Hi! New to the site, with a brand new kitten in our home!
So after doing a TON of research, Googling, watching videos on YouTube, talking to fellow cat owners, pet store and clinic employees, etc., we still can not decide if our kitten has fleas and what steps we should take about it!
We first adopted our kitten a week ago from a local, family-owned pet store and shelter. He's a black, short haired male about 12 weeks old. When we brought him into our home, he was every where! We let him on the couches, let him sleep in our bed. He is so gentle with his little claws and SO affectionate, we don't have any issues letting him roam wherever he likes, because he's a member of our family now!
I did have an initial allergy reaction to him, and quickly gave him a little kitten bath using Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo, thinking maybe he was just dirty from the pet store, as I'm a little bit of a clean-freak-germ-a-phobe!
After the second night in our bed (he had already decided my head is the perfect spot to sleep at night
!), I found little black and white specs ALL over our pillows and on our sheets. It almost looked like black and white dandruff. I used a sticky-paper-lint roller and cleaned it all off.
After a little research, I figured it might be Flea Dirt. I did the test, took a few specks and placed them on a damp paper towel, and sure enough, the specks dissolved into redish-brownish water marks.
The thing is, our kitten doesn't scratch himself AT ALL! We have never seen a flea, and after checking him VERY thoroughly in all the right places (behind the neck, in the middle of his shoulder blades, down by his tail, his belly, his hind quarters, etc.), we still have yet to see one. We also used a Flea Comb VERY thoroughly and got NOTHING.
Does my kitten have fleas or is it all in my head? Did he have a flea, and this is just left over dirt? Maybe it's just black dandruff or kitty dander (is that even possible)? What steps should I take on my kitten and around my home to insure he doesn't have, nor will he get, fleas!?
Thanks for all your help!
So after doing a TON of research, Googling, watching videos on YouTube, talking to fellow cat owners, pet store and clinic employees, etc., we still can not decide if our kitten has fleas and what steps we should take about it!
We first adopted our kitten a week ago from a local, family-owned pet store and shelter. He's a black, short haired male about 12 weeks old. When we brought him into our home, he was every where! We let him on the couches, let him sleep in our bed. He is so gentle with his little claws and SO affectionate, we don't have any issues letting him roam wherever he likes, because he's a member of our family now!
After the second night in our bed (he had already decided my head is the perfect spot to sleep at night
After a little research, I figured it might be Flea Dirt. I did the test, took a few specks and placed them on a damp paper towel, and sure enough, the specks dissolved into redish-brownish water marks.
The thing is, our kitten doesn't scratch himself AT ALL! We have never seen a flea, and after checking him VERY thoroughly in all the right places (behind the neck, in the middle of his shoulder blades, down by his tail, his belly, his hind quarters, etc.), we still have yet to see one. We also used a Flea Comb VERY thoroughly and got NOTHING.
Does my kitten have fleas or is it all in my head? Did he have a flea, and this is just left over dirt? Maybe it's just black dandruff or kitty dander (is that even possible)? What steps should I take on my kitten and around my home to insure he doesn't have, nor will he get, fleas!?
Thanks for all your help!