Cat Flea
Ctenocephalides felis
Appearance
- 1/16"-1/8" 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.
