Fleas on cats damages
There are over 2,000 flea species worldwide, and the most common
one is the cat flea, which known as 'Ctenocephalides felis'. Therefore fleas
represent a potentially lethal threat upon cats.
Fleas on cats can deal a severe harm to the cat’s skin, it is
the most common cause of skin disease among cats, it’s an allergy named ‘FAD -
Flea Allergy Dermatitis’. If the cat is allergic and a flea bite him, this
allergy (the FAD) will make him develop an allergic reaction to the chemicals
in the flea saliva, which will make the cat irritate and itchy at that specific
area bite.
But even to a cat that does not suffer from FAD, the harm of the
flea bites is tough. The bites of the fleas often appear in clusters or lines
of two bites, and can remain itchy and inflamed for up to several weeks
afterwards. In addition to that, this can lead to hair loss and injuries in the
skin of the cat, as a result of frequent scratching and biting by him.
It would be a grave mistake to think of the flea as simply a
nuisance. A heavy flea burden is lethal, especially to smaller or younger
animals. Fleas can transmit tapeworms and bacteria that can cause serious
diseases to the cat.
By sucking the blood, fleas on cats can cause 'Feline Infectious
Anemia', which is a life-threatening blood parasite carried by fleas. This
harm, can cause anemia, especially among kittens, which are less developed and
are weaker.
Another dangerous injury of fleas on cats, is that if a cat gets
infected with 'Cat Scratch Fever' or 'Bartonella Henselae' by the flea, the cat
won’t get sick, but it can transmit it to the human owner.
Fleas on cats don’t get selective about its host and could
inhabit an adult cat or a kitten and kill them by heavy infestation.
Fleas on cats life cycle
Fleas have large hind legs that allow them to jump onto their hosts. They can jump up to 7 inches (18 cm) vertically and 13 inches (33 cm) horizontally and their hairy legs and bodies help them cling to an animal’s fur.
The flea's diet consists entirely of blood. When a flea bites a cat, its saliva causes irritation and itching. Fleas on cats can cause anemia in kittens, they can also transmit tapeworms and bacteria that can cause serious diseases!
Flea feces called “Flea Dirt” is essentially a dried blood, it also falls off the host animal.
A female flea needs blood to produce eggs, she can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Flea eggs fall of the animal into the surrounding environment, your carpet, furniture, bedding etc.
Within two to five days the eggs begin hatching into larvae, these whitish worms-like creatures prefer damp dark places, and their bristly hairs help them attach to carpet and furniture fibers, the larvae feed on the flea feces and other debris.
After about a week a larva begins spinning a cocoon in which it pupates. The pupa fully develops in five to eight days, but the flea may not emerge for months if environmental conditions are not right. While in the cocoon the flea is protected from cold, dryness and even insecticides. When a flea senses a nearby host it emerges from the cocoon hungry for blood and the cycle begins again, the entire life cycle can be as short as 12 to 14 days.
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