Little Brown Bugs

[Omii]

My friends cat has these little brown bugs crawling around her kitten. They tend to travel in groups, moving from place to place, but are generally on the back of his head. They are about the size of aphids and we can't figure out what they are. They don't seem to be bothering him, but if anyone knows what they are and/or what to do to get rid of them, it would be awesome.

Also, flea bath and flea collars have not been working, and we're worried that the bugs may travel to the other cats in the house.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Sounds like fleas & if so your other cats likely already have them

Flea collars don't always work I personally don't like them, not only the smell but the pesticide content in close constant contact w/the cat

Flea baths - same thing loads of pesticides fleas can also survive in water for short periods of time.

Not only do you need to get rid of the fleas on the cat but also in the house. Fleas lay their eggs in the carpets, furniture, bedding in the house. Everything needs to be washed/vaccumed frequently when there is a flea issue. Eggs also can stay dormant for along time so even if you don't see fleas for a while there still may be some around.

You can call the vets office & bring the cat in to check that is it actually fleas, & then get Revolution, or Advantage to kill the current adult fleas while you do a through house cleaning. Usually the reception staff or a vet tech can help you with the flea identifying without having to book a full appt. Call to make sure they will do that for you.

Don't use the over the counter products, the safety level of some of those products is questionable at best, down right toxic in others.

[RoscoeIsMyDog]

If you would like to try another option before the vet try dawn soap. When my dog had fleas I used that and killed them instantly. I got the information from a lady at a pet store and she said alot of people use dawn for those types of issues.
Make sure you do vacuum because the eggs hatch I think it's every 4 weeks. I actually shampooed my carpet aswell, just because I'm a little nutty,ha.
Hope the issue gets resolved quickly.
Take Care
Jeremy

[bendyfoot]

Dishsoap may dry out the kitten's skin...and it's full of unnecessary perfumes and chemicals...I wouldn't use that on a kitten. It sounds like fleas, and it needs to be treated, and likely the other cats in the house should be treated as well if you want to prevent an outbreak. Your friend should go to the vet and ask for a topical flea medication (applied to the skin) for all the kitties. Keep in mind that it's dispensed by weight, so she'll need to know all the cats' current weights.

[Kai'smom]

It also could be ticks maybe - or if they are a slight reddish colour maybe bed bugs? Fleas jump more when you touch them than running around in groups. I would imagine you would know a flea straight away. They jump around all over the place before you can kill them, there is nothing else that really behaves similar to a flea. Just guessing though.

[14+kitties]

You can also get a can of Vet Chem (Siphotrol) (thanks krdahmer ) from your vet. A large can is fairly inexpensive. It will treat your house. You just have to make sure the cats are all in one room while treating the rest of the house. In half an hour you can let them out of the room and then treat it.

[bendyfoot]

Ticks are usually greyish and are very slow-moving, they wouldn't be moving quickly.

[AmericanBullMom]

It sounds an awful lot like fleas. BUT.... My aunt had Bed Bugs once, and they actually went after her cats as well as her.... NASTY NASTY bugs... and they BITE! HARD!

http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/pu...edbugs-029.jpg

Theres a picture of what they look like.

Hope you figure out everything you need to!

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by AmericanBullMom

http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/pu...edbugs-029.jpg

eeeewwwwwwww

[AmericanBullMom]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

eeeewwwwwwww

Oh my dog, I know... Bed bugs are SOOOO yucky... And sooo hard to kill too.

[kiara]

These are fleas and she needs to take her kitten to a vet., over the counter remedies don't work. Kittens often have fleas, worms and ear mites. Which can travel to other cats. Also fleas can infestate your home.