diff --git a/www/pad/cursor.js b/www/pad/cursor.js
index cdae97c8c..33308c24c 100644
--- a/www/pad/cursor.js
+++ b/www/pad/cursor.js
@@ -111,10 +111,13 @@ define([
             }
         };
 
-        exp.removeCursors = function () {
+        exp.removeCursors = function (inner) {
             for (var id in cursors) {
                 deleteCursor(id);
             }
+            // If diffdom has changed the cursor element somehow, we'll have cursor elements
+            // in the dom but not in memory: remove them
+            $(inner).find('.cp-cursor-position').remove();
         };
 
         exp.cursorGetter = function (hjson) {
diff --git a/www/pad/inner.js b/www/pad/inner.js
index 3f6e717ce..8ce0bc55e 100644
--- a/www/pad/inner.js
+++ b/www/pad/inner.js
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ define([
 
             // We have to remove the cursors before getting the content because they split
             // the text nodes and OT/ChainPad would freak out
-            cursors.removeCursors();
+            cursors.removeCursors(inner);
 
             displayMediaTags(framework, inner, mediaTagMap);
             inner.normalize();