Your dog or other cats could bring fleas into the house, once indoors, fleas may happily jump ship and feed on your house cat laying eggs in your soft furnishings. This means visiting pets are a risk too.
Another pet: If you have other pets that go outside, such as a dog or even a more adventurous cat, they can bring fleas into the home.
If you believe your pet has fleas and has brought them into your home, the CDC recommends: Cleaning: Thoroughly wash areas where fleas breed. Wash pet bedding, people bedding and rugs. Vacuum floors and carpets and wash the edge of walls.
Fleas can easily hitchhike in a person's pant legs or shoes and find their way quickly to your cat. Rodents. While mice aren't likely to survive long in a house with a healthy cat, they'll probably live long enough to bring fleas into the home. They can drop flea eggs which then hatch and hop on the cat.
Treating your pets for fleas is not enough. You must also treat your house and prevent future attacks. Fleas are tiny creatures and can thrive in the smallest spaces. Regular cleaning and disinfection of areas can eliminate and prevent fleas.
Washing clothing and fabrics might not be a 100% cure for a flea infestation, but as long as you wash absolutely everything, it will take a sizable chunk out of the population.
Although cat fleas don't live in human hair, they can bite humans, especially on the ankles and lower legs. Find out more about the risk fleas pose to humans.
While one flea may not seem like a big deal, these small bugs breed extremely quickly. So fast that if immediate action is not taken, an infestation is surely on the horizon.
Fleas have the potential to transmit other infectious agents between cats. Adult fleas feed on cat blood; in young kittens, this can cause weakness, anaemia and death. Fleas are important in the transmission of 'cat scratch disease' between cats and to humans.
The pill nitenpyram (Capstar) kills adult fleas on your cat within 30 minutes. It doesn't have any lasting effects, though. Spinosad (Comfortis) is a fast-acting chewable that starts killing fleas before they lay eggs. It provides a full month of flea protection to help prevent future hatchings.
Most cats with fleas have minimal scratching and they can remove many fleas by grooming. This is why regular flea inspections are so important as other animals (and people) in your home can become infested.
It can take up to 24 hours for fleas on your cat to die, although it might occur much quicker. Fleas typically die faster than ticks, since they are a much less robust parasite. Ticks can take up to 48 hours for treatment to work. Oral flea medications tend to work a bit faster in cats than topical medications.
If left untreated, this can pose some serious health risks. And fleas, don't forget, are bloodsuckers. If your cat is young or frail, losing too much blood to fleas can be fatal. A flea infection can also act as a gateway to other, more serious infections.
Yes it is safe to pet the cat although if you have a flea infestation you can get bitten. However fleas will prefer a cat (or dog) to you. But please try to get the poor cat flea free. First, make sure any product you use on the cat says it is for cats.
You'll need to vacuum and discard the bag every other day for two weeks to about a month. As long as your pet is on flea preventative, that'll be enough time to rid your home of fleas for good. And don't forget to wash throw blankets on the sofa and bed sheets—anywhere your pet hangs around.
When it has a host, an adult flea can live about 100 days. But how long can they live without a host? Those fleas typically live only one to two weeks. The entire lifespan of a flea, from egg to adulthood, can last a few weeks or even a few months.
Just One Flea Can Be a Sign of a Problem
Although the random flea might show up if you've just taken your pup for a walk, more than one or two could be a sign of a problem. As few as 20 fleas might mean your pet is infested, while the most could be between 200 to 300.
White Sock Test
One way to detect fleas in your house is to throw on a pair of white cotton socks and walk around. Higher socks are better because you'll be less likely to get bitten. Walk around carpeted areas for around ten minutes. If fleas are present, they will jump up to hitch a ride.
Myth #3: Can fleas live in a clean house? Unfortunately, fleas can infest even the most spotless home. Fleas usually enter the house on your pets, but they can also hitch a ride on clothing, and have even been seen to jump right into the house on their own.
First, you should know that fleas can't fly, as they can only jump. However, they will jump onto your clothing. Clothing provides no nourishment to them, so they're not going to hang on a piece of material for long.
If you love giving your dog a cuddle in bed or on the couch, launder all bedding and blankets to get rid of fleas and eggs. A normal laundry detergent will be enough to kill any fleas on bedding.
After a flea bites you, a small, discolored bump forms. A discolored ring or halo may appear around the bite. Flea bites may appear in a straight line or a cluster of many bites. Flea bites most commonly occur on your legs, especially your feet, calves and ankles.