a flea comb and comb him daily until it's safe to administer another dose of Frontline.
> >
> > Laurie
> 
> ...


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## Oriole (Jan 11, 2010)

Thank you for the replies!

I didn't know that fact about Frontline - in the instructions it only said not to bathe him for 24 hours _after _application...it didn't say anything about before  I have checked him thoroughly and haven't found any more fleas on him, so perhaps it is working despite the bath? Hypothetically, how soon is it safe to re-apply Frontline? 

I took him to the vet again to get vaccinations - I told her about the treatments (shampoo/Frontline) and she didn't mention anything about them being conflicting. 

I'm planning to keep him until I find a new home for him - we'll see how long that takes. He's quite content now, though anxious to get out of his room to explore the rest of the apartment


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

Everything I have read/heard is... to not bathe until 24 hours after treatment is applied.

Or bathe but wait 24 hours before applying frontline.


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## Oriole (Jan 11, 2010)

Well...still no sign of fleas - let's hope they're truly gone despite my ignorance 

On the plus side - I have already found an owner for the kitty! She's picking him up tomorrow, and I have to say that I'm already attached to the little guy and will be sad to see him go. But very very happy for his new home - the lady is a friend of mine and a long-time owner of happy, healthy cats.

Here's his picture:


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