Rove beetle

6366  May 15 2019. It’s been rainy and the ground is moist. I have an outdoor pen for my indoor cats so that they can be protected while outside. I found about 12 of these very small insects on my cat who came in from the garden behind our house. They are very small about a cm or so and moved quickly. I first thought they were small black seeds but then they started wiggling on the brush, like small ants and moved quickly on a piece of kleenex. They seemed to be making her scratch. Are these Rove Beetles? From: Guelph, Ontario N1C1E3 Canada

Number 6366 This is indeed a rove beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). As you likely already know, these are general predators on other small arthropods, and should cause no harm to your cats.