Posted on August 30, 2009 by Nancy Houser

Of the 200 flea species in the United States, “Ctenocephalides felis” is the main troublemaker—or more commonly called—the wingless “cat flea”—for both dogs and cats. In fact, 95% of dog fleas are in Europe, not the United States. The only known natural predator of the cat flea is the ant, who can kill all stages of the cat flea but in the cocoon stage.

Preferring pets for their breeding ground over humans, the cat flea will appear on pet owners through small itchy red bumps around the ankles or wrists (from being near or petting their pets who are overloaded with cat fleas). But generally, they enjoy the animal species which provide more than enough  warmth and shelter for raising their little family–figuratively speaking, of course—as the cat flea has about 50 eggs a day.

A major sign of flea problems is the appearance of “flea dirt” in the hair of the animal or environment (such as bedding or when using a flea comb). The flea dirt will appear as a brown granulated substance, highly concentrated at the base of the tail or scruff of the neck. These areas are locations of increased blood flow in the animal and will become flea larvae food for the flea cycle.

DISEASES CAUSED BY FLEAS

The flea is the main host to tapeworms which can develop inside a dog, cats or humans. The first sign of a tapeworm problem is flat, white, rice-like segments in the stools or around the rectum. Tapeworms can arrive through a tapeworm-carrying flea, mice, rodents or rabbits.

The flea also carries or transmits bacterial organisms that are responsible for the bubonic plague. Often used for reference to the “plague”, the bubonic plague is the best known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, which is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.  The plague killed millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages, and people still get the plague from being bitten by a “rodent flea” or handling an infected animal.

SURVIVAL OF THE FLEA

Cat fleas have been known to survive up to a year in an empty building while patiently waiting for its next host meal, but they cannot survive on humans alone—always needing our pets to survive.  They bite for a purpose, and that is to feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals which helps them lay healthy eggs, which in turn hatch into worm-like larvae which live in the bedding of the host animal.

Some animals become allergic to the saliva of the cat flea as it slobbers slightly when chewing! This makes the allergic dog or cat absolutely miserable, biting and scratching until they are red, bloody and more than a little cranky. Some good advice we have received from Flea Control Secrets is to bathe them with Oatmeal Shampoo while letting it soak for 15 minutes on the body. A natural flea preventative, it drowns the fleas because of the soap base while also soothing and conditioning the skin from the allergic reactions.

FACTS ABOUT THE CAT FLEA

The blood sucking female adult cat flea is approximately 1/16th inch long with a dark, reddish-brown color. Looking somewhat like a fish, they are vertically flat while completely covered with many hairs and nasty-looking short spines pointing backward. Their legs are long and more than well-adapted for jumping—able to jump 200 times its body-length.

The immature or larval stages of the cat flea are about ¼ inch long, consisting of white worms with dark heads. At this stage, they avoid light or direct sunlight with a passion, preferring to hide in the pet’s sleeping areas, carpets, inside furniture,  and mattresses. Once they mature, the mouth-parts of the female are adapted to suck blood from its host.

The female can lay approximately 50 eggs a day, with each egg starting approximately a three week life-cycle:

• Eggs hatch into larvae.
• The larvae feeds on flea dirt, which is excrement of partially digested blood.
• The larvae grow and will molt twice.
• When done molting, they spin cocoons.
• When inside the cocoon, they grow to the pupae stage, and then onto the adult stage.
• Adults will remain in the cocoon until “vibrations” tell them a warm-blooded host is nearby.
• This waiting period inside the cocoon can extend to long periods over the three weeks, depending when the host arrives.
• When a host approaches, six-legged adults will emerge from the cocoon.
• The adult flea attaches to a host (dog or cat) .
• When attached, they feed and breed.
• The cycle is repeated all over again.

RESOURCES
Flea Control
Fleas Infest Our Pets and Our Homes

Related posts:

• Tips for Effective Flea Control
• GUEST SPEAKER: Professionally Grooming Dogs With Fleas
• Heartworms, fleas and other parasites
• Natural Preventives for Eliminating Fleas
• How to go about Flea Control for Dogs