0530Singapore cat fleas, roundworms, pet health and welfare educational for animal lovers, excerpts from   The Glamorous Vets, Singapore, sponsored by  AsiaHomes Internet.

A kitten in the monsoon drain

"Get rid of this flea-infested kitten!" Mrs Lee told her daughter. "The apartment's carpets will be full of fleas in no time."

Mrs Lee was aghasted that her preteen daughter should even consider touching such a dirty pet when she could buy for her the best pedigree kitten in the world.

She discovered the kitten inside a small cage in the maid's room of this 6,000 sq. ft penthouse in the best residential enclave of Singapore.  What would the friends think of her?

Ms Lee had rescued the kitten from the monsoon drain, just before the thunderstorm.  People had been swept into the monsoon drain and drowned in the raging waters from the heavy monsoons of November. What chance had this kitten got?  It would have perished too.

Fleas were making their homes on this kitten's coat and multiplying in large numbers.    

"I can keep the kitten since your mum disallows you to do so," said Jacqueline, the best friend of Ms Lee. Blue and white uniforms indicated that they were Convent School girls. The blueness of the kitten's eyes matched their blue uniform too. Blue-eyed kittens of unknown pedigree are a rarity in Singapore and this one certainly could charm any body with its purplish-blue eyes.  

A pot-belly might mean that the kitten had round worms inside its intestines too.  But for now, the main task is to get rid of the fleas.  The kitten was given a flea shampoo and thoroughly rinsed. The fleas were not too happy to leave the body and resisted to the last.

Kittens can die of insecticide poisoning owing to their grooming habits, therefore, they should be rinsed thoroughly to remove the shampoo. 



After bathing and de-fleaed, it looked so much different. A white kitten with blue eyes.
It needed de worming as fleas do transfer round worms to the cats.  Deworming tablets can be purchased from the pet shops or supermarkets.  It will need to be vaccinated by the veterinary surgeon. Would the mum allow her to keep the kitten now?