I wonder if anybody has any suggestions for me? Mrs Jinx has small black specs.
They are right at the base of her fur - and there is a lot. We have been to the vets who confirmed that it is not fleas/parasites - in fact it is nothing sinister at all. The vet suggested that it could be an allergy (but i have changed nothing). My boyfriend thinks that because Mrs Jinx likes to sit by the door, that the black specs are just dirt which has accumulated and because she is a long haired she can´t get it out. It is difficult to get out - you can only pick it out, bathing and brushing doesn´t work, and there seems to be more and more each day.
The reason I am so frustrated is that it seems to make Mrs Jinx itch like crazy. The only thing I can think of is to have her shaved but we live in Yorkshire (UK) and I´m worried that she may get cold.

I would have said they are flea excrement. I am surprised that the vet said that it isn´t. If I see something like this on mine (and on occasions I do) then I rub them gently with flea powder (usually when they are asleap) and then brush it out.

Otherwise I really do not know what it could be, especially if it is making him itch.

All the best

No. We did the flea test at the vets and it is definitely not that.

If the vet said that it is an allergy, than it probably is. But does sound like flea dirt. Fleas are the commonest cause of allergy in cats, so perhaps it is a flea allergy. Try wetting it and see, if it goes red like blood. Whoch part of the body is most affected?

Another thing which has occured to me is acne. This also looks like flea dirt.

I just wondered if anyone had any other suggestions - both myself and the vet have both done the flea test and it is not fleas.
It is all over the body but not on her head, which makes sense as she has long hair everywhere except her head.

Hey there, I assume your vet has had a look at the specs under a microscope - can they not tell if it´s just dried skin shedding off? If the specks are just sitting in her fur and can be picked off easily, it doesn´t sound like feline acne - and that most commonly occurs around the face and chin anyway. If not fleas or flea dirt/dermatitis my only other suggestion might be allergies - either food or environmental. Allergies would cause her to itch and if she´s scratching, her skin may be dry and irritated. If she´ll let you, try bathing her with an oatmeal shampoo/conditioner which is soothing to irritated skin. If she´s not thrilled about the bathing, you can still buy coat conditioners that you can rub into dry fur and brush out. Here´s a link to some common causes of cat allergies: http://www.aaavetclinics.com/pet-tips/cat/allergies.php. Maybe try her on an elimination diet and see if that helps.