Flea

5663  Hello,  Attached find a photo of a pest we found in our bed the night after my daughter got three nasty bites. They became swollen red bumps by the next morning, and are quite itchy, but not painful. No other symptoms. For scale, the bug is about 2-3mm long.  I suspect our cat, who is an outdoor cat who has picked up fleas before. However, this doesn’t look quite like a flea, so I wanted to be sure..  Please help! Whatever it is, any advice as to treatment word be most appreciated.  Thanks,    -Eyal

This does look like a flea, but because this is a dorsal (top side) view, it appears very narrow, as fleas are quite flat from side to side. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.