Cat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis

Appearance

• 2–3mm long wingless ticks.
• Flattened from side to side.
• Have long legs enabling them to jump.
• They have both genal and pronotal combs (ctenidia), differentiating them from most other fleas of domestic animals.

Lifecycle

• Fleas pass through four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, adult. The eggs are small and white.
• These stages combined vary from two weeks to eight months.
• The adult flea is awakened by the detection of vibration of pet or human movement, pressure, heat, noise, or carbon dioxide for potential blood meals.
• A cat flea cannot complete is life–cycle feeding only on human blood.

Habits

• These fleas are often unable to determine whether a host is suitable until it has been bitten. If it is deemed unsuitable, the flea soon drops off.
• These fleas nest where the host is in its usual resting place, for example the cat basket. This is where the young drop to mature.

Tags

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