What Does Cat Flea Dirt Look Like?

Flea dirt resembles little black pepper-like specks that are typically roundish in shape. You can spot flea dirt within the fur or on the skin of your dog or cat. Run a flea comb, or your fingers, against the direction your pet's hair grows to part the hair and better reveal flea dirt—or the actual fleas themselves.

Can my cat have flea dirt but no fleas?

You can also find the fleas themselves but not always… sometimes you have flea dirt without any presence of fleas. How is this possible? The fleas were present at one time but have since jumped off or have been destroyed by licking and grooming.

How do I get rid of flea dirt on my cat?

A good non-irritating shampoo is the first step. "Flea dirt should be washed off the pet with a thorough bath and for severely affected pets, two or three rounds of shampooing may be necessary," Hall says. "A flea comb (a small fine-toothed comb) can also be used to tease the dirt and live fleas out of the hair."