The cat flea lifecycle is what makes it such a very tough pest to get rid of.
A cat flea begins life as a flea egg. In fact, your cat does not actually bring cat fleas into the house; it brings in flea eggs -- from having lay on the ground or rolled in the grass.
When your cat comes back in the house, many of the flea eggs remain on it. However, others fall off and presto! Your home will now have fleas.
The flea eggs on your cat or in your house develop into a second stage called larva, which are 1/8 inch, white, worm-like, blind and legless. While these tiny creatures cannot see, they do shy away from light and will wiggle down into your cat’s bedding, your carpet or cracks in the floor.
A flea larva does have chewing mouthparts. They feed on feces from the adult fleas as well as feathers, dead skin and other organic debris.
A flea larva grows through three molts and become pupae, at which time they spin silken cocoons. The flea pupae even camouflages himself or herself by attaching little bits of debris to their cocoons. To make matters even worse, these cocoons are so tough; they can resist even the strongest of flea treatments.
Summer equals a short lifecycle
The adult fleas ultimately emerge from their pupal cocoons -- approximately a month after the eggs were laid. However, during hot weather months, this lifecycle can be as short as two weeks.
The emergence of these adults is triggered by a number of factors including heat, carbon dioxide and the physical pressure of people or pets walking by the fleas or lying on them. This means that your movements around the house can attract these newly emerged fleas that otherwise might prefer to be on your cat. In fact, cat fleas tend to move upward on your carpet, drapes or furniture, looking for a host. Because of the way their eyes are constructed, fleas are attracted to dark moving objects (like you or your cat) against a light background.
Cat Fleas Can Jump
Once they detect the presence of warmth and carbon dioxide, a cat flea can jump a distance of up to 1 foot to contact a new host. If it makes contact, the flea begins feeding on your cat’s blood or your blood. If a cat flea fails to find a host, it soon dies.
Flea Health Issues For Cats
Maybe this is obvious, but the single, clearest symptom of a flea infestation is when you notice your cat is scratching itself much more than usual. If you jump on this problem right away, you may be able to eliminate the adult fleas before they lay eggs, which will totally eliminate the problem.
When the flea bites your cat, it leaves some saliva. There are cats that develop an allergic reaction to this saliva. So if you see small red spots on your cat or places where the cat’s hair has fallen out, you can bet that it has developed one of these allergic reactions.
The biggest danger of a flea infestation is what happens if it goes untreated. The female adult fleas will lay eggs, which will ultimately become more fleas. If your poor cat ends up with hundreds of fleas sucking its blood, it can become so anemic it dies.
Also, when your cat licks itself, it can ingest fleas that contain tiny little heartworms. Your cat digests the fleas, which releases the tiny heartworms. These worms can migrate to your cat’s heart and grow into adults that may be 3 to 5 inches long. If you do not treat your cat for these heartworms, they can congest both its lungs and heart, which will ultimately lead to cardiac failure and death.
Flea Health Issues For Humans
Unfortunately for us, cat fleas also like human blood. We can know we were bitten because after 30 minutes or less, we will see lines or clusters of red marks appear on our skin. If you are particularly sensitive to the bites, they will develop into raised bumps about 24 hours after you were bitten.
Both humans and animals have been associated with fleas for thousands of years. In 14th century Europe, a bacterium spread by fleas killed approximately 25,000,000 people, or more than a quarter of Europe’s population. There has also been black plagues spread by fleas in Africa, China, Egypt, and even the US. It is estimated that perhaps as many as 200 million people have died of fleas-spread plagues.
The bubonic plague is another type of plague spread by fleas. This happens most often to people who camp, hunt or fish and are close to wild rodents such as ground squirrels, prairie dogs, rock squirrels, rats and chipmunks. Also, your cat can bring plague-infested fleas into your home.
Fleas also spread a type of disease called murine typhus. Here in the US, there are only a few cases of this disease reported each year. Typically, they happen in Texas or to people who' have traveled to tropical countries.
How To Treat Human Flea Bites
If a flea or fleas bite you, you can probably stop the itching with a 1% hydrocortisone cream that can be purchased over-the-counter at just about any drugstore.
There are also some common do-it-yourself treatments for flea bites. You can wash the flea bites with a good antiseptic soap, which will reduce the chances of infection. Or you can apply an ice pack frequently to relieve any swelling. You can also treat the problem with anesthetic creams, calamine lotion or other similar products.
When To Get Medical Attention
If you begin to experience other symptoms beyond just swelling, red marks or itchiness, you should immediately see your healthcare provider as this could signal a more serious problem.
Fleas and flea bites are not good for either you or your cat. However, if you watch for the symptoms of flea bites and begin treatment immediately, you should be able to quickly rid your cat of fleas and leave it feeling better and happier.
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