Do Black Cats Get Fleas? 3 Actionable Things Discussed

Do black cats get fleas? Fleas are a common problem for all cats and a flea problem isn’t specific to one color of cat.

There are many breeds of domestic cat that can have a solid black coat so problems with fleas can vary greatly from breed to breed.

How can you tell if a black cat has fleas?

Due to the color of a black cat’s fur and the fact that fleas are very dark in color, spotting a flea on a black cat can be difficult.

Regular grooming of your black cat can help to spot fleas. When combing, look out for tiny black specs as these may be flea waste.

If you suspect that your cat may have fleas, it is a good idea to inspect any mats or rugs in your home for fleas and flea waste.

If spotting the fleas is problematic then it is also beneficial to be aware of the symptoms of a flea infestation on your cat.

Some of the symptoms include frantic scratching and biting, excessive grooming, restlessness, red skin, lesions and scabs, lethargy, muscle loss, pale gums, red spots in your cat’s bedding, and more…

If you suspect that your cat may have fleas please contact your veterinarian and seek professional help and advice.

Can Indoor Cats Get Fleas?

Keeping fleas out of your home is very important especially if you have an indoor cat.

Other animals can be a way that fleas are brought into your home and then find their way onto your house cat’s fur.

Dogs are the number 1 way that fleas get into the home so as your dog goes outside regularly, these unwanted insects can easily find a way inside.

If you have a rodent problem in the home, fleas may also enter the home this way too.

What to do with Black Cat Fleas

As mentioned earlier if you have concerns about fleas please contact a professional but you may be able to treat the problem yourself at home.

If you suspect fleas based on the info above it may be beneficial to use a fine-toothed metal flea comb on your cat very regularly.

The comb will then need to be dipped into a solution to kill the fleas.

There are many anti-flea products available on the market that may help too.

My Thoughts

We have an American Shorthair called Coco and we brought him in from the street at around 3-months-old.

Like many of the street cats here, he had a problem with tapeworms. You could see the white tapeworms wriggling in and out of his anus. (Not nice…)

Thankfully we were able to get rid of the tapeworms and we used a liquid that we placed on Coco’s fur behind his neck.

I didn’t realize until going through this with Coco that the tapeworm and flea problem is connected.

When a cat has fleas, the cat licks it’s fur and then can ingest flea larvae. This flea larvae can be infected with tapeworms.

It’s a vicious cycle!

To treat the tapeworms you must also treat the flea problem which we did successfully and I’m sure Coco was relieved…

Do Black Cats Get Fleas? – Summary

Do black cats get fleas? Yes all cats have the possibility of having fleas.

There are various ways to detect if your cat has fleas including excessive scratching and finding tiny black specs in your cat’s fur and around the home.

Treating fleas can be done using flea combs and liquids.

Our boy called Coco had a tapeworm problem from a kitten which was in fact a flea problem.

Resources

Does My Cat Have Fleas? 9 Ways to Tell