Why You Should Want to Get Rid of Cat Fleas!

Does your cat have fleas? A cat that is scratching and biting itself definitely has some kind of skin irritation, and it could be caused by cat fleas. There are several ways to determine if fleas are the source of your cat's angst.

Fleas are small dark brown insects that are visible to the eye if you part the fur and examine your cat's skin. They have powerful back legs and are capable of jumping and moving easily through fur. If you are unsure, stand your cat on a piece of white paper, and rough up the coat. Should dark specs fall onto the paper, lightly spray them with a demister bottle containing water. If the dark specs then appear to 'bleed' onto the paper with a reddish stain, you are seeing flea dirt- the feces of adult fleas, composed mainly your cat's dried blood. A salt and pepper colored residue on your cat's skin is also a good sign of fleas. The white specs are flea eggs and the dark specs are the flea 'dirt' upon which the newly hatched larvae will soon feed.

There are several adverse effects of fleas, both for your cat and for other mammals, including humans, sharing the environment. The initial bite from a flea causes itching and irritation; however many cats develop an allergic response to the flea's saliva, causing significant discomfort and distress. Cats that are allergic to flea bites often chew the affected area until the skin loses its hair and the area is red and raw. Dermatitis can result from this allergic response, causing the cat a continual aggravation- it's the itch that just won't go away!

Cat fleas also act as a host to an intestinal parasite- the dog tape worm- which is ingested by your cat during grooming. Many fleas carry a tapeworm cyst. These tapeworms develop inside your cat's intestines, exiting as small worm segments around the anus. This is a very common form of tapeworm in cats and fleas are the root cause.

Perhaps the most serious effect of fleas is the anemia that accompanies a virulent infestation, particularly in kittens. Untreated, a young cat can die from blood-loss or develop haemobartonellosis, a complication from the anemia caused by a microorganism carried by the flea. Blood transfusions, antibiotics and steroids are some of the treatments that may be required to save a cat struck down by this illness.

While the adverse effects of cat fleas on your pet are obvious, they are just as serious for humans. We are equally capable of developing a painful and allergic reaction to flea bites as our pets. Since fleas can jump more than 12 inches, they have the capacity to swarm our feet, ankles and lower legs, attacking us relentlessly as they gorge themselves on our blood.

Now that you understand the seriousness of fleas on a cat, you can take steps to get rid of cat fleas.

Michelle Robinson has been an animal advocate and pet lover all her life. She is particularly committed to the wellbeing of domestic pets-cats, in particular. She knows that the distress caused by cat fleas harms your cat's health. For information about cat fleas, and solutions that work to cat flea problems, visit her website at [http://www.flealesscats.com]