Cat Fleas
A Quick Guide To Cat Fleas
Cat fleas are something you don't want in your life – or in your house. They scoot through your cat's fur so quickly that it's hard to see them, although you can usually see flea dirt in her fur.
They drink your cat's blood, and they carry disease, and they cause your poor cat to itch so badly that she might scratch fur out to get relief. If you have had cat fleas in your house, you may have even been bitten yourself at one time or another. Fleas are vicious, aggressive feeders.
Cat fleas are most commonly the species Ctenocephalides felis. If you're not sure your cat has fleas, but she is scratching, use a flea comb and check for tiny black dots that are actually flea excrement. If you smash the flea dirt with a damp paper towel, and it turns red, that color comes from your cat's blood, and that's telling you that you need to start flea control.
Cat fleas live predominantly on domestic cats, but they can infect dogs as well. The cat flea can also live and breed on other carnivores, including the possum. Cat fleas may bite rabbits, ruminants, rodents and humans, or infest them, but the cat flea can't complete the breeding cycle on these other animals, because they aren't their normal hosts.
Besides being annoying and painful to your cat, fleas also carry diseases and disease tendencies even more dangerous. Anemia can be caused by blood loss, which can be fatal, especially in older cats and kittens. Tapeworms are also common in cats who have fleas, so if you are going to treat your cat for fleas, treat her for worms, too.
Cat fleas lay their eggs on your cat, where their entire life cycle can take place if unchecked. Some eggs may also fall off into your carpet, your cat's bedding, or anywhere the cat lays. The larvae feed on the feces left by the adult fleas, and take a week to fully develop. The pupa spins a cocoon for itself on the cat, and develops into an adult flea. Then the new young flea begins feeding on its new host, within mere minutes. All of the fleas feed on your cat's blood, and mate, and the circle of life for fleas starts all over again.
We have the weapons now to take cat fleas out of our lives and our animals' lives. You will want to do a complete attack, to break the cycle, and then use prevention. No animal should have to suffer with fleas. Cats have very sensitive skin, and they will be grateful when the fleas are destroyed.