Although the cat flea's primary host is the domestic cat, it also infests dogs the world over. The cat flea can also maintain its reproductive life cycle on Virginia opossum and some carnivores. It can also bite rabbits, rodents, ruminants and humans but can't sustain its life cycle on them.
Flea larvae feed on a variety of organic substances, but most importantly subsist on dried blood that is filtered out of the hair coat of the host after it is deposited there as adult flea fecal material or 'flea dirt.' That's how adult fleas feed their young. Disgusting!
The pre-emergent flea or cocooned flea does not normally emerge as a young adult flea until the presence of a potential host is perceived by warmth or vibration. Newly emerged fleas are stimulated to jump to a new host within seconds of emerging from the cocoon, and the new flea begins feeding on host blood within minutes.
A few fleas on an adult cat are not a cause for panic, unless the cat gets allergic to substances in the fleas' saliva, causing flea-bite dermatitis or flea allergic dermatitis. Cats with severe infestation can become dehydrated or anemic and this can result in death. Kittens are quite susceptible.
Cat fleas are also responsible for disease transmission. They can transmit to cats and humans other parasites and infections, like Bartonella, tapeworm, murine typhus, and apedermatitis. Flea-borne typhus can kill humans if not dealt with properly.
If cat fleas were humans, they'd be perfect for the Guinness Book of Records. They can jump to heights of 15 centimeters, which is 75 times its length, and they neither have wings nor wear springy shoes. Female fleas, which are bigger than the males, are peerless gluttons, being able to suck blood 12 to 15 times their own body weight.
It's easy to know if your cat has fleas. Does scratch her fur often? Do you find specks of dirt on the comb when you groom her? If so, you need to act immediately before their population gets out of hand.
Putting off flea treatment, even just for a few days, can send fleas invading your entire house, and they may feed on your or your kids' blood too. There's no excuse since several innovative flea-control products are readily available.
There's the flea collar, which may contain natural herb extracts to discourage fleas from infesting your cat for up to three months.
Regular use of flea comb gets rid of the larvae on your cat's skin and in the fur, preventing infection. If cats scratch so hard because of the severe itchiness these larvae cause, they will damage their own skin and develop skin abscesses.
Chemicals may be used to kills them. If you can see cay fleas 'hopping' around your house, flea bombs or flea foggers can fix the problem. But that takes a lot of time and effort, so you have to do it during a long weekend. Sprays, shampoos, powders and dips have been proven effective to some extent. Some flea-control products, however, contain permethrin or pyrethrin, which are known to be highly toxic to cats.
You can kill fleas by drowning them, too, regardless of whether you use flea shampoo or not. Fleas hate water. If you dip fleas in water, especially cold water (they can't survive low temperatures), for several minutes, they will die. The ones that survive are those that can move to your cat's head. Those smart ones know you won't drown your cat, and when your cat's fur dries up, they'll start reproducing again.
There's no cat flea pill at present put some medicines in liquid form can be administered orally to your feline. However, your cat's age and weight have to be considered first, something a veterinarian is able to do best.
And that brings us to the best cat-care tip: consult the veterinarian. It takes two to tango and you need a professional partner to stop cats and fleas from getting together.
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