How To Know If Your Cat Has Fleas?

These parasites are notorious for their jumping abilities. They escape our vision faster than lighting and can instantly switch hosts.

Fleas aren’t simply annoying – these tiny parasites can cause a severe allergic reaction in some cats, and untreated flea infestation can end fatally.

Diagnosis of flea infestation in cats should be based on a scope of visual and behavioral symptoms because some signs of fleas can be easily confused with other conditions.

Visual Inspection

Visual inspection is the fastest way to determine that a cat has fleas. However, to spot unwanted guests in your pet’s fur, you must look careful because fleas jump rapidly and are tiny.

Fleas are flat-bodied, dark brown insects that may appear lighter in color when they ingest much blood. Take your cat and turn it on the back, exposing its stomach.

Check the areas fleas commonly hide in – armpits and groin are the two most frequently affected areas. Fleas may also hide inside a cat’s ears, near the base of the tail, and where the hair is longer than on the rest of the body.

Unfortunately, fleas hide skillfully, especially on cats with long coats. Fleas become nearly invisible on the black fur, so visual inspection won’t help much.

Here’s a helpful trick on spotting fleas for owners of dark cats – take a piece of paper or tissue and put it on the floor next to your pet. Then, comb its fur with a fine-tooth comb.

Dirt left by fleas will fall off the cat’s hair and land on the paper. To differentiate flea dirt from regular debris, wet the paper or tissue. If the dirt turns reddish-brown, you’re most likely dealing with fleas.

To spot parasites timely, brush your cat regularly, especially if it has long fur and frequently walks outdoors.

Persistent Scratching

Besides visual inspection, you can detect your cat has fleas by its behavior. Cats suffering from flea infestation scratch the affected areas persistently, sometimes even chewing and biting themselves.

When fleas bite a cat, its skin itches and scratching helps to temporarily relieve the itchy sensation. Flea shampoos can help to reduce itchiness while you’re fighting the parasites.

Fleas and other parasites are the most common causes of excessive scratching in cats, but not the only ones. Scratching may also be caused by allergies, dry skin, pain, anxiety, compulsive disorder, and other medical conditions.

Therefore, don’t assume that your cat has fleas based on scratching alone. Conduct a visual inspection and check your cat for other signs of a flea infestation to determine the root of the issue.

If your cat is persistently scratching but shows no other signs of flea infestation, have it checked at a veterinarian.

Excessive Grooming

Cats are famous for their grooming skills and spend most of their time getting their coat clean and shiny. However, sometimes, grooming gets out of hand, causing hair loss and gastroenteric problems due to hairballs.

The most common cause of excessive grooming in cats is flea infestation, particularly in cats suffering from flea allergy dermatitis. The areas your cat grooms the most can hint at the root of the problem.

In the case of flea infestation, cats typically groom at the base of the tail and in the groin area. If a cat mainly grooms the area around the ears, it may be suffering from ear mites.

Note that excessive grooming alone doesn’t yet indicate a flea problem. It can also be a symptom of stress, boredom, compulsive disorder, and other health conditions.

Hair Loss & Skin Irritation

Cats infested with fleas may shed excessively. Sometimes, the hair loss is so severe that cats end up with bald patches on their groin, belly, behind the ears, and armpits.

Hair loss in cats infested with parasites occurs for three reasons: scratching, excessive grooming, and allergic reaction. Cats may be so annoyed with fleas that they scratch and lick themselves to bald patches and lesions.

Some cats are hypersensitive to flea bites, which triggers an immune system’s response. Flea allergy in cats typically manifests with dermatitis.

The presence of dozens of fleas may cause only moderate discomfort to a regular cat, but a cat with a flea allergy may suffer from severe hair loss even from a single flea bite.

Flea allergy in cats can be diagnosed by conducting an intradermal allergy test or specialized blood test.

Unfortunately, it cannot be treated, but it can be managed by reducing the time a cat spends outdoors, cleaning the house frequently, and giving the cat medications.

Besides flea infestation, a cat may lose hair because of stress, allergies other than flea allergy, thyroid deficiency, skin cancer, ringworm, and other conditions.

Some kitties suffer from intense skin irritation. The skin may appear inflamed and cause discomfort that prevents the cat from enjoying its life as usual.

In severe cases, a cat may have lesions on its ears, groin, armpits, legs, and other affected areas.

Pale Gums & Lethargy

Fleas affect not solely a cat’s visual state but also its health. Fleas feed on a cat’s blood. If flea infestation is left untreated, parasites will multiply quickly, causing anemia – red blood cell deficiency.

The most apparent symptom of anemia in cats is pale gums. The gums of a healthy cat should be pink, but when a cat’s blood doesn’t have enough red cells, the gums become pale pink or whitish.

Cats with anemia may feel lethargic, spending most of their time sleeping and being reluctant to play. Anemia in cats can be diagnosed by conducting a complete blood cell count. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal.

Anemia isn’t common in mild flea infestation cases, but some fleas carry Mycoplasma haemofelis, a bacterial parasite that attaches to a cat’s blood cell surface, causing the cells to break down.

Behavioral Changes

Flea bites can affect a cat’s emotional state, causing it to behave nervously and anxiously. Some owners report their cats “acting crazy,” constantly biting themselves, walking restlessly from one end of the room to the other, and rolling around.

A cat with fleas may rub its head and body against furniture and walls, growl, or show signs of aggression when the owner attempts to touch it.

Of course, behavioral changes alone aren’t sufficient to diagnose parasite infestation. Aggression, anxiety, and other behavioral abnormalities can be caused by various conditions but always require urgent veterinary intervention.

The Cat Avoids Certain Areas in The Home

Many feline owners are confused – can indoor cats have fleas? Contrary to a popular misconception, fleas aren’t found solely in cats that walk outdoors.

In fact, a warm home with plenty of furniture and carpets makes a perfect living environment for fleas.

Fleas flourish in warm environments and favor places where they can hide, such as carpets and furniture. Note that although hard flooring isn’t perfect for fleas, these parasites can still hide in floor cracks and crevices.

If your cat suddenly started avoiding some areas of your house, it may be steering away from fleas. To determine whether your suspicion is correct, conduct the white paper test.

Alternatively, you may leave a bowl of water with a torch next to it in the room for the night. Fleas are attracted to light, so when you come to the room in the morning, you may find several fleas that have drowned in the bowl.

The most common mistake in cat flea treatment is neglecting the environment. To get rid of fleas in your house once and for all, thoroughly vacuum the floors, furniture, cushions, and carpets every other day until the problem resolves.

Don’t forget to wash your and your cat’s bedding. You can additionally spritz surfaces in your house with a flea spray to ward off unwanted guests.

Black Speck On The Cat’s Bedding

Fleas and their organic matter don’t just stay on a cat but can be usually found in areas where the cat spends much time. Check your cat’s bed, feeding areas, and other favorite spots for black specks and fleas.

For example, if your cat loves to sleep in the sun, you may notice the organic matter of fleas on the windowsill.

Parasites Similar To Fleas

One of the reasons why cat flea treatment doesn’t work is that owners confuse fleas with other parasites. Therefore, you should know the feline parasites similar to fleas to make the correct diagnosis and determine the course of action.

Like fleas, ticks suck blood and live in pet hair, but they don’t jump or fly, so you can identify them by crawling. Lice are common in senior cats. Unlike fleas, they can only crawl. Lice have longer, slenderer bodies than fleas.

Ear mites are another parasite commonly mistaken for fleas. As the name suggests, they live in a cat’s ear canal and around it, but their appearance and the symptoms they cause are similar to those of fleas.

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