Do you think your cat has fleas? From May to November, these hated insects make a comeback, much to the misfortune of pets and their owners. If your cat seems to be scratching a lot, follow the guide to check your cat for fleas, treat them effectively, and prevent another infestation.
Contents of this article:Often, when a cat is scratching, it is common to say "he has a pupuce!" ". Although most of the time he scratches for another reason, the expression does not exist by chance. Whether or not your cat goes outside, they can catch fleas, and knowing how to recognize and treat them comes in handy!
The flea is a particularly common parasite in our pets, dogs and cats. It feeds on blood, and reproduces by laying eggs, which can fall into the environment close to the cat. It is therefore a parasite that can be difficult to eliminate, if it is left to settle long enough.
How to protect your cat against fleas?
Often, the antiparasitics to treat are the same as those to protect preventively. Their duration of effectiveness varies, but is often around 1 month.
It is therefore appropriate, when a risk or the presence of a flea in the cat's environment has been identified, to protect it in advance, by treating it during the period at risk.
This often relates to summer, which is when fleas are active. Cats that go out in particular are frequently confronted with areas where fleas are found (whether via other domestic animals, or via wildlife).
There is often also a peak of activity at the beginning of winter. The recommended period for protection is then often from May to November, during the warm half of the year.
Personally, I prefer to use pipettes rather than collars, because they distribute the active ingredient evenly over the entire body of the cat, via the sebum of the skin, in 48 hours.
With a collar, you get a concentration gradient that starts from the collar, and the ends quickly find themselves unprotected.
But basically, the important thing is to have a treatment that is sufficient to eliminate fleas, and that does not cause a reaction on the cat's skin, this can vary depending on the case and the cats, you have to know adapt.
How do I know if my cat has fleas?
Seeing him scratch is not proof that he has fleas! If you see your cat scratching more than necessary, there could be several causes.
If you suspect one or more fleas to be the cause of these scratches, you can look for traces of their presence.
Using a fine comb, collect a few hairs by combing the whole body. The idea is to have small black grains in the hairs: put one of its grains under a drop of water and wait to see it dissolve.
If a small red halo appears, it is flea droppings (no more and no less than digested blood), which indicates their presence.
How do I treat fleas on my cat?
There are many antiparasitics available on the market, but their effectiveness varies. You must therefore be vigilant and contact the right professional (preferably a veterinarian) to choose.
There are several forms: spray, necklace, pipette or tablet. The choice of a form of administration will depend on the cat, because some tolerate this or that form better than others. Ideally, the product remains in sufficient concentration all over the animal's body, long enough to kill the adult fleas present, and prevent new ones from biting.
The majority of flea treatments for cats are active for 3-4 weeks, but you have to be careful because there are many factors of variation. If the product has been deposited on the hair and not on the skin, or if the animal gets wet, this will affect the effectiveness and the duration of the effectiveness of the product.
How to eliminate fleas from the cat's environment?
Once the adult fleas on the cat have been eliminated, it is also necessary to treat its environment, in which eggs may have fallen.
In parallel with the treatment on the animal, which prevents new adults from climbing, we will therefore eliminate the eggs and larvae potentially present in the places where the cat sleeps and passes.
This requires a vacuum cleaner, which already eliminates many cocoons, but also vaporizers (be careful to follow the instructions related to these products, in particular to ventilate well after use).
Some flea droppers also target eggs and larvae, using the skin scales to spread the active ingredient in the places where they fall.
However, it is a cycle inhibitor, which blocks the flea in its larval stage without killing it: it is necessary to ensure the treatment on the cat during the life of the larvae (about 6 months) to wait for them to die without being able to transform.
The protocol must therefore be adapted according to the level of infestation.
For example, a cat that goes out and comes back with a few fleas in early summer, will be given a flea blanket during the summer.
On the other hand, for an apartment cat who has already had several treatments and whose fleas come back at the end of the duration of a pipette, it will probably be necessary to treat the house, and protect the cat for at least 6 months.
Where does the cat get fleas?
The first infestation comes from outside: either the cat goes outside and is likely to pick up fleas by passing through an infested place, or we we ourselves can bring the parasite home, either by serving as a vehicle for the flea or by means of another animal. Wildlife is also often infested with fleas: a hedgehog or a rodent that the cat approaches can transmit fleas to it.
Once on the animal, they will lay and spread eggs and larvae in the cat's environment. The cat then reinfects itself each time it goes to one of its sleeping places (sofa, bed, armchair, carpet, rug, etc.), or walks through its area of life.
In this situation, treating the cat alone is no longer enough: once the treatment is finished, the fleas in the cat's environment return immediately. It is therefore also necessary to treat the cat's environment, or to act preventively to directly protect your cat.
What are the dangers of fleas?
First of all, fleas can carry disease. In cats, there is feline hemobartonellosis, a blood disease caused by bacteria transmitted by fleas. Fleas can also transmit tapeworm, a known digestive parasite.
But the main source of inconvenience with flea bites remains the allergic reaction in cats. Indeed, this species is very sensitive to it, and can develop Flea Bite Hypersensitivity Dermatitis (DHPP) with a single bite!
Already, the numerous bites can cause significant scratching, with loss of hair and sometimes lesions. But in case of allergy, the itching and redness can become impressive, with a very negative feeling for the cat. In case of persistent scratching on the animal, you have to think about it even if you can't see the fleas!
It is therefore recommended to go to the veterinarian if such lesions are observed, in order to ascertain the origin of the scratching and set up the appropriate treatment (with something to relieve the animal of its itching, often unbearable).
What is the life cycle of a flea?
A good knowledge of the life cycle of the flea is important to understand how the treatment works.
The flea itself is the adult form of the insect. It is part of the Pulicidae family, and the most common species in cats is Ctenocephalides felis (cats can also be infected by the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis).
The adult form is 2 to 4mm, and has an extremely powerful pair of legs, capable of making impressive leaps. It does not resist well in the environment (1 to 4 days) and therefore seeks to mount an animal as quickly as possible (preferably the cat).
The flea will not try to change host: all its meals will be on the same one. Only a very small proportion of the fleas present on the cat will change host and infest other animals (including us). There is therefore a low risk of catching fleas by being near an infested animal.
Adult fleas reproduce very quickly after their arrival (48h), and each female is capable of laying up to 50 eggs per day for 50 to 100 days, or between 1000 and 2000 eggs over a flea's lifetime. The eggs, small ovals of half a millimeter, fall to the ground, in places where the animal moves and rests.
The larvae hatch in a few days (depending on temperature and humidity), and move to escape light, and seek humidity. They hide in carpets and rugs, under furniture, between parquet slats, etc.
It takes them a few days (30 maximum) to reach the last stage of larval development by feeding on small biological debris (skin flakes, or the droppings of adult fleas).
This phase of the cycle is very important, because this is where the treatment blocks them: the adult stage only happens if animals are present nearby. The larva turns into a cocoon, and can stay there for several months (up to 6 months) while waiting for the passage of animals.
These untransformed fleas are the primary source of parasites for host cats; moreover, they are resistant to common insecticides (treatment against adults in particular does not work on larvae and cocoons).
The emergence of fleas from cocoons is subject to various stimuli. The passage of a shadow, footsteps on the ground, vibrations can induce the release of the cocoons.
This is the case of vacuuming, which can therefore be very interesting before or just after an insecticide treatment of the environment (in addition to mechanically sucking up the cocoons).
Now you have all the information you need to protect your cat from fleas!
Dr Stéphane Tardif
Veterinarian doctor and writer for Wamiz
Also read: How do you know if your cat is drinking enough water?
