Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug bites, skin, etc.
Bedbugs and cats...
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DRKSD4848
junior member
Joined: Jan '08
Posts: 53
Posted 1 month ago
Mon Oct 19 2009 19:54:35
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Anyone have experience with bedbugs biting your cat?
I'd assume if they were to bite a cat, they'd probably go for his/her ears (very little fur there).
I assume it's fairly obvious, but I just wanted to know what to look for...
Thanks!
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,129
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 20 2009 9:59:49
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Bed bugs prefer human meals to other mammalian ones. That is, if a bed bug is hungry and has a choice between a human and another mammal pet (cat, dog, bunny, etc.), the bed bug will almost always choose the human over the pet.
In retrospect, I'm pretty sure the bugs were biting my cat when I was out of town and unable to act as food for them (again, in retrospect, I've concluded that I probably had the bugs for a few months before I realized what was going on, and during that time, I traveled pretty frequently.)
But I couldn't actually see any bites. I only guessed because I think she was scratching more than usual.
I am a little curious, though, about why you're esp. concerned about knowing whether they are biting the cat or not.
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mangycur
member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 275
Posted 1 month ago
Tue Oct 20 2009 20:51:17
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Interestingly, neither my dog, nor my cat EVER showed any signs of bites. My dog's tummy was practically bald, but even so, no bites. No scratching. Ever. Meanwhile I was getting bitten. So either neither of my pets were allergic, or bed bugs just wanted me.
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Yeah, we have four cats (and three humans) in our apartment, and I've never seen any evidence that the cats are being bitten. Not even once. Clearly we humans are much more tasty.
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stevebeast
newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 32
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Oct 21 2009 13:51:25
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my cat has long hair and its really hard to tell but he never scratches and i cant find any sign of bites, i suspect he is being bit but doesnt react to it.
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BuggyinLA
newbite
Joined: Nov '09
Posts: 15
Posted 1 week ago
Sun Nov 8 2009 15:52:03
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Our cat has a red welt on the inside of one of his ears that looks just like our bites. It's not in a series the way that bed bug bites usually appear, however, so there's no certainty.
That said, I think it is possible that he's been bitten, for what it's worth.
We're certainly treating him as though he may be carrying them unknowingly and bathing him thoroughly before he goes back into the treated apartment.
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meremortal
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 41
Posted 1 week ago
Sun Nov 8 2009 16:58:42
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My cats were getting bitten when our infestation was really bad (before we knew what was going on). One cat didn't react, but it seemed like the other (who is also a fastidious groomer) was reacting badly. She pulled out most of her fur, poor thing. The more fur she pulled out, the more bites she got. Once we started treatments, her fur started to grow back so I assume that as the population decreased, so did the frequency of her bites. Also, we put them on Revolution and subsequently Advantage Multi. Both seemed to help. We are now (hopefully) down to a few bb's and the cats both seem fine. Wish they had spot treatments for people!!!
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Over the last three weeks since I started getting bitten I have yet to see a bug, and no debris, though I did see what I determined was a cluster of eggs. Yet, Im getting lots of bites, the dog sniffed serious infestation. My CAT has been scratching like she has fleas, though only occasionally, for about 2 months now. I have not been able to figure it out. I've heard they will bite cats if no humans around, but it seems like they started on my cat- if its bed bugs. I feel like I also must have mites, but nothing fits any profile I read about them. If my cat had mites she would have mange.
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