Flea Dirt Test Card

You can't find a single flea on her, but something's wrong. Comb the black specks onto a wet white paper towel. If they bleed rust red, you have your answer in about ten seconds — and that color is her blood.

Fleas are fast and they hide. On a dark or fluffy kitten you may never see one. Flea dirt is the proof.

Inside:

• Where flea dirt collects on a kitten and how to collect it
• The test, and how to read both results
• Why a clean sample isn't proof of no fleas
• What's safe to do first if it's positive: warm, comb, wash the bedding and vacuum
• The weight threshold before any flea product — both 4 weeks old and 2 pounds, and 2 pounds is closer to the 8-week mark than the 4-week mark. Weight is the gate that usually binds, and it's the number fosters get wrong most often.
• Call-a-vet triggers

One page. US Letter, print-ready, legible in black and white.

Free. Not a substitute for veterinary care.