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Of course, fleas of any kind are a major annoyance in several homes, and cat fleas are one of the most common types of fleas that your pet can bring home. Although cat fleas mainly live in fur, they can also bite humans, and their larvae can survive in for instance floor cracks and the like, until they are large enough to jump on either animals or humans.
These blood-sucking insects most pet owners will encounter at least once, but they are fortunate to get rid of again.
Appearance
Cat fleas are incredibly small animals. The largest cat fleas become a maximum of 3 mm long, so they can be difficult to spot. Cat fleas are brownish black and robustly built with a round, compressed body shape. They have particularly powerful legs, which allow them to jump up to 30 cm. The fleas lay eggs in the fur of a host animal.
The cat flea generally has four life stages, but it is not easy to see cat fleas with the naked eye until they are fully grown. Cat flea eggs are only 0.5 mm in size, so to the untrained eye they can easily look like dust grains. During the cat flea’s larval stage, the larva will not exceed 4 mm, but the larva will typically be found in the home and not on the animal.
Biology and behavior
The cat fleas’ eggs will typically fall out of the fur as they cannot stick. Then they fall into cracks in the floor, where they hatch after 2 to 10 days and turn into larvae. The larvae survive by eating dirt and dust for about 14 days, after which they have grown large enough to pupate. It typically takes 7 days for the adult cat flea to come out of its cocoon, but under adverse conditions it can take several months. The adult cat flea can now jump on fury animals and humans.
Although cat fleas are named after cats, dogs can also easily get cat fleas. In fact, cat fleas are more common in both dogs and cats than the so-called dog fleas, Ctenocephalides canis.
There is a particularly high risk that both pets and humans will experience problems with cat fleas during the autumn. Flea season typically runs from late summer until Christmas, but the earlier you discover cat fleas, the easier it will be to solve the problem.
Damage
Cat fleas are only harmful to humans when they bite. One can typically see flea bites on oneself in clusters. Cat fleas will always prefer to sit in fur because it is denser. Therefore, if they stray onto a human, they will typically bite at the edge of the sock or trouser line, where it is hot and humid. In cats and dogs, it is typically possible to detect that the animal is scratching itself more than usual, and that the animal can at the same time appear irritable and uncomfortable even in relaxed moments.
Cat fleas are only a nuisance to humans in that they attack and irritate pets and humans. They do not damage furniture or woodwork in a home.
Prevention and pest control
Fleas are most easily prevented during the spring when cat fleas multiply. There are several products on the market that can be used to prevent cat fleas, and these products are typically called insect development inhibitors. One must be aware that these products do not kill adult cat fleas, but instead make it impossible for the cat fleas’ eggs and larvae to develop further. As such, it is not possible to prevent against adult cat fleas.
However, it is important that you also focus on the adult fleas if you have noticed bites on your own skin or irritation on your pet’s skin. Both cats and dogs can be allergic to cat fleas, which of course is only an even better reason to fight the adult cat fleas as well.
It is easiest to fight adult cat fleas by buying the special products for the purpose. Flea repellents can be purchased in many forms, such as tablets, sprays, drops, flea collars and shampoos. If your pet is allergic to cat fleas, it is important to consult a veterinarian or make sure that your chosen remedy is allergy friendly.
It is always recommended to both prevent and control at the same time, as cat flea larvae can potentially survive for months before they again prove to be a problem.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)