Kitty dandruff?

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 4th, 2009, 8:43 pm

So The Piss has black and white flecks in her fur. They're very tiny, but I can feel them and sometimes snag one. She's not itching, and the flecks don't move at all so it's not fleas. Can dandruff be black as well as white?

by **iluvk9** » December 4th, 2009, 8:45 pm

Maybe it's flea dirt. :shock:

We had that on some shelter cats who had a few......fleas.

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 4th, 2009, 8:59 pm

But none of us are itching.

by **iluvk9** » December 4th, 2009, 9:17 pm

Ok...so maybe there were a few fleas and they left their dirt? I remember we would put the black spots on paper towels and wet them a little. If they turned reddish, we knew it was flea dirt because when hydrated, the blood would come back. Sort of like a CSI show, before they were famous.

by **plebayo** » December 4th, 2009, 9:40 pm

If there are black flecks then it is probably flea dirt, unless they are scabs? Even though you aren't itching you just may not be sensitive to them. It's like how some dogs get itchy from just one bite from a flea, where others can be totally infested and not really have an issue.

As far as dandruff the cat may also not be grooming at much as she should be but could also be due to fleas.

by **blabsforbullies** » December 4th, 2009, 9:51 pm

Comb out some of the black flecks and put them on a white paper towel. Then put a drop of water on them and smear them with your finger. If they are red in color, it is flea dirt. If not, then it isn't! :wink:

Dander isn't usually black. Not quite sure what else it would be, unless the kitty goes out and rolled in some dirt?

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 4th, 2009, 10:07 pm

Of course, now that I'm TRYING to find black specks (on my black cat!) I can't find any. I'll keep trying so I can see if they turn red. Fingers crossed that she's just a dirty cat! lol

And she's an indoor only cat. If she's dirty does that reflect upon my housekeeping skills? :giggle:

by **iluvk9** » December 5th, 2009, 9:12 am

blabsforbullies wrote:Comb out some of the black flecks and put them on a white paper towel. Then put a drop of water on them and smear them with your finger. If they are red in color, it is flea dirt. If not, then it isn't!

See?? I can pretend I am a Vet! *AHEM* that was my idea, Petunia.... :wink:

by **blabsforbullies** » December 5th, 2009, 2:25 pm

pitbullmamaliz wrote:Of course, now that I'm TRYING to find black specks (on my black cat!) I can't find any. I'll keep trying so I can see if they turn red. Fingers crossed that she's just a dirty cat!

And she's an indoor only cat. If she's dirty does that reflect upon my housekeeping skills?

No reflection at all :wink:

.... in that case, my dogs and cats would be covered in mud 24/7.... :mrgreen:

by **Malli** » December 5th, 2009, 3:05 pm

white dandruff can be a sign of skin issues/allergies or a Thyroid condition, too...

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 5th, 2009, 6:36 pm

I think it's fleas. I've got several itchy red bumps on me, and Inara's been scratching her armpits a bit more. I'm pissed. I've never had fleas before.

by **kera09** » December 5th, 2009, 9:21 pm

pitbullmamaliz wrote:I think it's fleas. I've got several itchy red bumps on me, and Inara's been scratching her armpits a bit more. I'm pissed. I've never had fleas before.

ugh fleas suck! luckily weve been flea free for almost 2 yrs!!! good luck, kill those blood suckers!!

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 5th, 2009, 9:24 pm

Alright, war is beginning tomorrow. I was going to vacuum and wash all my bedding and all that crap, my mom said just cut to the chase and bomb. So tomorrow morning I'm going to flea-dip the girls (I'm terrified - I've never washed The Piss! lol

) and then once they are dry I'm bombing the house. Those little bastards don't stand a chance. :flameT:

by **Malli** » December 6th, 2009, 3:29 am

Why don't you just use Advantage so you don't have to bathe them? Unless the flea shampoo is from the Vet(wich I'd never seen when I worked there but that doesn't mean they don't make it!) I'd be worried it'd be pretty nasty :neutral:

If you do bathe them, make sure you use something that is ok for cats! Some products that kill fleas are ok for dogs but deadly to cats!

If you're flea bombing make sure to wash everything after! Ew! :puke:

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 6th, 2009, 10:39 am

Malli, the vet isn't open until Monday and I want this nipped in the bud now. Each girl is getting their own shampoo so it's formulated for cats or dogs. I didn't buy any Hartz crap. And I will wash things, though the flea bombs say you don't need to. But I will anyway. The shampoos kill fleas, ticks and flea eggs for 30 days, and the bomb kills everything for 210 days. It just sucks because the three of us have nowhere to go so we're just going to hang out in the car for a few hours while the bomb does its thing. The war is going to commence in about one hour.

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 6th, 2009, 11:24 am

Alright, war strategy has changed back to flea dip, vacuum and wash all bedding. I read that flea bombs contain permethrin which is toxic to kitties. Not taking a chance with The Piss. So....I bought a flea collar to put in the canister of the Dyson so as it sucks things up it kills them. I'm going to wash the girls, then vacuum while I'm washing all bedding. I'll put The Piss in a bathroom while she dries to keep her away from any fleas on the carpet, and Inara will go into my spare room that should be flea-free as the door is always shut so the girls can't get in there. I'll call the vet tomorrow and see if they recommend anything else. *sigh* What a pain in the ass.

by **iluvk9** » December 6th, 2009, 2:59 pm

Sorry.

But at least you know what you are dealing with.

CLEAN AWAY!!!!

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 6th, 2009, 3:42 pm

Alright, both girls are bathed (THAT was an experience), the house is vacuumed and laundry is going. I found one flea on Inara, none on The Piss.

I guess I caught it really early. I'm still going to call the vet tomorrow to see if they can recommend anything for The Piss to keep them away from her. Inara's got her Sentinel, so she should be fine. Both of their shampoos kills adult fleas and flea eggs for 30 days. I'm exhausted!

by **Malli** » December 6th, 2009, 7:20 pm

The fleas live in the environment around the animal, they only jump on the animal to feed

The room that you mentioned that they don't go in will have fleas as well, fleas can actually travel through walls, if you have them, you have them everywhere! :neutral:

They'll need to be on flea control for a couple of months so that that all the eggs laid (don't mean to gross you out) have time to hatch and then die, flea eggs can actually survive and stay dormant for quite some time in the environment.

http://home.ivillage.com/pets/dogs/0,,phrs,00.html

http://www.fleacontrols.com/fleainfo.htm

by **pitbullmamaliz** » December 7th, 2009, 11:12 am

Malli, you're such a buzzkill! :wink:

Just kidding.

I called the vet and I'm going to go pick up a Revolution for The Piss. They said one application should be enough since I only saw one flea. And Inara's got her Sentinel, so she's good too. But that leaves me. I didn't wake up with any new bites this morning ( :rock:

), but if the buggers can still nibble on me, won't they stick around? They'll leave the furballs alone, but what about me? Should I give myself a flea dip? Take a Capstar? :giggle:

Kitty dandruff?

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