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My cat has fleas. Why is the water red when I comb him? Is it blood?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | British Shorthair | Male | neutered | 5 years and 2 months old

My cat has had fleas lately and Im working on getting rid of them. However whenever I comb him I put the hair and fleas in soapy water there seems to be small amounts of blood. Not a lot but irs not coming from anywhere on him, Ive checked him over and theres no cuts or scratches! What could it be and should I be worried as I only see blood in the water?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on October 11th, 2017

The reddish color in the water comes from the flea poop (or "flea dirt", as it's often called). This looks like little black specks in the fur. The black specks are actually digested blood from the fleas, and will turn red in water. So this is nothing to worry about, just a normal part of having fleas. Once you get rid of the fleas, you should stop seeing the reddish color in the water :) I would suggest using a good quality monthly flea medication such as Stronghold or Advocate - you can get these from your vet. They're generally safer and much more effective than over-the-counter flea meds for cats.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on April 15th, 2019

    Hi there. Flea dirt (which looks like grains of pepper, and is actually flea poop) is essentially dried, digested blood. So in cats with lots of flea dirt in their coat, the bath water will run off as a red or rusty brown color.

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