What Do Fleas Look Like on Cats?

Have you ever had this experience? 

You’re sitting comfortably on the couch petting your cat and you notice something small and black on their fur. You part the hair and try to find out what that was, only to see it jump off seconds later. If this occurs, it's most likely a flea.

Fleas are harmful parasites that cause a lot of discomfort, itching, and secondary skin infections. The presence of one means that there are a lot more in the home environment. If not treated quickly, an infestation can occur, which can lead to the development of more serious problems. 

Keep reading to learn more about what fleas look like on cats, what’s the fastest way to get rid of them, and when to seek professional help.

What Do Fleas on Cats Look Like?

Flea eggs are nearly microscopic. They are about 0.5 millimeters in length and about half as wide, which is about the size of a grain of salt. People often mistake flea dirt for flea eggs, though both are signs of a flea infestation. Unlike flea eggs, flea dirt is dark and crumbly. 

Flea dirt can be easily washed away with a bath, but it is almost always an indication of a bigger flea problem.

Since flea eggs are easily mistaken for dry skin or sand, they’re usually not the first thing you notice if you think your cat has a flea problem. Finding flea dirt or actual fleas on your pet or in the home are more obvious signs of a flea infestation.

Adult fleas themselves are noticeable as fast-moving, tiny black insects. At this stage, they do not stay on your cat exclusively and can move throughout your home, especially in areas where your cat spends a lot of time.

How To Tell If Your Cat Has Fleas

Fleas are highly active insects.

They can jump onto passing animals and burrow down into the fur to the skin, where they stay hidden while biting and ingesting blood. This is irritating to a cat, as the bites can cause severe itching, allergic reactions, and inflammation.

Fleas are small, wingless, flat insects with three pairs of legs. Fleas can be seen in cats as live insects or small brown-black flecks that look like dirt. These tiny flecks are flea dirt, which is flea feces.

It’s important to remember that even indoor cats get fleas.

Once fleas get into your home, they multiply rapidly. The most common way for fleas to enter your household is on the family dog or another pet that comes inside after being outdoors, or through the introduction of potted plants.

Cats can also get fleas from neighbor pets, new environments, and other local wildlife such as birds, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and skunks. They can even be brought indoors as hitchhikers on your own clothing!

Symptoms of Fleas on Cats

The fleas most likely on your cat are newly hatched adult fleas that come from your house or yard, where they wait until your pet is nearby.

The flea jumps onto your cat and finds a warm, moist, safe environment in your cat’s fur coat. If your cat starts to scratch and bite at skin and fur, it’s highly suggestive of a flea problem.

Other signs include:

• Shaking the head

• Scratching the ears

• Excessive licking

• Overgrooming

• Hair loss

• Itchy skin

Even though fleas are a risk to your cat year-round, they are most active during the warmer months, starting as early as March. Many people believe that their cats are safe from fleas after the first frost, but unfortunately, this is not the case.

The use of a flea prevention year-round is the best strategy for keeping your cat and your home flea-free.

How To Check Your Cat for Fleas

If you suspect your cat has fleas, the first place to check is the skin around the base of the tail or under the armpits and in the groin region. Look for tiny, moving black dots.

It’s a good idea to use a flea comb to brush your cat’s fur along the back and legs to see if you can catch the fleas in this narrow-toothed device.

The comb’s teeth are designed to catch and pull fleas out from under the hair coat. While you are combing your cat, get down to the skin with the comb, then empty the contents of the comb into a bowl of soapy water. Getting the live fleas into the water quickly will kill them; otherwise, they might jump off the comb and back into your home.

Since fleas take a blood meal from your cat when they attach, a special trick can determine if the black fleck you found on your cat is a flea. While using the flea comb, keep a white paper towel under you cat.

Flea dirt will fall off the cat’s skin and land on the towel.

Add a very small amount of water to the towel, and if those black flecks turn dark reddish-brown in color, you know you have a flea issue. What you are seeing is the digested blood that the flea passed in its feces.