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Original poster

What could be biting me?

15 replies

Pennies · 13/05/2011 22:24

Over the past few weeks I've been getting what looks like mosquito bites on my legs and bum Blush. They don't bother me unless I scratch them which makes them really quite itchy.

I have a cat but he is given a prescription flea treatment each month and no one else in the family has bites.

I don't think it is bed bugs as DH hasn't got any bites and if it was bed bugs why would the bites be just on my bum and legs?

I seem to get a few new bites each day and they take about 5 days to heal (providing they don't get itchy then it takes longer).

OP posts:
FudgeGirl · 13/05/2011 22:35

It does sound like it could be fleas :( You could try buying an insect repellant with DEET in it - I've used Jungle Formula, it stops them biting.

Your cat may have brought in fleas that although they won't live on the cat, they can live and breed in your carpets.

Also the fleas can become resistant to the flea treatment on your cat - check the cat, mainly round the neck, ears and base of his/her tail front and back and see if you can see anything.

As for nobody else being bitten, neither my ex or OH would get bitten but I was, badly. I smoke bombed the house and treated the carpets - and the dog - and haven't had a problem since.

ashamedandconfused · 13/05/2011 22:39

mozzies? midges?

are they quite big and raised (hives) - could be a food allergy if so - have you been eating lots of something you don't usually eat eg tomatoes, strawberries? have you been in the garden/country in the evenings wearing a skirt? that would explain the position of the bites

some people dont react to bites - they are bitten, but its a localised reaction and some people dont get the swelling and itching, or some people are not bitten because of their own personal odour/hormone smell

libbyssister · 13/05/2011 22:39

I know you say you have your cat treated but just the fact that the bites are on your legs it sounds like it could be fleas. I have experienced this twice after previous tenants/owners have left fleas behind and it's always on my legs, with a few that manage to hop through my clothing as far as my groin/lower body. They only bit me, left DH and DSs alone and lasted like you say 5 days ish. Do your bites start out as a little blister-topped red spot?

ashamedandconfused · 13/05/2011 22:41

If your cat has regular flea treatment, that prevents the flea from breeding properly, so it will not be dropping viable eggs on the floor etc, also, if the cat is around, fleas will not bite humans, they do that in infested homes where the pet/host has moved/died

fifi25 · 13/05/2011 22:44

I had these a couple of weeks ago. I thought i had chicken pox. After they went away i got them again. 5 other ppl in house and no one got them. I realised i got them after spending the day on the front lawn. Last week i was sitting out and got bitten off a fly. I thought it was weird and the same night a friend had on her status have you seen the size of the flies this year, one just bit me. I got bitten off a fly on hols last year in Bulgaria and it felt just like that.

Original poster
Pennies · 13/05/2011 22:47

They are about the same size as smallish mozzie bites with a tiny puncture point in the centre which feels like it's got a small scab on it (sorry to be graphic).

Cat hasn't been scratching.

I don't wear skirts very often (usually in jeans or leggings) so that's why I think they're getting me at night because I wear pjs or shorts. Do fleas only bite at night?

Not eaten anything different. It doesn't look or feel much like an allergic rash.

OP posts:
Original poster
Pennies · 13/05/2011 22:50

Haven't been on the grass either much. I was wearing jeans when I was outside.

OP posts:
fifi25 · 13/05/2011 22:54

dont know but whatever they are i have got them. Mine looked like chickenpox that scab over and were mostly on chest and top of arms. Ive had flea bites before as i have 2 dogs and nothing like them. not as itchy

Original poster
Pennies · 13/05/2011 22:57

Which isn't as itchy the flea bites or these? These aren't hugely itchy but do itch once I scratch them. If I don't scratch them I don't notice them. Got a bit of a shock when I looked in the mirror and saw my bitten bum.

OP posts:
FudgeGirl · 13/05/2011 22:58

The fleas always used to get me at night too and only ever on the legs - they do sound just like fleabites. Whatever they are, if they are insect bites, insect repellant with DEET should stop them.

The vet told me when my dog had them (four years ago) that lots of pets who never had fleas before or were already regularly treated were bringing fleas into the house because there were lots of them and they were no longer beaten by the flea treatments.

My dog never scratched either. I've not treated her since and she's not had them either, I'd know straight away.

ashamedandconfused · 13/05/2011 23:05

often bites itch at night when you are warmer, but you have been bitten earlier in the day - I find bites are always raised and itchy the day after they have happened, you dont even feel them happening

oldsilver · 13/05/2011 23:12

I get prickly heat this time, every year. It heats up, I wear 3/4 trousers or shorts & t-shirts. So get itching on exposed skin which is intensely itchy and then scabs over. As the summer goes on I get more aclimatised to the sun and the problem is alleviated. Could any of you be getting this due to the early onset and high temperatures so far this year?

fifi25 · 13/05/2011 23:17

the bites i had were not as itchy as flea bites. They started as a small red bump then burst and crusted over. Ive only got one left now and havent been sitting outside. I havent noticed anything biting me so thought it was the fly after i seen and felt it bite me the other day. Mine were all over my chest and i got a shock when i looked in mirror then rushed to my friends. She said i had chickenpox.

bacon · 15/05/2011 12:13

I live in the country and notice the bites and my reaction. Its well over 3 weeks since some creature nipped me and its still swollen and slightly itchy. I have to be careful when out especially in long grass. Have to remember to spray my legs with dett. Even in the house I can see a fly land on my sock and bite through which makes me jump.

A reaction like this shows high immunity. Lots of people get bitten however, not everyone reacts. Its very painful and drives you mad.

spiritwolf · 19/05/2011 08:48

if its flea bites mix up a solution of 6 to 10 drops of lavender oil, eucalyptus oil and tea tree, fleas hate the smell, i spray every where once a day as i have two cats and being a bit of a hippy i don't like to use chemicals also put a small drop of eucalyptus on a cotton ball and rub on pets necks

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