What has our cat got?

Question

Our cat has been leaving many, many black 'dots' around the house. These are very evident on white surfaces such as the window sill, but are obviously getting into the carpet too. When they are cleaned off the white surface with a damp cloth, they seem to 'bleed', leaving behind a small dark red mark.

Anyone have any idea what this could be? We have recently treated our cat for fleas.

Answer 1

The spots are blood specks (in the form of dried flakes). If you've recently treated for fleas this problem may subside. Or your cat might have a skin condition that will continue to cause him to itch, in which case the blood will continue to spot and flake. You should take your pal to the vet and have a thorough exam done.

Answer 2

It sounds very much as if your cat still has a flea problem. The "bleeding" dots are probably actually flea dirt (poo), which is your cat's digested blood!

To check for this: Comb your cat using a flea comb or other fine-toothed comb, then put the loose fur on a sheet of white paper. Sprinkle a little water on the fur and gently stir it round. If you see little black gritty dots that turn into reddish-black streaks as it dissolves into the water, that is flea dirt.

Not all flea treatments are effective, and the only ones I would trust are from the vet. They may be more expensive and the vet MIGHT want to see your cat first, but the treatments will be both safe and effective.

The ones I use are spot-ons: you break open an ampoule and squeeze it onto the back of the cat's neck after parting the fur so you can see the skin.

One application of a spot-on gives protection from fleas for a month. If your cat goes out s/he will pick up fleas again as soon as the treatment wears off, so the application will have to be repeated after the month is up, on an on-going basis.

It is also a good idea to de-flea the house (and any outbuildings the cat has access to) using safe and effective products from the vet.

Actually, I say "safe", but read the instructions on the product carefully because all animals - including fish - should be removed from the room to be treated, as well as any uncovered food, and water bowls.

As long as that is done, and the cat is routinely treated monthly, there should not be a reservoir of fleas in the home.

Cats who live entirely indoors do not need monthly treatments (once any lingering infestation on the cat and in the home has been dealt with), as long as there are no other animals in the home who go in and out, bringing fleas with them.

Among the advantages of using spot-ons are that they are easier to apply than other methods, one application lasts a month, and they are safe and non-toxic (as long as you get the ones sold by vets).

Additionally, various of the spot-ons deal with ear mites, ticks or roundworms too (annoyingly, no single product deals with all of these).

It does sound as if the infestation is quite bad, and if it is not dealt with you will all be bitten, and the cat could become unwell. S/he could get a skin infection from scratching her itchy skin, and s/he could even become very ill with anaemia if s/he has a heavy flea burden.

In the unlikely event your cat does not have fleas, s/he might have another parasite, or even have been injured and is leaving little sprays of blood around the place.

S/he might even have a bladder or bowel problem and is leaving blood when s/he sits down. This is an emergency situation, so I should examine him/her carefully asap.

Miranda

Answer 3

Your cat may still have fleas. The black specks are called "flea dirt". It is flea excrement & turns red when wet because it consists of the blood the flea is sucking out of your cat. Fleas can be debilitating to your cat, can carry the deadly cat disease hemobartenalla & can make you & your cat's life miserable. Avoid flea collars & the flea products available in your grocery store - they don't work well, can be dangerous to the cat & just waste your money. Also, NEVER use flea products for dogs on cats as the results can be DEADLY. I have found the best, easiest & most reasonably priced way to be rid of fleas is to use"Advantage". You can buy it from your veterinarian, some pet stores, or a reputable on-line dealer like Fosters & Smith or Jeffers. It comes in individual small tubes & you apply it to the back of their neck once a month. Maintain treatment monthly as fleas lay eggs that hatch weeks later. If this doesn't clear them up, you may need a premise spray for the house or yard, but be sure the product can be used around cats as they are more sensitive to the effects of insecticides. I have found that if I use Advantage every 4-6 weeks during the warm months I have no problem. Advantage is sold for two sizes of cats - those 9 lbs & under & those over 9 lbs. It is also sold for dogs. The cost is about $ 10-$12 per treatment depending on where you buy it.

Answer 4

These black dots are flea 'dirts' (poos). This is classic - fleas poo blood of course, which becomes evidence when you wet the dirts.

What flea treatment did you use? If it was from a petshop I'm not at all surprised the cat still has fleas, the stuff it useless

If the cat had a lot of fleas before treatment, the dirts won't disappear straight away, they may have to be combed out.

Fleas are difficult to get rid of completely once present, as their lifecycle involves laying eggs on the animal and in the environment. The environment (all floors, sofas and pet bedding) therefore needs to be treated with a veterinary preparation, twice preferably as flea eggs are not always killed and may hatch after spraying.

You need to spray your house and use a proper flea treatment regularly to stop the fleas and their dirts. If dirts are literally dropping off your cat it sounds like this is quite a large infestation!

Chalice

Answer 5

When I first got my cat I had to flea dip him before I brought him home. The fleas sort of looked like really skinny grains of black rice that moved. If there is blood after you wipe up the dots it could very well be fleas. If you have already had him flea dipped you may want to take him into the vet to see if they're gone. I did and my vet looked at him for free.

Also, I had to flea dip my cat, use a special wipe and dip him again a little while later to ensure everything was gone (eggs tend to be able to survive). Fleas usually go up by the head and ears to get away from the water, if you're unsure I would dip him again just to be safe.

Also, if it were ear mites they usually stay in the ears. Check the cat over if you need to by yourself and look down between his back legs to see if you see anything moving. Even after I gave my cat his much needed bath I still saw fleas moving around. Oh and for the fleas a lice comb or something similar help remove the fleas.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

They sound like fleas. They could be dead fleas falling off, since you treated him recently. Ask your vet to have a look or just ask if you can repeat the treatment after a few days. But it's better that the vet sees the cat and a sample of the black thingys, because perhaps the cat has some skin reaction to the flea treatment!Deworming is a good idea too.

Answer 7

Sounds like "flea dirt", which is partially digested blood feces that fleas leave. Being mostly just blood, they do look like black spots or coffee grounds until you get them wet, when they turn an old blood red rusty color. If you recently treated her for fleas, this may just be old flea dirt falling off, or you may have to re-treat her. One other thing it could be is a type of food allergy.. my cat had it. She would develop scabs, the scabs would drop off, but they usually had tufts of hair in them, making them look sort of like little cat-fur badminton birdies. She was on prednisone initially to help her heal, while she was on prednisone she was switched to a grain-free fish meal diet, and then weaned off the steroids. We haven't had a problem with the allergies since.

Answer 8

Fleas!

Answer 9

It sounds like flea poop (dirt). Brush your cat really well to get rid of the residual dirt.

Answer 10

The black dots could be ear mites. My cat had them and they were everywhere!! As far as the bleeding thing I do not know. You need to look inside the cats ears and you will see that it looks as if your cat's ears are dirty. You will need to get some medicine from the Vet. to get rid of them
Good Luck