To
effectively control fleas, it is necessary to understand
a little of their life cycle and habits.
Adult fleas live on the cat, where the female lays her eggs.
Flea eggs are laid on the host animal but fall off into
the bedding, carpeting, and elsewhere in the animal's environment,
These pearly white eggs are barely visible to the naked
eye and are usually impossible to find without a magnifying
lens. Flea eggs hatch into larvae in 1-10 days, depending
on the temperature and humidity; the warmer and more humid,
the more rapidly the eggs hatch.
Flea larvae feed on organic material in the environment
and on the droppings from adult fleas. They are sensitive
to sunlight and to drying, so inside the house the larvae
prefer deep carpet, bedding, and cracks in the floor boards.
Outside the house, the larvae prefer shaded areas that have
plenty of organic material (grass, leaves, etc.) or moist,
sheltered soil. As the larvae feed on adult flea droppings,
they are found in highest numbers in areas where flea-infested
animals spend much of their time.
After 5-11 days, the larvae produce a fine cocoon in which
they complete their development. During this stage of their
life cycle, fleas are resistant to insecticides. In ideal
conditions, adult fleas hatch from their cocoon in as little
as 5 days, although fleas can survive in the pupated form
for up to 5 months. Hatching is stimulated by vibration,
physical pressure, heat, and carbon dioxide; in other words,
the presence of a potential host animal.
Immediately after hatching from its cocoon, the adult flea
seeks out a host animal. It must have a meal of blood within
a few days in order to survive and produce eggs. Within
two days of her first blood meal, the female flea begins
producing eggs. Fleas can continue to produce eggs for up
to 100 days. A single flea can produce thousands of eggs.
Fleas feeding on your cat can cause several problems:
• Itching and scratching at the flea bite--in most
cats, the itching is mild and temporary.
• Some cats become allergic to flea saliva and develop
severe itching, hair loss, and skin damage from scratching
and biting at the site. If left untreated a skin infection
can develop.
• Tapeworm infestation--fleas are an essential part
of the tapeworm's life cycle. The cat becomes infested with
tapeworms when it swallows a flea that contains immature
tapeworm stages. Tapeworms can cause anemia due to loss
of red blood cells. This occurs only with severe flea infestations,
and usually only in young or sick animals.
It
is easy to tell when a cat is heavily infested with fleas.
You can see the fleas crawling over their skin and through
the hair. If your cat has only a light infestation, you
may not see any fleas unless you look for them. A common
place to see fleas is on their belly and the inside of the
thighs, where the hair is thin or the skin is bare. Another
place to look is in the dense hair over your animal's rump,
especially near the base of the tail. Part the hair and
inspect the skin for either fleas or flea dirt.
Flea
dirt is actually flea droppings. It looks like black grains
of sand or cracked pepper on the cat's skin. If you place
a few particles of flea dirt on a white surface (e.g. a
piece of paper) and wet them, you will see a reddish brown
stain form. This is because the flea droppings contain digested
blood from the flea's blood meal. You may also notice tiny
areas of dried blood on the cat's bedding from moistened
flea dirt that has since dried.
Effective
flea control requires the three P's! Pets, Premise and Persistence
1. Pets - control of fleas on your cat.
2. Premise - control of fleas in your cat's environment.
3. Persistence - controling fleas is an ongoing battle.
Environmental control is probably the more important of
the two. Adult fleas on your cat account for as little as
5% of the total flea population. Fleas can be shared by
cats and dogs, so if you also have a dog, it must be treated,
too.
1. Control of fleas on your cat
Your veterinarian is the best source of advice on flea control
for your pet. There are many excellent products that if
used appropriately will control fleas on your pet. Your
veterinarian has carefully screened these products and can
provide you with the ones that are safe and effective.
There are many ineffective and even dangerous products commercially
available over the counter so always consult your veterinarian
for the best and safest.
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Numerous
products will kill adult fleas on your cat. However, they
vary in the duration of their effects:
• Flea shampoos, sprays, and powders--most will kill
any fleas on your cat at the time of application, but they
have no lasting effect.
• Your cat may have more fleas within 24 hours of being
treated.
• Some of the newer sprays can be safely used every day,
if necessary.
• Flea rinses (dips)--may be effective for 4-5 days,
depending on the product.
• The rinse is applied after the cat has been shampooed;
it is left to dry on the cat's coat.
• Sprays containing flea growth regulators--depending
on the product, these sprays are usually applied weekly.
• The growth regulators help break the flea's life cycle.
• Flea collars_can be effective for a couple of weeks.
• Flea collars are not very effective in warm, humid
climates (environments that are ideal for immature flea development).
• Some cats are sensitive to flea collars and develop
skin irritation under the collar; if this happens, you should
remove the collar and use another method of flea control.
• Spot-on products--Advantage(R) and Frontline(R) are
two brand name products that are applied to a small area of
the animal's skin; they effectively kill fleas for at least
a month.
• They kill the adult fleas, usually before the flea
has had a chance to bite.
• Be sure to select the appropriate package for your
cat's body weight.
• Program(R)_a tablet that sterilizes any eggs laid by
the fleas that feed on your cat.
• You must give your cat the tablet once a month
• This drug does not kill the adult fleas on your cat,
but it does break the flea life cycle by preventing hatching
of the next generation of flea eggs.
Consult us for a recommendation on what would work best for
your pet.
2.Control
of fleas in your cat's environment is fairly simple for
indoor cats, especially if you have no other pets that regularly
go outside. It is impossible to rid the outside environment
of all fleas. Flea control in cats that regularly go outside
or live outside can be more difficult.
Unless you have strictly indoor pets, environmental control
must target both your house and your yard:
• House--use a fogger or long-lasting spray to kill any
adult and larval fleas if
you have a particularly bad flea problem, it is often worth
having a professional exterminator treat your home.
• Fleas in the pupal (cocoon) stage are resistant to
insecticides, including foggers, so it may be necessary for
you to treat your home 2 or 3 times to get rid of all fleas.
• The second treatment should be done 2 weeks after the
first.
• You should also wash or otherwise treat your dog's
bedding on a regular basis.
• Spray your yard with an insecticide that has residual
activity for at least 30 days.
• For a difficult flea problem, consider having an exterminator
treat your yard.
• In warm, humid climates, it may be necessary to spray
your yard every 30 days during the warmer months of the year.
• Some newer products contain a growth regulator (fenoxycarb)
and need to be applied only once or twice a year.
With the new residual treatments for your cat, environmental
control is less important. In some cases, using these products
on your cat effectively controls the flea population in the
environment. Consult your veterinarian for more information
on controlling fleas in your pet's environment.
Isn't there a new treatment that guarantees a flea-free
house for a whole year?
Yes, but there are limitations. Flea BustersTM treat your
carpets with a nontoxic flea-killing powder. It is worked
into the base of your carpet so that the powder is not removed
when you vacuum. This treatment is very effective, even with
heavy flea infestations. However, it does not control fleas
elsewhere in your cat's environment, such as your yard. You
can buy the chemical the company uses (a form of boric acid)
and apply it yourself. Treating your carpets this way does
not carry the 1-year guarantee.
Unless stimulated, fleas can remain in the pupal (cocoon)
stage for up to 5 months. So, if your house has been empty
for several days or weeks, the unhatched fleas will have remained
in their cocoons during that time. On your return, activity
in the house and the presence of your cat will stimulate the
fleas to hatch and reinfest your it. Newly hatched adult fleas
will also jump on people in search of a blood meal. They much
prefer dogs and cats to humans.
Fleas in the pupal stage are resistant to insecticides. Treating
your home with a fogger or long-acting spray just before you
go away may not prevent this problem. It is best to maintain
a flea control program throughout the year to effectively
rid your pets and home of fleas. On your next visit to us,
ask about flea control. We will help you develop an effective
flea control program that fits your circumstances.
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