how would i know if my cat has fleas?

[paneer]

I flea her every 6 weeks. I don't think she has fleas. but how would I know?

You can buy a flea comb from any pet shop, they are a bit like a nit comb but more suitable for pet hair.

Comb through the fut especially around the back of the neck which is prime flea territory. The comb will release some loosened hair and there may well be specks among the hair. Wipe this onto a piece of damp kitchen roll - if there are specks which look black when you comb them out but which turn red on the damp kitchen roll, they are tiny specks of blood and there probably are fleas. If you see tiny white specks these may be flea eggs. We had an infestation once and it turned my stomach when I realised that some of the white specks were wriggling flea larvae.

However, you sometimes will see white or black specks that have nothing to do with fleas e.g. just bits of dirt or flaking skin.

oops fut=fur

If you combed her with a flea comb you'd find black dirt that goes red when wet.
Increased cat scratching itself.
Cat may look like it has a skin allergy.
You'd also likely be bitten yourself quite a bit.

Fevered scratching is a good clue.

But also - check in the favourite places - round the neck, armpits and groin. Part the fur and have a look at the base roots - see if there's anything moving or (hopefully not) dark speckles. (Called flea dirt but actually flea poo and means that they've been there long enough to shit.)

If your cat is a light colour all this is easy. It's also useful to groom your cat because you can check for fleas as part of the process and they don't realize.

You don't need a special comb we just use nit combs in the clinic. If you find lots of black bits in the fur knock them out on to damp cotton wool or kitten roll if it's flea dirt it will appear red around the black bits, this is flea dirt.