Tonight I discovered little bugs on all three of our cats (literally all over, like fleas but they do not look like fleas) but no red bites. We have searched the mattresses and the couches and see no evidence of bed bugs, but these same bugs are all over the litter box too. Also, we have not been bitten by any bugs that we know of. The cats and the litter box seem to be the only places they are. Are these tiny roaches? Are they bed bugs, or are they possibly fleas? They look more like roaches/bed bugs than fleas. I'm going to contact the vet tomorrow.
chris2011-10-03T19:43:05Z
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I don't know much about pet parasites but I know a lot about bed begs, had them three times in three different apartments (New York, Athens, Paris). Here's what I can tell you about bed bugs: they don't live on people/animal, they live in mattresses, sheets, curtains, rugs, etc. They only come out at night to feed, then retreat again during the day. It's almost pointless trying to "search" for them because they can literally be inside the mattress. You will know if you have bedbugs by their bites: almost like mosquito bites but they are in a neat row (that's because they bite 3 or 4 times while walking along your skin.
Sorry I can't tell you what you're cat has, but I can say that they are not bed bugs.
Is this what you mean by tiny roaches? http://www.activepestcontrol.com/learn_more/images/big/flea.jpg
You're probably looking at a flea problem, especially if you don't have your cats on any flea prevention. You wouldn't necessarily see spots or bite marks on your cats. One way to tell is if you see black specks like dirt on your cats, put some of it on a white paper towel and put a drop of water on it. If it turns reddish, then it is flea dirt, which is digested blood.
they are fleas. you need to give your kitties a bath with some flea shampoo and then give them some advantage. you can use flea killing spray on your carpets and couch. i would even if you haven't seen them in the carpet, just in case, since they can live dormant for a long time without a host (a year i think?) in your carpet and re-infest your kitties later.