Fleas in Cats: How to Identify and Treat

If your cat suddenly has severe itching, fleas could be the cause. In addition to being bothersome, these parasites often create other problems. We have summarized for you how you can recognize fleas in cats and treat them successfully.

Are Fleas Dangerous in Cats?

At first glance, apart from the severe itching, there is little danger of fleas. However, a flea infestation can always have other consequences:

• Flea saliva allergy: If the flea stings, it secretes saliva. This is responsible for the itching. Some cats are allergic to flea saliva, which makes them particularly itchy.
• Tapeworms: Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae. If the cat eats a flea while grooming or trying to scratch itself, the eggs will enter the cat’s intestines. This is why you should deworm your cat if it has fleas.
• Anemia: A very strong flea infestation can result in considerable blood loss and lead to anemia.
• Hemobartonellosis: This infectious disease is caused by bacteria from the Mycoplasma family (Hemobartonella felis). Fleas carry the bacteria that destroy the cat’s red blood cells.
• Bartonellosis (cat scratch disease): Fleas are the main carriers of Bartonella. The bacteria usually do not cause symptoms in cats themselves, but they do lead to bartonellosis in humans.

Symptoms: What are the Signs of a Flea infestation in the Cat?

The main symptom of fleas in cats is itching. So if your cat scratches itself noticeably often, fleas should be at the top of the suspect list.

Local skin reactions such as red spots are additional signs. Scratching the flea bites can also lead to pustules and crusts.

Diagnosis: How Do I Recognize Fleas in Cats?

Depending on the severity of the infestation, you can see fleas in cats’ fur with the naked eye. Stitches and redness in the areas preferred by fleas (ears, back, base of the tail, stomach, and inner thighs) are also important clues.

If you can’t see fleas with the naked eye, check your cat for flea droppings:

• To do this, place your cat on a smooth, light surface – for example, the tiled floor or the bathtub.
• Now comb your cat’s fur with the closest possible comb. If there is flea excrement, it either sticks to the flea comb in the form of black crumbs or falls down.
• Place the crumbs on a white cloth and dampen them.
• If reddish spots form around the crumbs, it is flea excrement because the cat’s excrement contains digested blood.

Therapy: They Successfully Get Rid of Fleas in Cats

Successful flea treatment always consists of two components:

1. Treat the cat with flea infestations
   First of all, of course, the fleas that sit on the cat and make life difficult must be combated. Medicines with various active ingredients and types of application are available for this purpose. You have the choice between collars, spot-on, and tablets. Most drugs don’t just kill adult fleas. They also prevent the laying of eggs or the development of the larvae. Nevertheless, you should carry out the treatment a total of three times with an interval of four weeks.
2. Treat the environment and all other animals. If there are other animals in your household, they must all be treated prophylactically against fleas. Otherwise, your fur noses will infect each other again and again. Similarly, you must dewormer all animals in your household, as tapeworms can also be transmitted to them.
   In addition: only about five percent of the flea population is actually on the cat. It is therefore imperative that you treat your entire home against fleas. Particular attention is paid to dark areas to which the larvae like to withdraw, such as crevices in the floor or the underside of carpets.
   Vacuum everything thoroughly and then dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag, preferably packed separately, immediately. In the case of particularly massive infestation, foggers have also proven themselves for treating the surrounding area.
   In addition, you should put all washable blankets, documents, and the like in the washing machine at a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius.

Are Antiparasitics Harmful to My Cat?

There are many reservations about antiparasitic drugs. Most cat owners are concerned about the fact that they are neurotoxins. In contrast to insects, humans and cats have what is known as a blood-brain barrier. The active ingredient does not even reach them where it could cause damage.

Incompatibilities with the anti-flea agents occur of course since unfortunately, every drug can have side effects in addition to an effect. The selection of remedies is now so large that you are sure to find something that your cat can tolerate better.

However, there are also problematic active ingredients: permethrin, flumethrin, and deltamethrin, for example, are toxic to cats. So always make sure that the product is approved for cats.

Are There Any Home Remedies for Fleas in Cats?

In individual cases and with a slight infestation, home remedies such as vinegar spray or herbal brew can work on cats. However, these gentle methods are not suitable for severe infestations. Because they strain both the sense of smell and the need for the cleanliness of our fur noses.

In the wide range of approved drugs, there is sure to be a suitable means for every cat to reliably get rid of fleas.

Prognosis and Prevention: How Difficult is it to Get Rid of Fleas in Cats?

Treat your cat and your home as recommended, it shouldn’t be a problem to get rid of the parasites quickly. But also in this case: Prevention is better for your cat than follow-up care!

The same remedies that are used to combat flea infestation can also be used to prevent it. Most drugs also work against ticks. In this way, you protect your cat from two types of parasites at the same time.

Prophylaxis is particularly important if your darling suffers from a flea saliva allergy. Since even a single bite from a flea can cause massive itching, you should regularly use vermin protection in this case.

Cause: How Does a Cat Become Infected with Fleas?

Most cats become infected with fleas when they come into contact with other infected animals. But the parasites may also lurk on contaminated objects. Cat fleas like to nestle in fabrics such as carpets, pillows, and sofas.

In addition, there are unfortunately ideal conditions for fleas to develop in living spaces. And if the conditions are not ideal, the fleas pupate easily and can thus survive for several months even in inhospitable surroundings.

Excursus: What are Fleas Anyway?

With more than 2000 species, fleas are among the most common parasites of mammals and birds. The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the most common among cats and dogs. But other species such as the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) or the hedgehog flea (Archaeopsylla echinacea) like to feed on the blood of our cats.

Fleas are one to six millimeters long, laterally flattened, and wingless insects. With its powerful jump legs, jumps of 25 centimeters are not uncommon. Cat fleas are light to dark brown and have powerful, piercing-sucking mouthparts.

Multiplication of fleas

Fleas develop from an egg, through three larval stages, to a pupa and then to an adult flea.

The adult females start taking blood shortly after the cat is colonized and lay the first eggs after around a day. During the female flea’s lifespan of between 50 and 100 days, she lays an average of 30 eggs per day.

When the cat is resting, the eggs fall on the sleeping area or other places where the cat is frequently. There they develop further up to the pupal stage. If the external conditions are unfavorable for the further development of the fleas, the pupated larvae can survive in their cocoon for up to 50 weeks.