# Flea eggs in kitten fur?????



## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Hi, I've just found a stray kitten that seems to have a strange coat condition that as first i thought was dirt, but they seem to be little tiny white things stuck to his fur.

Maybe flea eggs? The thing is I just gave him a very through bath and saw no evidence of fleas.

I of course plan on taking him to the vet, but in the meantime, what could be causing this???


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Flea dirt looks more like dirt...black specs, not white dots...not sure what that could be. Maybe dandruff?


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

I thought of that too, but it's like stuck to his fur. You can hardly pull them off. And I meant the eggs not the 'poop' :lol: .

Or are the eggs dark too? it's just odd because he is so little and I washed him top to bottom and saw no fleas _or_ flea dirt.


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

Lice? 
They lay their eggs on the hair shaft (attached with a glue). There is a type that lives on cats.


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## Janice (Jan 12, 2007)

Yes, sounds like possible "lice eggs" to me too. Get a fine-toothed comb and start combing them out gently... definitely needs a trip to the vet.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

OH yeah, I forgot about that. Eeeew, for some reason I am 10x more grossed out by lice than fleas. I don't know why.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

My guess would be lice :-(


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Here is an article on lice and cats:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=751


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Wow, never knew cats got lice. But, that is what it looks like...I now know what I have to do, so thanks for all you replies and sorry my last post was a bit grammar less and wonky. I was typing while half asleep and holding a kitten, I am sure you all know how it is.

His vet appt. is next week, I think in the meantime I am going to get some shampoo and comb for him though, I have other cats and I don't want to have to give a bath to _everyone_, and although he is isolated I am sure lice can crawl under doors.


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

NOT LICE!!!! Fly eggs. Wash the kitten ASAP in dawn dish soap!! Take him to the vet now!Flies lay their eggs in ears, mouths, up the rectum! He needs Capstar immediatly! Get it from the vet, it will kill them all! This kitten will be eaten from the inside out if it is fly eggs! I have had MANY baby squirrels in this condition as well as kittens. They will hatch into maggots. Look in the mouth and ears. If you can, post pictures and I can tell you if they are fly eggs. This is very serious if they are fly eggs.


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

Look and see if they are in the ears and mouth. If the kitten was outside and it was hot, flies are wicked and will lay thousands of eggs. Does it look like pieces of rice and is it thick. If you go against the hair, will they come off? Dont want to worry you, but I have dealt with so many animals with fly eggs and maggots. Had a box of abandoned kittens crawling with maggots when some idiot dropped them off in a box in a field. One was dead, the others, well, had to be euthanized. They were no more that a week old. My friend found them by her work. I listened to them cry all the way to the vets and I was just crying my eyes out!  The vet techs were horrified.


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

read this

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-3/maggots.html

http://www.deathonline.net/decompositio ... s/eggs.htm


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

how is the kitty?


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Um, they basically look like lice eggs, I had lice in the 4th grade that looked just like this. Nothing in the ears or mouth, except a little dirt (in ears). I tried to take a picture but these eggs are so small you cannot see them with one. They don't come up against or with the hair. Very stuck, you basically need a tweezers or comb to get them off. I am bathing him with flea/tick/lice shampoo right now.

You are really scaring me as I don't have a cent to my name right now to take him to the vet, and would basically have to rush him to a kill-shelter to be most likely put too sleep if you are right, as I am sure that is what you will say next if I say I have no money. 8O So, now I don't know what to do.

I am going to call my vet and explain what they look like and maybe he can tell me the difference over the phone. But, these really look exactly like when I had lice. How would the fly eggs look different? Can you explain further.

Oh and the kitten is healthy, a little thin but nice color in gums, clean eyes/ears/mouth a little dry coat and skin and very active and nice appetite. Have 6 cats, all rescued off the street so I do know what a sick kitten will look like.

I am still very nervous and will take him to the vet asap. Do you have pictures of what fly eggs would look like? Sorry about the grammar, you made me a little shaky here.
*EDITED*
Ok I manged to get a few photos, the little white dots are the eggs. They are tear dropped shaped. The glare of the camera makes them look a bit bigger, but the eggs are the tiny white dots.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

It sounds to me more like lice than fly eggs. I saw the photos in the links and while your pictures are very hard to see it appears that fly eggs would definately show up in the photos anyway. Don't freak out, just keep doing what you are doing. If you click on the links that zippy posted, one has very detailed photos of fly eggs, and if that's what they look like, I don't think that's what you are dealing with at all.


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

"Fly strike" is caused by maggots from the eggs of blow flies. The blow flies are attracted to wet, dirty areas such as wounds or feces. This is just my opinion, but I don't think your cat has blow fly eggs. They are usually deposited in a mushy clump. The maggots emerge within 8-12 hours, the maggots burrow into the skin where there is a wound or wet, filthy material, and the animal can be dead from fly strike within 72 hours. I hate to admit this, but back when I raised sheep, I lost a lamb due to fly strike. It happens so fast that it can go unnoticed until it is too late.


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Okay, I am trying to remain calm. I am also a bit upset after giving the kitten a bath. I hate giving cat's baths, I am always afraid I got shampoo in their eyes or the water too hot (*checked for both though!*) and they always yowl like you are torturing them.

I am hoping he will be okay. :blackcat



*EDITED*
Also I looked at the pictures and they look nothing like what he has. Actually the first thing I thought when I saw them was they looked like lice, but I didn't know cats got lice so I assumed they must be flea eggs.

Anyway I got shampoo good for killing lice and eggs, and checked with a local vet (mine is out of town) about applying since he is under 12 weeks (around eight) and they said it should be fine to give to him.

So *fingers crossed*.


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

Glad they aren't fly eggs. Sorry I panicked and got you worried. I have just seen so many babies with the fly eggs and maggots. I could go into graphic details but I wont'. Fly eggs look like grains of rice all bunched together. If they covered an animal it kind of looks like sawdust on them. Is the kitten loosing hair? Or the hair is thin where the eggs/nits are? Fly eggs dont' cause hair loss. Dont worry about washing the kitten. I have washed many squirrels with dawn and they were okay. We treat squirrels just like we would cats, same meds and everything except food. Keep us updated!


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Even after the shampooing, remember to comb out all the nits you see. 
Good luck. 

For what it's worth, the reading i did last night on cats and lice say that those types of lice stay on their host of choice which means they should stay on kitty (not that we want that to happen at all...but..) and not affect you and/or your family.


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

CataholicsAnonymous said:


> "Fly strike" is caused by maggots from the eggs of blow flies. The blow flies are attracted to wet, dirty areas such as wounds or feces. This is just my opinion, but I don't think your cat has blow fly eggs. They are usually deposited in a mushy clump. The maggots emerge within 8-12 hours, the maggots burrow into the skin where there is a wound or wet, filthy material, and the animal can be dead from fly strike within 72 hours. I hate to admit this, but back when I raised sheep, I lost a lamb due to fly strike. It happens so fast that it can go unnoticed until it is too late.


Fly strikes are when flies lay their eggs on a host

With fly strikes, an animal does not have to have a wound. Just laying around debilitated they will strike. Baby squirrels that are in their nest without mom will get fly strikes. A few weeks back, a Cardinal nest with babies was abandoned and before I realized mom and dad were gone, the babies had just died in my hands after climbing the tree to rescue them. THey both had fly eggs on them. Any abandoned baby can get them whether they are injured or not.


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

*zippy96444*
He has a little thinning in his hair, just a generally bad looking coat right now. It is okay (about getting me worried) it's better you said something. And the eggs aren't together at all, they are all randomly across his coat. So hopefully just lice. 

*AddFran*
I am looking for a fine tooth comb right now to comb out the nits, I read that they wont affect people, but I am still leery of my other cats getting them, I don't want to have to wash 6 full grown cats who hate baths..lol


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

What do you mean? Your kitties don't like water? :wink:

There is nothing more pathetic looking that a soaking wet kitten. You can't help but feel so guilty!


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

None of my current cats have ever been bathed. Knowing them as I do, if I had to try to bathe them all, the most I would accomplish is partially wetting the first one. After all, if I am dead, I can't do any more! 8O


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Yeah and the saddest thing is with this kitten he is so sweet that instead of trying to run away like my adult cats do, he was trying to run up into my arms, like 'save me' and it made me want to cry. I had to keep mentally telling myself '_This is for his own good!_'

I am always afraid afterwards they will hate me for life, but 15 minutes later he's fallen asleep purring in the towel on my lap :luv

So, I feel better now, thanks for all the replies everybody. !


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

CataholicsAnonymous said:


> None of my current cats have ever been bathed. Knowing them as I do, if I had to try to bathe them all, the most I would accomplish is partially wetting the first one. After all, if I am dead, I can't do any more! 8O


I've never had a reason to bathe any adult cats except for Trot. While staying at boyfriends cousin's place during the move, he came back to us infested with fleas (which was weird because he had no other pets and was strictly indoors.. :? ) but it was so bad and I had two other cats and a dog, so in addition to the frontline I had to bathe him. Not surprisingly he just sat in the tub with a pathetic little look on his face like please take me outta here. He was AWESOME. I've never seen anything like that before. Had I tried with with Franny or Black Kitty I would not have made it out alive. 

The kittens have had to be bathed througout the gross diarrhea episodes and they were pretty bad. I think they truly believed I was trying to kill them. :lol:


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

If the eggs are randomly, then it is not fly eggs. They lay them in bunches. Just glad they werent. Glad you are caring for the kitten. H/she is so lucky!


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## glitter_petal (Apr 7, 2007)

Whew. I am glad of that then. 

Aww thanks, but _I_ am lucky too, he is such a sweet kitten. Now, I just have to get a name for him. :wink:

I posted a while ago about another of my kitties, but, then all my old pictures were on another computer and I had no camera to share, but now I do, so I just might stick around and introduce my animal family.


Thanks for all your help,

Sara


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

You are so welcome and yes stay around and we would love to see pictures!


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