I cant tell if my cat has fleas, can anyone help me?

Question

i really dont think she has fleas, but she itches alot, but i dont know if that just her cleaning herself. Shes declawed on her front paws (she was like that when we got her) so i dont know if thats her trying to itch more casue she doesnt have claws. and she was laying on my bed and when i picked her up, there where little black spots where she was laying on the bed, they didnt look like bugs though, and i treid looking in her fur, i didnt find anything, but she really wouldnt let me look much.
well thankyou everyone for your help!

Answer 1

Use a flea comb to check. Cat's love to be brushed with them so it's easy to do, no fighting with the kitty! You can buy them at pretty much any pet store or online.

http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/1/flea-combs-for-cats/

Has one to at least give you an idea of what they are!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Fleas usually hang out on a cat or dogs stomach between their back legs and at the base of their tail. I would look in those areas for fleas and their droppings. The little black spots you are seeing on your bed were probably flea droppings. Get some Frontlline Plus, that will take care of any fleas on her and kill any baby fleas that are up and coming. You will have to de-flea your house too. So vacuum really well and immediately throw away the vacuum bag and then vacuum again. You may have to spray flea killer around the house into the carpet and wash the cats bedding in hot water to kill any remaining fleas. Look at your ankles and feet, do you see small red dots? If you do, you are also being bit. Fleas prefer dogs or cats, but will munch on a human if they can't find the dog or cat.

Answer 3

Do NOT wash the cat with dawn dish soap. This product is harsh & dries out the animals skin. Just go to the vet & pick up some frontline plus or advantage & follow the application directions carefully.
The little black things are flea dirt. Basically it is flea poop.
If you want to find the fleas, lay the cat down & check under her chin, under her front legs & on her tummy toward her back end. Fleas only stay on the animals a short time then they are in the environment. Treating the cat with frontline or advantage will kill the fleas & prevent them from returning. The dish soap will kill what might be on her, but it will NOT stop them from coming back & you will have to continuously rebathe her, which will dry her skin even worse.

Answer 4

The advice that the black specks are flea poop is right. Also correct is that the fleas are probably in your bed, too. They will live and hide in carpet, furniture, behind basebaords, in pet beds and they will bite you as well as your cat, if given the opportunity. If you want proof before treating everything, do the flea comb test. If you leave just one flea in your house or on your cat, you will end up with the whole problem again because they reproduce in large numbers. Use Frontline PLUS not regular on your cat. Spray everything or use a fogger with a "growth regulator" or "inhibitor" to keep eggs from hatching and larvae from maturing into adults. Be sure to remove cushions from furniture and set on an angle so both sides are exposed before fogging or spray all surfaces. Spray under furniture and all carpet and woodwork. Vacuum and throw out the bag immeniately. Wash your bedding in hot water and spray mattress, or remove bedding before fogging. Wash or spray cat's bedding. When you're sure all fleas are gone, give your cat a dose of "Program" every month to prevent new fleas from coming in (get from vet or on-line). Flea collars and shampoos are a waste of money and time. You'll never get rid of all of the feas and the problem will come back.

Fleas can carry diseases and tapeworms. I'm a former vet tech and have used the above process myself with very good results. Best of luck to you and your kitty.

Answer 5

this suggestions is extremely untrue. I genuinely have a black cat. while we've been given him, he had fleas rather undesirable we ended up having to take him to the vet. no longer in basic terms replaced into he infested with fleas, he had tape worms from chewing on his fur and eating the fleas. So take it from me after spending 1000's of greenbacks for remedies for fleas and tape worms, definite black cats do get fleas.

Answer 6

Those little black dots are flea dirts (poo). Dab them with a wet cloth, they will turn red - they are digested blood that the fleas have sucked from your cat. You will also be able to find these on your cat if you comb her with a flea comb - they'll be on the fur on the comb. Or you can comb her over wet paper and watch them fall on to that and turn red.

Your cat does have fleas. Get some treatment from a vet - Frontline, Revolution, Advantage or Advocate. Don't use pet store treatments because they don't work and many are dangerous.

Chalice

Answer 7

Yeah, it does sound like fleas. Please take her to the vet ASAP, because fleas contain tapeworm eggs, and that can be VERY bad for her.

By the way, don't try over-the-counter flea medicines. Cats have been known to have really bad reactions to that stuff. My friend's cat almost died - literally, he was seizing and foaming at the mouth. Just fork over the $30-or-so dollars for a shot from the vet. That will take care of fleas, ticks, mites, and worms, all in one dose.

Answer 8

Take your cat to the vet. Also have the cat's ears checked. Ear mites cause the cat to itch the ears and black dots/gunk comes out. The cat may also have a skin problem. Or it may be fleas. Vet vet vet.

Answer 9

Sounds like fleas to me. Call your vet. Maybe they can give her a flea bath. Cats are VERY scared on water, so it may be difficult for you to do it. Fleas jump, did the black dots jump? They will bite you too, better change those sheets of yours!!!

Answer 10

check her hair and skin.
oh... those little black spots... were they round or like little cylinders?
Little cylinders are fleas. Ticks are round with obvious legs.

If you see little black oval or cylindrical thingies on her, try to pick one up... if it jumps... it's a flea!

Wash her thoroughly with Dawn Liquid Dish Soap, and leave it on her for an extended time before rinsing her off.
THEN
comb her fur with a flea comb. Dawn will drown fleas and then you comb them out. Then you get hold of Frontline, Advantage... some GOOD flea drops, not the collars or the Hartz junk. and treat her every month.

If it's not fleas, then she may need Omega 3 Fish Oil or some other supplement to her diet. BUT... your description sounds like fleas.