Cat flea
The cat flea, scientifically known as Ctenocephalides felis, is a prevalent external parasite found worldwide, particularly on cats and dogs, but it can also infest various mammals. Typically measuring 1 to 3 millimeters in length, these fleas are characterized by their brown-red coloration and flattened bodies covered in spiny plates, which aid in their movement through fur. Cat fleas possess specialized mouthparts that allow them to pierce the skin of their hosts and feed on blood, often causing itching and skin irritation in the process.
Mating patterns of cat fleas are influenced by climate, with year-round breeding occurring in warmer regions and hibernation in cooler areas. A female can lay up to 30 eggs per day on a host, with larvae emerging within one to three weeks. These larvae do not consume blood; instead, they feed on organic debris before spinning cocoons and maturing into adults, a process that can last from 30 to 75 days. The lifespan of an adult cat flea varies significantly, ranging from just a few days to as long as two years, depending on environmental conditions and the availability of a host. Understanding the biology and life cycle of cat fleas is essential for effective control and management of infestations in domestic animals.
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Cat flea
The cat flea is commonly found in North America on nearly every kind of flea host, or animal on which a flea may live. Fur fleas live on animal fur or skin. Fleas that are not fur fleas are nest fleas. They live in the nests of other animals.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Siphonaptera
Family: Pulicidae
Genus: Ctenocephalides
Species: Felis
The cat flea is one of the most common fleas. It is found throughout the world on the skin and in the fur of many animals. Though most commonly found on cats and dogs, the cat flea will accept any mammal as its host, or the animal on or in which another animal lives.
Like other fleas, the cat flea typically measures one to three millimeters long and is a brown-red color. Its body is flat from side to side and covered with hairy, spiny, overlapping plates. These plates run from the head of the cat flea over its thorax, or middle section, and down over its abdomen, or tail section.
On the cat flea's head are beady, black eyes, a pair of antennae, and a set of piercing mouthparts. Farther along on this insect's body are its three pairs of legs. The cat flea's hind legs are typically much larger and stronger than its other limbs. The cat flea uses its hind legs to jump from one animal to another.
As a parasite, or a creature that lives on or in another animal, the cat flea feeds on the blood of its host. It uses its special set of piercing mouthparts to stab its victim and suck its blood. The construction of the cat flea's mouthparts allows it to stab and push a needle-like mouthpart into its host several times before it is finished eating. Although this feeding process is usually painless for the host, it causes itching, redness, and skin irritation.
The cat flea's mating season depends on the climate. In warmer locations, the cat flea typically mates year-round, but in cooler climates, the cat flea often hibernates, or sleeps through the winter, and mates in the summer. After mating, the female cat flea lays one egg each hour, up to 30 eggs, on the skin or in the fur of its host. These eggs typically hatch one to three weeks later. The larval cat fleas, or young cat fleas, molt, or shed, their outer layers twice after they hatch. During this larval stage, young cat fleas are unable to suck blood. Instead, they feed on dead matter on the skin of their hosts. Soon, the larval cat fleas move into their final developmental stage. They spin cocoons, or coverings, around their bodies and mature into adults. Young cat fleas emerge from their cocoons after only seven days or they may spend several months there.
The cat flea's life span depends on the time required to complete metamorphosis (usually 30 to 75 days) and whether it finds a host. In their adult stage, they may live only a few days or two years.
Bibliography
Saeed, Sophia. "Ctenocephalides Felis." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ctenocephalides‗felis. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
Zentko, Diana C. and Dina L. Richman. "Cat Flea." University of Florida, Entomology & Nematology, Apr. 2021, entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/occas/catflea.htm. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.