Does my cat have fleas?

Question

I have just woken up with a couple of bites. My cat is 3 years old and never had fleas before. But I just got a second hand sofa delivered yesterday so there could be something on that which has bitten me. I've arranged for someone to industrially clean the sofa this week, and I use Frontline on the cat.

But the bites on my leg are big, not tiny, and I live in Scotland so it could be a midge bite. Can anyone tell me how to recognise flea bites? And would it be obvious if there were fleas on the sofa or the cat? Would I see them jumping about?

Thanks...

Thanks cheesphht, but thankfully we don't have spiders that bite here in Scotland so that can't be it...

Answer 1

To check your cat for fleas, separate her hair so you can see the skin. In particular look around the tail and neck. If she has fleas you may see tiny black dots- flea eggs. In addition you may see adult fleas, which will jump away when you try to capture them between your fingers.

Since you use frontline I would rather doubt the cat has fleas. Since you started noticing bites when teh couch arrived I'd suspect the couch. The couch could have fleas from a former family.

Flea bites look like tiny red dots, and they typically itch.

Alternatively the couch may have been infested with bed bugs before you got it- I don't know what they are commonly called in Scotland, but the latin name is Cimex lectularius. http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Environment/PublicHealth/Pestcontrol/BedBugs.htm

Answer 2

Sounds like a spider to me - isn't it too early for fleas yet in Scotland? Ours haven't hatched yet but I keep it fairly cool in the house. It can't be mites if it's that big of a bite and spiders aren't affected by poison so vacuum the spider(s) up in the vacuum cleaner. That's basically all you can do with spiders - they aren't affected by spray because they don't clean themselves off (at least, that's what they say).

I just put some wet reddish brown clay on my spider bites and wait for it to dry. The skin is red because of the poison or the bacteria on the spiders fangs. All you need to do is draw it out and then the skin will heal but let the clay dry out - usually takes about an hour but if it's still the least bit wet - keep it on until it drops off by itself.

And for those of you that are reading this and have cats that have fleas or will be getting them soon.

The best thing and the safest I know to get rid of fleas period is not any spray for fleas because you have to remember that that stuff is poison!!! Your cats lick themselves and if you spray them then the poison gets in them! and that stuff does a number on their liver - they may not die but they do get sick and I've also had kittens die from that stuff. It's like the story about the doctor coming out from surgery and saying that I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the operation was a success! the bad news is that the patient died.

The best thing to use is - now pay attention because this gets real technical. Are you paying attention?

Dirt.

That's right! Cats will do this if left to go outside all by themselves - my cats have done it for years and if they don't have sense enough to do it then I do it for them!!!

Fine orange like clay dirt works best - it gets into the fleas air vacuules and they sufficate! They eggs also dry up and die so the two are done away with at once.

I know it sounds too good to be true but - try it.

You'll see.

Answer 3

Is your cat itchy? Why would you assume it's his fault? I have gotten bitten by things before too. Don't resort to chemicals on your cat unless you see something or see him scratching himself.

Answer 4

Talk to your doctor or the vet for information.

Answer 5

look closely at your cat to see if it has fleas that simple

Answer 6

THEY ARE LITTLE RED SPOTS . THEY ARE THE SIZE OF A PERIOD AT THE END OF SENTENCE.

Answer 7

yes and they can eat them making worms