I know this is going to sound silly, but how do I tell if my cat has fleas or not? He is always biting and gnawing at hisself. It's so gross and annoying! He is an indoor cat. He has not been outside or around any other animal for the past 8 months. I have never saw a flea on him or around him and have never seen one in my house. Could this biting/gnawing just be part of his grooming hisself or something?
2007-05-18 19:57:54 · 7 answers · asked by Tatem 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Noo... take him to the vet ASAP. It could be mites, which you can't actually see. Or he could have a skin problem that needs to be treated immediately. He WILL keep gnawing that this will be destructive to his coat.
2007-05-18 20:00:08 · answer #1 · answered by squishie bug 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats that have never been outside in their lives can still get fleas. Fleas are perfectly capable of entering houses you know!
Comb your cat over a piece of wet white paper and see if any little black flakes fall onto it and turn red. These are flea poos. If you check the fur in the comb, the flea dirts will be in that also.
You need to regularly deflea your cat with a product from a vets like Frontline or Revolution. Pet shop products are rubbish. This is the only way to be sure your cat is flea free, because once fleas are present they're hard to get rid of, it's easier to just prevent them in the first place.
If your cat doesn't biting himself after proper flea treatment, or if he starts getting bald spots or red skin, he needs to go to a vet. There could be other problems going on there.
Chalice
2007-05-19 01:57:34 · answer #2 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have 2 indoor cats and they both get fleas, take them to the Vet if you can't find any evidence of them to rule out mites as suggested in a previous answer, this can lead to irritation of the skin if they persistently bite and gnaw, which can lead to bald patches (don't worry they do grow back). However normal treatment with flea collars or tablets can reduce flea activity! be sure to treat them for worms as well though as the two issues are related.
2007-05-18 20:07:27 · answer #3 · answered by Theresa B 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
check him.
Comb through his fur, check around his neck and the top of his head. Also, on the belly. If you dont see any, then he probably doesnt YET, but just because he hasnt been out, doesnt mean he wont have fleas. Fleas come in on clothes, shoes,etc. All it takes is ONE flea to lay eggs, and then your animal is eat up.
2007-05-18 20:01:17 · answer #4 · answered by The Warden 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be sure, just closely examine his fur (kind of sift through it, so you can see its skin directly) to try and spot any actual fleas. No matter what, you could always buy him a flea collar, or give him a bath with flea shampoo.
2007-05-18 20:01:48 · answer #5 · answered by lafemelle 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You'r cat could have gon out(like cat's usually do at night)without you knowing and picked up fleas.
2007-05-18 20:49:23 · answer #6 · answered by MaximasPrime 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Glance threw him/her fur and you will see things running around.
2007-05-18 20:00:02 · answer #7 · answered by Giovanna R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋