Fleas have tormented pets and people for hundreds of years.  In addition to being a major annoyance, fleas can also cause skin conditions (flea allergy dermatitis), transmit parasites such as tapeworms and other diseases (plague), be a major allergen, and can be the direct cause of fatal anemia. 

Understanding the life cycle of the flea and the biological effects of the chemicals used to combat the flea are essential to controlling the pest.  Adult fleas are permanent residents on the animal host.  They begin to feed on the host 20 to 30 minutes after arriving on the host and lay eggs within 24 hours of this meal.  A female flea may lay 50 eggs per day for up to seven weeks and produce large amounts of feces (flea dirt) that contain host blood. This material falls from the host with the small white eggs and provides food for the hatching larva.  The remaining part of the flea’s life cycle takes place in the environment and is extremely dependent on environmental conditions. 

The optimal conditions for flea survival are around 78% humidity and 80 degrees F.  Under these conditions, eggs hatch into larvae that undergo three molts. The larvae move away from light and toward the ground, making them inaccessible to most insecticides. The pre-emerged adult flea may emerge from its cocoon immediately or may stay protected for months.  Warmth, pressure and carbon dioxide are the main stimuli for fleas to emerge.

The diagnosis of flea infestation is not always easy, because cats remove fleas with their tongue before the pests are seen by the owner. Evidence of their presence would be flea feces in coat combings, hair loss around the neck or above the tail, and the presence of tapeworm segments on the cat or the carpet.

Vigorous year round flea control is the most important part of therapy. 

The main goals of flea control are to break the flea life cycle, to control the existing problem, and to prevent recurrence of the problem.  To break the cycle all pets must be treated with a product that rapidly kills adult fleas and the product must be applied for a minimum of 3 months. We recommend the following products because they are both effective and safe for cats.

Non-chemical methods of control (vacuuming, washing bedding and combing the cat) should be included in any flea control program. Although insecticides are an important part of the program, application to the environment should only be done after careful consideration of the benefits and the risks. Many times cleaning the environment and applications of effective spot on products on the pets can produce better results than the use of environmental insecticides.  If treatment of the environment is still needed, a professional pest control service should be consulted.

Flea control is better than it has ever been. With appropriate use of chemical and non-chemical means, fleas can be kept out of our homes and off our pets. Because fleas are extremely adaptable creatures and will always be found on wildlife, it will always be important to treat your kitty.