Where to look for fleas
March 21, 2020 4:18 AM Subscribe
I feel absolutely dumbfounded when I ask this because I know what a flea looks like. However, heres my conun-dum-drum. I have an all white long haired house cat who never leaves the house. She sits on my lap frequently. I sometimes get the sensation (more to come)
That she has fleas. But I have never seen one. Not one. (She is three yrs old). So I also comb through her hair while shes sitting and I've never seen any evidence in her coat but I will sometimes wake up with what looks like flea bites in the cuff of my socks or in my bra but more than that it's this intermittent sensation of being jumped onto by some tiny thing or bitten. Do fleas have an even smaller cousin? Are there places on the cat that they hang out more than others? It's just weird that I dont think she should have fleas but I think she could. (Other pets in the building or window sills for instance)
That she has fleas. But I have never seen one. Not one. (She is three yrs old). So I also comb through her hair while shes sitting and I've never seen any evidence in her coat but I will sometimes wake up with what looks like flea bites in the cuff of my socks or in my bra but more than that it's this intermittent sensation of being jumped onto by some tiny thing or bitten. Do fleas have an even smaller cousin? Are there places on the cat that they hang out more than others? It's just weird that I dont think she should have fleas but I think she could. (Other pets in the building or window sills for instance)
As far as the sensation of things jumping on you, I'm not sure what else it could be. Ultimately to rule out fleas, start with giving her a topical treatment monthly. If you start now with preventive like Revolution or Advantage II, that will eventually get rid of any fleas. If you want a quick start, oral Capstar will kill all the live fleas within something like an hour. But their eggs hang around for a long time, so you'll have to commit to the monthly treatment. FWIW, my cat didn't act like she had fleas.
When my vet checks for flea dirt, he uses a flea comb to gently comb and then back comb at the nape of the neck and the base of the tail. On a white cat it should be decently easy to see. If there's black/brown residue, shake it out onto a damp, white paper towel. If it bleeds into the fibers with more of a rust/red color, it's flea dirt. (Cat blood flea poop!)
I once had a flea situation here when my cat was in the process of adopting me*, and the way I checked to see if they were around was by putting a low dish of soapy water on the carpet where I suspected they might be and pointing a desk lamp over the water. At night they would be drawn to the light and jump to their watery deaths. It's a good way to tell if you have them. It's less effective at treating an infestation. I hope you don't have one.
The flea bites that got me were at ankle/shin height and way itchier than mosquitoes or poison ivy. Not sure why you'd have bra bites unless it was from holding the cat.
*Transition from neighbor-owned outdoor cat to indoor-only Catriffic.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:48 AM on March 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
When my vet checks for flea dirt, he uses a flea comb to gently comb and then back comb at the nape of the neck and the base of the tail. On a white cat it should be decently easy to see. If there's black/brown residue, shake it out onto a damp, white paper towel. If it bleeds into the fibers with more of a rust/red color, it's flea dirt. (Cat blood flea poop!)
I once had a flea situation here when my cat was in the process of adopting me*, and the way I checked to see if they were around was by putting a low dish of soapy water on the carpet where I suspected they might be and pointing a desk lamp over the water. At night they would be drawn to the light and jump to their watery deaths. It's a good way to tell if you have them. It's less effective at treating an infestation. I hope you don't have one.
The flea bites that got me were at ankle/shin height and way itchier than mosquitoes or poison ivy. Not sure why you'd have bra bites unless it was from holding the cat.
*Transition from neighbor-owned outdoor cat to indoor-only Catriffic.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:48 AM on March 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
You can get a flea trap pretty cheaply on Amazon or at Home Depot. This is an easy way to tell if they're in your home.
posted by Slinga at 6:14 AM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Slinga at 6:14 AM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
There are flea combs you can buy. Comb them through the deep parts of cat's fur and look at the tines.
posted by Miko at 6:24 AM on March 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Miko at 6:24 AM on March 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
Our indoor cat got a scabby itchy rash and we assured the vet she couldn't have fleas (and he couldn't find signs) but he gave her a flea treatment anyway. Apparently you can have fleas migrate into your house even if your cat never goes out.
posted by Peach at 9:09 AM on March 21, 2020
posted by Peach at 9:09 AM on March 21, 2020
Look around the cat's neck, ears and chin. Spread the fur apart with your fingers and look deep into the fur near the skin. They are a little bigger than sesame seeds and black or dark brown. And they crawl in the fur, they don't just jump. Fleas are small, but they're really easy to see. Especially on a white cat.
posted by SoberHighland at 9:39 AM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by SoberHighland at 9:39 AM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
> it's this intermittent sensation of being jumped onto by some tiny thing or bitten
My house was flea infested a while ago, and although the fleas bit me I never felt them jumping. I think they're too small to be felt. I did occasionally feel a bite but I don't know if that was just in my head.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:09 AM on March 21, 2020
My house was flea infested a while ago, and although the fleas bit me I never felt them jumping. I think they're too small to be felt. I did occasionally feel a bite but I don't know if that was just in my head.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:09 AM on March 21, 2020
If you're hunting fleas on your cat, it's easiest if you hold the cat in an empty bathtub because the fleas are (a) easier to spot, black against white, and (b) easier to catch & kill the flea (drop it into water that has a little detergent added so the flea doesn't jump off the water surface). I once got well over a hundred fleas off a cat.
posted by anadem at 11:17 AM on March 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by anadem at 11:17 AM on March 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
I always find them on the back of the neck if there are any at all. Use a flea comb there.
posted by bluesky78987 at 11:21 AM on March 21, 2020
posted by bluesky78987 at 11:21 AM on March 21, 2020
I knew my cats had fleas because they left frass on my white blanket where they liked to sleep. The fleas themselves hung out in armpits and furry creases. They disappear almost immediately as soon as light hits them, sliding between hairs like the flat little bloodsuckers they are. They got them from a stray who came to the door to be fed.
Anecdotally, fleas can and do end up anywhere. I distinctly remember feeling a tickle and looking down into my grey sports bra. There it was - for a second. Then, ping! It was gone. Mostly, though, they bit my ankles. Revolution treated all the cats but it took a hired exterminator to get rid of the ones in the house.
posted by Crystal Fox at 6:46 PM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Anecdotally, fleas can and do end up anywhere. I distinctly remember feeling a tickle and looking down into my grey sports bra. There it was - for a second. Then, ping! It was gone. Mostly, though, they bit my ankles. Revolution treated all the cats but it took a hired exterminator to get rid of the ones in the house.
posted by Crystal Fox at 6:46 PM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You leave out a key detail: does the cat actlike she has fleas? If she’s not scratching and annoyed, it’s much less likely, especially if you also aren’t seeing them even when specifically looking.
Well, no she isnt scratching.
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 9:52 AM on March 22, 2020
Well, no she isnt scratching.
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 9:52 AM on March 22, 2020
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Sure. Way up in the arm pits, in between the toes, in chin creases, elbows, etc. All the places that are hardest for a cat to reach.
On a white cat, also look for frass (flea dirt, feces, poop). It’s smaller than a flea but clearly visible to the naked eye.
You leave out a key detail: does the cat act like she has fleas? If she’s not scratching and annoyed, it’s much less likely, especially if you also aren’t seeing them even when specifically looking.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:28 AM on March 21, 2020 [4 favorites]