Fleas?

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Richard Evans - 30 Sep 2007 19:51 GMT

We have six cats, all indoor-only. One, a short haired tortie named
Motley, is very skittish and hard to get a hand on. A couple of weeks
ago I noticed a patch of fur on her back that was not laying smoothly.
It took me a while to get a hold of her, and when I ran my hand down
her back it felt matted, I eventually got her to hold still long
enough to run a flea comb over her and it picked up tufts of hair and
a lot of black crud that looked like flea dander, though no actual
fleas.

It's been a couple of weeks and it's happening again. Last night I ran
a flea comb through her with the same results, but I wasn't able to
hold her still long enough for a close examination.

Arguing against it being fleas:

- None of the others have them.
- I haven't actually seen any on her.
- The hair that's brushed out does not leave any bald spots.
- It's only evident on one spot

In favor:

- Well, I just don't know what else it could be.

Any ideas? I hate to take her to the vet because A: it would
traumatize her and B: I never get out of the vet's office for less
than a hundred bucks.

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bobblespin - 30 Sep 2007 22:10 GMT

> We have six cats, all indoor-only. One, a short haired tortie named
> Motley, is very skittish and hard to get a hand on. A couple of weeks
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> traumatize her and B: I never get out of the vet's office for less
> than a hundred bucks.

What my vet does at every examination is shake the fur of the cat
vigorously while on the table, then she sprays water over the table (a
gentle mist with a spray bottle). She then waits 2-3 minutes and if the
specks turn to blood, then you have flea poo. Try that.

Bobble

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Sheelagh >o< - 01 Oct 2007 16:40 GMT

> > We have six cats, all indoor-only. One, a short haired tortie named
> > Motley, is very skittish and hard to get a hand on. A couple of weeks
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -

Where abouts is the patch that you checked?
( where the fur wouldn't lie down I mean?)

Good Thinking Bobblespin BTW!

The only other thing I can think of that it *might* be is Acne. That
is normally found around the lower jaw in my experience though.

However, I am a poor substitute for a vet. If it doesn't clear up,
best take her to have her checked over, just to be sure of course.
Good Luck,
Sheelagh >"o"<

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Richard Evans - 01 Oct 2007 18:01 GMT

>Where abouts is the patch that you checked?
>( where the fur wouldn't lie down I mean?)

On her spine, about two thirds of the way to her tail. Very localized.

>However, I am a poor substitute for a vet. If it doesn't clear up,
>best take her to have her checked over, just to be sure of course.

For lack of a more compelling diagnosis, I guess we'll dose her with
Frontline and see what happens.

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cindys - 01 Oct 2007 17:56 GMT

----------
Disclaimer: What follows is my personal opinion. I am not a vet.

I don't think your cat has fleas. The reason I say this is that fleas would
not stay in one spot, you probably would see the fleas themselves at some
point, and all of your cats would have them. Dried blood looks like black
crud. When I check my cat's blood sugar, I stick the edge of his ear to draw
a little blood. Sometimes, a little blood spatters and when it dries, it
looks like black crud on his ear. It's very similar in appearance to flea
dirt. If I were you, I would be suspecting some sort of a skin condition or
just plain matted fur. The fur knots can get so tight that they pull on the
skin, maybe cause a little bleeding and/or the mats are very irritating, and
because the cat is unable to get rid of them, she keeps on tugging on them
and/or because of the mats, she is unable to clean those areas and what you
are seeing is bonafide dirt and not flea dirt.

I think if this continues, she should be seen by a vet.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

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