 Ticks
and fleas
Ticks are small spider-like
acarids and fleas are insects, but these two tiny
creatures have at least one thing in common—they are
both parasites that feed on your cat’s blood and can
cause a lot of discomfort and more serious health
problems.
Flea bites may go unnoticed on some pets, cause slight
irritation in others and produce extensive itching, red
lesions, hair loss and even ulcers in those animals with
flea allergy dermatitis, which is the result of extreme
sensitivity to flea saliva. Severe flea infestations can
cause anemia, especially in kittens. Fleas can also
transmit several diseases, as well as tapeworm. Ticks
are “vectors” or carriers of a number of diseases,
including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever
which can sometimes be transmitted to humans.
About fleas…
Adult fleas are wingless insects,
generally smaller than a sesame seed, who feed on the
blood of animals. Their proportionately enlarged back pair
of legs gives them an extraordinary jumping ability.
Hanging on to your pet’s fur with their claws, their
needle-like mouth parts bite through the skin to suck up
blood—in quantities of up to 15 times their body weight
daily in the case of female cat fleas.
If one flea finds your cat an attractive food source, you
can be sure that other fleas will, too! They mate, with
females laying 30–50 eggs per day. These eggs will drop to
the ground within 8 hours and, as soon as 2 days later
flea larvae will hatch and hide in dark places on the
ground, on carpets or in upholstery. After about a week of
feeding on adult flea droppings, crumbs, flakes of skin,
etc., the larvae spin cocoons to become pupae. The pupae
can remain in this stage for very long periods of time. As
early as a week later, the pupae develop into adult fleas
and emerge from their cocoons when they sense that a cat
or other animal host, is near. The cycle—which can take as
little as 12 days or as long as 180 days—can then begin
again.
And ticks...
Ticks are wingless
creatures that live exclusively on the blood of animals
for three of the four stages of their life cycle. They are
equipped with an apparatus called Haller’s organ which
senses heat, carbon dioxide and other stimuli to allow the
ticks to locate the presence of an animal food source.
Once found, they crawl on and embed their mouth parts into
the animal’s skin and proceed to suck up its blood.
 You
should inspect your pet regularly for ticks, especially if
they have been outside in areas where there are woods or
tall grasses. A thorough combing within 4 to 6 hours of
exposure to such environments can help prevent ticks from
attaching themselves to feast on your pet. Should you find
a tick, it should be removed immediately, as the longer it
is attached to its host, the greater the chance for
disease. Do not touch the tick. Wear gloves and use
tweezers to carefully grasp the exposed section of the
tick’s body near your pet’s skin. Gently pull until the
tick lets go. To dispose of the tick, wrap it in several
tissues and flush it down the toilet. Do not crush, burn
or suffocate it, as any one of those actions may spread
infectious bacteria.
Controlling fleas
and ticks
The best way to control flea
problems is to prevent them from happening in the first
place. Fortunately, developments in veterinary parasite
control in recent years have made the twofold goal of
eliminating fleas on pets and preventing further
infestations much easier to achieve. Available for both
cats and dogs, new insecticides and insect growth
regulators in easy-to-use topical or oral forms not only
eliminate any existing fleas, but also work long-term to
prevent future infestations. This is accomplished either
by killing the parasites before they can reproduce or by
preventing their eggs from developing into normal adult
fleas. Consult your veterinarian for advice about the
proper product for your pet. Furthermore, thorough daily
vacuuming of high-traffic areas and frequent washing of
your pet’s bedding will also go a long way in reducing the
flea population in your home.
Some of the same types of topical or oral products used to
control flea infestation are also effective against ticks.
Such treatments should be combined with daily examinations
and tick removal for those pets, especially cats, who are
frequently outdoors in areas with high tick populations.
Ask your veterinarian for information about the situation
in your locality. Clearing brush and long grasses and
removing leaves, grass clippings and other organic debris
will also help reduce the presence of ticks by disturbing
their natural outdoor habitats.
When a parasite picks
your pet for a meal
If, despite your best efforts at
control, you find that fleas or ticks have crawled (or
jumped) on board your pet, you will have to use a product
that will kill and/or repel the parasites. These include
once-a-month topical treatments, or more regular use of
sprays, powders, dips, shampoos, collars and, to combat
fleas, oral or injectable medication. Once again, you
should ask your veterinarian for advice about what the
most appropriate product is for your pet . And remember,
it is perfectly normal to see live fleas or ticks on a pet
immediately after a topical treatment, spray, shampoo,
collar, etc. is applied. Many believe that this means the
product is not working, but the fleas or ticks have to
fully absorb the product before they will be affected,
which may take from a few hours to a few days.
Facts about fleas
Worldwide, there are about
3,000 different types of fleas, but the cat flea
(Ctenocephalides felis)
is the most common to be found on cats and dogs.
Adult fleas can jump 600 times an hour. Each jump, in
terms of the flea’s size, is the equivalent of a person
clearing a 50-story building.
The record jump for a flea is 13 inches.
In just 30 days, 25 adult female fleas can multiply to
250,000 fleas.
Tips about ticks
A female tick can lay up to
3,000 eggs.
Except for eggs, ticks need a blood meal to progress to
each stage of their life cycle.
Some ticks can live for more than a year without a meal.
In very rare cases, toxins secreted by ticks can cause
pet paralysis.
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