Cat Flea Infestation

Cat Flea Infestations

Cats were the original host, but cat fleas do just as well on dogs, and they are the flea found on most pets in this country. They also live on opossums, raccoons and feral cats. Cat fleas will bite people, but they need an animal host to keep a population going in a home.

Signs of a Cat Flea Problem in the Home and Yard

Pets usually show it first. Watch for scratching, chewing or licking, especially around the base of the tail, the lower back and the neck. Part the fur in those spots and look for fast-moving reddish-brown insects or for flea dirt, which looks like ground black pepper. To tell flea dirt from ordinary dirt, put some on a damp white paper towel. Flea dirt is digested blood, so it smears reddish-brown.

Other things people notice:

• Itchy bites around the ankles after walking through a room where the pet sleeps
• Fleas jumping onto white socks as you walk through a room
• Tiny white, oval eggs mixed with dark specks in pet beds and favorite napping spots

Where to look indoors: pet bedding, carpet and rug edges near sleeping spots, under sofa cushions. Outdoors: shaded, damp places where pets or wildlife rest, such as under decks, porches and shrubs, and in crawlspaces.

A common surprise is moving into a house that sat empty, or coming home from a long trip, and getting bitten heavily within days. Fleas waiting in their cocoons can stay dormant for weeks and come out together when they sense people moving through the house.

Florida’s warmth and humidity let cat fleas breed all year, with numbers usually highest during the hot, humid months. Yards visited by stray cats or other wildlife can keep reintroducing them. For help with itchy bites, see cat flea bites and treatment.