Cat Health and Fleas – The Life Cycle of a Flea

Cat health depends on you and the most irritating of problems for cats is fleas. Fleas will nibble on your cat and since cats are skilled groomers, you may not notice they have fleas. But you will notice loss of hair and reddened, irritated skin where the cat has groomed a little too much. To keep your cat’s health, flea control is necessary. Knowing the life cycle of the flea is a plus.

Learning about the life cycle of the flea will help control your flea problem for your cat’s health. The first stage of the flea’s life is the eggs. Adult fleas lay their eggs on the host animal, your cat, and their entire life will be spent there. Some of the eggs will fall off in your cat’s bed and in the carpet of your house. The larvae, or baby fleas, will feed on the feces left by the adult. It takes about a week to become full grown. The larva spins a cocoon and in another week evolves into a grown flea. Somewhat like a butterfly.

The adult emerges and feeds on the host, mates, and the life cycle continues. And it is a never ending cycle of pain and scratching for your cat. Your cat’s health and fleas go hand in hand with the cycle of flea’s life.

With today’s technology, it should not be a problem taking care of the fleas. Getting rid of the eggs is your first priority. Remember, flea’s cycle of life lasts two to three weeks so getting the eggs first will stop the adults from reproducing. Thoroughly wash all bedding, coverings of your cat’s sleeping area. The larvae can and do attached to your carpet so vacuum the carpet well. If possible, steam cleaning your carpet will kill any left over flea eggs.

The next step is to kill the adults. You might want to hire a professional; however, you can set off a “bomb” specifically made for fleas. Be sure to remove any food and other animals during the “bombing”.

This cycle of cleaning needs to be done as long as there are adult fleas. Once they are all killed, your cat’s health will return to normal and the fleas will be gone.
so remember your cat health is the most importan