Flea Control

Fleas are the single most common cause of ALL skin problems in cats!

SYMPTOMS OF FLEAS

If untreated, the female flea will continue to take blood for several weeks. During that time, she will consume about 15 times her bodyweight in blood. Although the male fleas do not take as much blood, they, too, contribute to significant blood loss. This can lead to the cat having an insufficient number of red blood cells, which is known as anemia.

Most cats have rather limited itching due to flea bites. However, many cats become allergic to the saliva in the flea's mouth. When these cats are bitten, intense itching occurs, causing the cat to scratch and chew on its skin.

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Fleas are also intermediate hosts for tapeworms. A cat with fleas is likely to swallow the fleas and become infested with tapeworms.

CHECKING FOR FLEAS

When a cat is heavily infested with fleas, it is easy to find them. If the numbers are small, it is best to quickly turn your cat over and look on its belly. If you do not find them there, look on the back just in front of the tail. Be sure to part the hair and look at the level of the skin. When the numbers are very small, look for "flea dirt." Flea dirt is digested blood left behind by the fleas. Flea dirt is actually fecal matter from the flea. Finding flea dirt is a sure indication that fleas are present or have been present recently.

Flea dirt looks like pepper. It varies from tiny black dots to tubular structures about 1/32" (1/2 mm) long. Put the suspected material on a light colored table top or counter top. Add one or two drops of water, and wait about 30 seconds. If it is flea dirt, the water will turn reddish brown as the blood residue goes into solution. Another trick is to put some of the material on a white paper towel and then wet the paper towel with water. A red stain will become apparent if you gently wipe the material across the surface of the paper towel.Many people find tiny drops of blood in a cat's bedding or where the cat sleeps. This is usually flea dirt that was moistened, then dried. It leaves a reddish stain on the bedding material and is another sign that fleas are present.

Successful flea control must rid the cat of fleas and it must rid the cat's environment of fleas. In fact, environmental control is probably more important than what is done to the cat. If your cat remains indoors and you do not have other pets that come in from the outside, environmental control is relatively easy. However, the cat that goes outdoors or stays outdoors presents a significant challenge. It may be impossible to completely rid the environment of fleas under these conditions, though flea control should still be attempted.

FLEA LIFE CYCLE

Although you are only able to see the adult flea, there are actually four stages of the life cycle. The adult flea constitutes only about 5% of the entire flea population if you take into account all four stages of the life cycle. Flea eggs are pearly white and about 1/32" (1/2 mm) in length. They are too small to see without magnification. Fleas lay their eggs on the cat, but the eggs do not stick to the cat's hair. Instead, they fall off into the cat's environment. The eggs make up 50% of the flea population.

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They hatch into larvae in 1 to 10 days, depending on temperature and humidity. High humidity and temperature favor rapid hatching.

Flea larvae are slender and about 1/8 - 1/4" (2 to 5 mm) in length. They feed on organic debris found in their environment and on adult flea feces, which is essential for successful development. They avoid direct sunlight and actively move deep into carpet fibers or under organic debris (grass, branches, leaves, or soil.) They live for 5 to 11 days before becoming a pupae.

Moisture is essential for their survival; flea larvae are killed by drying. Therefore, it is unlikely that they survive outdoors in shade-free areas. Outdoor larval development occurs only where the ground is shaded and moist and where flea-infested pets spend a significant amount of time. This allows flea feces to be deposited in the environment. In an indoor environment, larvae survive best in the protected environment of carpet or in cracks between hardwood floors. They also thrive in humid climates.

Following complete development, the mature larvae produce a silk-like cocoon in which the next step of development, the pupa, resides. The cocoon is sticky, so it quickly becomes coated with debris from the environment. This serves to camouflage it. In warm, humid conditions, pupae become adult fleas in 5-10 days. However, the adults do not emerge from the cocoon unless stimulated by physical pressure, carbon dioxide, or heat.

Pre-emerged adult fleas can survive up to 140 days within the cocoon. During this time, they are resistant to insecticides applied to their environment. Because of this, adult fleas may continue to emerge into the environment for up to 3 weeks following insecticide application.

When the adult flea emerges from its cocoon, it immediately seeks a host because it must have a blood meal within a few days to survive. It is attracted to people and pets by body heat, movement, and exhaled carbon dioxide. It seeks light, which means that it migrates to the surface of the carpet so that it can encounter a passing host. Following the first blood meal, female fleas begin egg production within 36 to 48 hours. Egg production can continue for as long as 100 days, which means that a single flea can produce thousands of eggs.

This entire life cycle (adult flea Þ egg Þ larvae Þ pupa Þ adult) can be completed in 14-21 days with the proper temperature and humidity conditions. This adds to the problem of flea control.

SOLUTIONS

Heal your pet at home safe, naturally and effectively!!

TOPICAL INSECTICIDES. In this case I prefer using topical flea medications available from your veterinarian. Advantage can be safely used on dogs and cats; one dose provides 30 days of protection. It is absorbed into the surface layer of the skin, so the organs do not have to metabolize any of it.

MAKE YOUR PET TASTE BAD. Garlic and Brewer's Yeast have been advocated as a way of repelling fleas. In my experience it only seems to help a small number of dogs, but it is worth a try. Garlic is NOT SAFE to give to CATS long term. For a 10lb dog, give 1/4 tsp of garlic and 1/4 tbsp of brewer's yeast daily.