Why does my cat have brown specks in fur despite flea medicine?

Question

Male neutered senior Persian indoor only cat recently (2 mos) started on Feline Advantage for fleas, has something that is leaving Brown j-shaped hard remnants in fur, not around anus. About 1\16th - 1\8th inch in length, maybe smaller. Not flea poop. Any ideas? Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Male | neutered | 20 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

What you are describing sounds exactly like flea dirt. What I would recommend is putting a few of them on a wet paper towel and rub them back and forth with your finger or another wet paper towel. If they turn the paper towel brown or red, then they are likely dried blood and flea dirt. If Bailey had fleas when you started Advantage 2 months ago, there were likely still eggs, larvae or pupae in the house that have now hatched into adult fleas and may be biting Bailey resulting in flea poop even though he is on a flea preventative. I am attaching a handout below that includes some information on the flea life cycle. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1575 I hope that makes sense and answers your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Why does my cat have brown specks in fur despite flea medicine?

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