Along with ticks, there is no household pest quite as bothersome to pet owners as the flea. They are tiny parasites which are attracted to cats and dogs: they use sharp claws to latch on to your pet’s coat, pierce the skin with their teeth and suck out blood until full. Worse still than the bites is that fleas will cling onto the host until they return home. They can quickly reproduce and infest a home, at which point even humans become easy targets for painful bites. It’s important to know how fleas survive, and in doing so, how to eradicate them.
How Do Fleas Actually Survive?
Fleas have three rows of immensely powerful legs which can propel them over a foot through the air. Thanks to their minute size, they could probably leap right in front of you without being seen. The diet for fully matured fleas is entirely blood [1] and they have developed excellent senses for locating an unwitting host. They are opportunistic feeders and will latch on to any pet that wanders by.
If they make it back to your home, that’s where the trouble can really start. Adult females can lay upwards of 40 eggs per day, of which many will survive the cosy conditions of a modern home. Inconspicuous as they are, they can escape detection for weeks or even months; by this point, you may be looking at hundreds of adult fleas spread across your home. They can pass on diseases to your pets and give you angry, painful sores besides. It’s in your best interest to take care of the problem as soon as you suspect it.
The Top Treatment Available
There are many so-called solutions for eliminating fleas from cats, but the standout favourite is a monthly spot-on, like the Frontline Spot-On For Cats or its equally effective rival, the Frontline Spot-On For Cats.
Also known as flea drops, spot-ons are an oily liquid which is rubbed into your cat’s fur, targeting the main feeding areas for fleas. These are namely:
- the back of the neck
- the tail
The liquid seeps into your pet’s skin, flowing through the fatty layer beneath. When fleas puncture the skin with their teeth, the spot-on obliterates the flea nervous system (causing death) and inhibits the maturation of eggs. While more expensive than most other options, spot-ons are considered more effective than anything else available. Be sure to consult your veterinarian before buying anything – application of the wrong product could be harmful to your cat’s health.
A Budget Substitute
If you need to take care of fleas on a budget, then there are some alternatives. The most tedious option – which also balances at the least expensive – is simply to buy a flea comb like the Safari Flea Comb For Cats and use it to brush through your cat’s fur once or twice per week [2]. You should be able to remove plenty of fleas this way. When combined with vacuuming any rugs, duvets or carpets in the house, you’ll eventually reduce the number to near zero, or eradicate the fleas entirely.
Sources
[1] https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/fleas
[2] https://www.thebugsquad.com/fleas/best-flea-treatment-for-cats/
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Italian 