From what I could find they are a type of mosquito called a biting midge. So it is possible for the to bite a cat I'm sure, but whether they cause any health issues or spreads diseases I couldn't tell you.
Thanks for your replies. Some of my cats bhave been scratching a lot lately and I know they don't have fleas. I took two of them to get thier teeth cleaned on Monday and the vet said he they both looked fine and didn't see any reason why they should be scratching.
Anyway, my brother was over yesterday and he said "boy, you sure have a lot of Noseeums around here." I never heard of them and started to wonder if that's why my cats were scrating so much.
I've noticed a lot of tiny gnat type bugs flying around my house lately. They don't seem to be biting anyone but your post reminded me that I need to do some research on them. Thanks! LoL
We've got a crazy nasty gnat infestation here in Chicago right now. A huge gross cloud of them followed us around the park all day. But, they don't bite, and somehow we haven't gotten any in the house yet. However, if they're biting you, they're probably biting the kits. A couple of nice big citronella candles on the front porch and a good old flyswatter will probably solve the problem!
We're supposed to get some rain here tomorrow which should hopefully help--or at least thats what people are saying.