gene

my wife and i noticed excessive hair floating around upstairs on the wood floors. we have minimal carpet. we use wood products twice a week and are vacuum nuts.

because we have allergy problems, dogs and can't handle carpet, we have only a little bit in basement.
the cat was acting strange when petted. he would turn
his head back quickly and begin licking excessively.
almost irritated when any contact with fur and skin.
we saw bumps near his tail,on his spinal area.
strange, we thought perhaps a wasp sting.
there were no human bites around ankles, no bites in bed. didn't think about fleas. our cat in eight years has never had them.
my wife then noticed 'black pepper sized pellets when combing cat.never seen this before. great -fleas.
we are assured now, after liquid applications, 1 or 2 days and cat should be flea free.
one thing we have learned ,is to observe pet behaviour, and watch for subtle changes.
our son mentioned the cat would lick and scratch during the night, even waking him because of the constant licking and scratching, he mentioned fleas, we ignored-this time parents were wrong-now we will diligently groom and look for 'black pepper'

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Mar 25, 2009
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Pepper & Sand:Thank you!
by: Rebekah

Gene,
Thank you for identifying exactly what I have noticed while grooming my cat: sand and pepper grains in his brush. I started to brush him more since I noticed his incessant licking and scratching. I also have a carpet-free home and I have not seen a flea nor have a bite on me.
However, you are correct, after reading your post I knew exactly what my poor suffering cat has had for a week now: FLEAS. Problem solved by your description. I have two pet health care books and neither had that description.

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