All of my 5 cats have been scratching themselves around their faces/ears primarily for a number of weeks. (This has not turned into any sort of excessive grooming.) During this period, their food was changed because of a weight problem that 2 of them have, and I personally came in contact with some sort of insect that left several bite marks on my legs. The bite marks occured the same day that I had been to a small tropical habitat exhibit in a NYC park, where the animals/birds/plants are in a damp humid room, pretty much loose, with the humans on walkways.
However, I've been bitten by fleas before, and at that time experienced unbelievable itching. The bites I got this time did not itch at all.I have had no re-occurence of bites on me.
I've examined the cats, and used a flea comb on them, then tapped it out onto white paper and don't see any flea dirt. I've ruffled the fur under their chins with white paper below them, and didn't dislodge black specks of any sort.
As a result, I was thinking that this was more likely to be a reaction to the food change, but someone pointed out to me on another board whether it was likely that that would occur for all five cats at the same time. (Two are siblings, so they may have similar reactions.)
I'm debating whether to change the food, or treat them with Advantage.I'm still puzzled though as to why there would be no flea dirt showing up by now, on at least one of them. I'm also wondering whether there could be some other pest that could be causing a similar itching reaction, primarily around the face/ears, but leave no 'trail'. Do ear mites migrate around the head?
These cats live 8 stories up in a NYC apartment and have not been anywhere else except to the vets, since they were brought home. I do realize that I could have brought something in on my person however.
Any thoughts (other than asking the vet)?
However, I've been bitten by fleas before, and at that time experienced unbelievable itching. The bites I got this time did not itch at all.I have had no re-occurence of bites on me.
I've examined the cats, and used a flea comb on them, then tapped it out onto white paper and don't see any flea dirt. I've ruffled the fur under their chins with white paper below them, and didn't dislodge black specks of any sort.
As a result, I was thinking that this was more likely to be a reaction to the food change, but someone pointed out to me on another board whether it was likely that that would occur for all five cats at the same time. (Two are siblings, so they may have similar reactions.)
I'm debating whether to change the food, or treat them with Advantage.I'm still puzzled though as to why there would be no flea dirt showing up by now, on at least one of them. I'm also wondering whether there could be some other pest that could be causing a similar itching reaction, primarily around the face/ears, but leave no 'trail'. Do ear mites migrate around the head?
These cats live 8 stories up in a NYC apartment and have not been anywhere else except to the vets, since they were brought home. I do realize that I could have brought something in on my person however.
Any thoughts (other than asking the vet)?