My cat is scratching his neck and has tiny black bugs. Are they fleas?

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This looks like flea dirt. If you put "cat flea dirt" into a Google search you will see many photos that resemble this. I suggest you get her a GOOD flea prevention and treat your house and/or yard for fleas. You can bathe her if she will let you with Dawn dish soap. Use the dish soap sparingly as it is very concentrated. Be sure to rinse it off thoroughly. You should only need to bathe her once. Bathe her either 24 hour before OR after applying the topical flea medication. If you can't bathe her, don't worry too much about it. Once the medication kicks in and you treat the environment her clinical signs will resolve. I have linked some products for you below: ( https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/223965_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=120766 ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Virbac-Knockout-Treatment-Spray-16-Ounce/dp/B00AT6FY6A/ ) ( https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flag-Killer-Concentrate-Treatment/dp/B071XPK8M8/ ) Be sure to continue to use a topical flea prevention on her EVERY MONTH. Watch her poop closely in the coming months as often cats will get tapeworms from ingesting fleas. If you see any worms (look like grains of rice) on her poop or around her anus you should take her to your vet to get a dewormer. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It’s hard to see the bug in your picture. It is likely fleas. I would start a flea medication. I like the oral ones like Nexgard, Simparica or Bravecto and I also like the Setesto collar which lasts 8 months. With these you can bathe him as well. With the topical medications you can’t bathe until 2 days after application. And personally I do not think they work as well. I hope this helps!

Without seeing the bug it is very hard to say what it might be. It could have been a tick, a flea, lice, or something else. I suggest you take her to a vet for an exam. They can give you an anti-parasite medication to put on her.

Fleas are a very common cause of scratching, so it will be worthwhile to apply Frontline if he is not on any other flea products at the moment. There are also some other causes of itching, like mites and certain skin diseases, so if the Frontline is not helping within three days of use, then it would be best to take DC to a vet for diagnosis and treatment of his condition. I hope that helps and all is well with DC.

Hello, if you can see them then they are likely fleas! You can give the cat a bath to rid the fleas. If you have other pets at home ensure they are all protected against fleas as well. Hope this helps and best of luck

YEs, this sounds like fleas. You need to treat all the dogs and cats in the household with flea prevention. And you need to treat the house and the outside yard. 1. I would first give all the pets PetArmor Fast Caps. This will kill all the adult fleas on the pets within one hour. However, it only works for 24 hours so after this you will need to apply a topical long-term flea prevention. Be sure to buy the correct product for their weight. https://www.target.com/p/petarmor-fastcaps-for-dogs-25lbs-and-up-6ct/-/A-15211237#lnk=sametab 2. I would recommend using the Pet Armor topical prevention. DO NOT use cheaper products like Hartz. They don't work and are often toxic. You need to apply this topical product EVERY month. Be sure to buy the correct product for their weight. https://www.target.com/p/petarmor-plus-f-t-squeeze-on-23-to-44lbs-3ct/-/A-16931100#lnk=sametab 3. Wait 24 hours after applying the Pet Armour and then bathe with a medicated shampoo. If you bathe too soon after applying the product or bathe before using the product you will wash it off or it won't absorb properly. https://www.amazon.com/SynergyLabs-Veterinary-Formula-Clinical-Medicated/dp/B0037Z6VLC/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1500935032&sr=1-3&keywords=synergylabs You can buy the shampoo online or often times Walmart carries it. Use it as directed. You can bathe every 3 days or so as needed to help soothe the skin. 4. Next you have to treat the environment - the inside of the house and the yard. http://www.allivet.com/p-1389-knockout-es-area-treatment.aspx http://www.allivet.com/p-1391-virbac-yard-spray-concentrate-16-oz.aspx I hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thankfully, you have a few options here. I recommend you consider using a product called Capstar which is to kill a lot of fleas at once to complement a flea preventative product like Advantage. You can go ahead and give another dose of Advantage now as well. I would not give up on Advantage just yet. Continue to use it for now as this flea may be was a one time occurrence and the Advantage was still being effective. Another option is switching to Bravecto now though again Advantage may still be effective so it may be best to exhaust its use. Good luck and have a great day!