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My cat is scratching. How do I check for fleas and what are the signs?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 26 days old | 1.10231 lbs

How do I test that if Ginger has fleas or not?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on September 26th, 2017

Use a fine toothed comb and gently brush her. Live or dead fleas will get caught in the comb. You may also comb out flea dirt which is digested blood. It appears as black specks similar to pepper flakes. If you moisten a cotton ball with water and rub the specks, they will leave rust colored streaks. This is evidence of flea dirt which means there were fleas on your kitten. Frontline Spray is safe to use on a kitten of Ginger's age. You will also need to treat the environment. This means vacuuming everywhere and washing all bedding. Follow up with an area treatment such as Knockout ES to prevent reinfestation. The Frontline Spray should be used monthly for at least three consecutive months, preferably year round or until she is old enough/weighs enough for a topical preventative.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It can sometimes be difficult to determine if a cat has fleas or not because they are such fastidious groomers the fleas are oftentimes hard to find. Try parting the hair and looking all the way down to the skin. Fleas are most commonly found near the base of the tail, the belly and around the face. You may also want to try a flea comb or bathing the cat with a flea shampoo or blue Dawn dishwashing soap and see if you find any dead fleas. If your cat is very itchy it may be an indication there are fleas present. And lastly, if your cat goes outside at all it would be safe to assume she has fleas and keeping her on a monthly flea prevention would be ideal. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

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