How your pet’s fleas affect you

Adult fleas brought indoors by pets can bite humans and lead to skin irritation and the spread of disease and parasites. Year-round flea prevention for pets is crucial for protecting both the pets and the people in your household. Choosing the best flea prevention can be challenging, as many are ineffective or unsafe. Read on to learn:

• How flea bites affect people
• How to prevent flea infestations
• How to get rid of fleas if your pets have them

Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are the most common flea species that affect dogs, cats, and other pets. Vet-recommended flea prevention kills cat fleas quickly and prevents them from breeding, keeping homes, pets, and people flea-free.

The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the most common flea species on dogs and cats in North America. While human fleas (fleas that carry out their life cycle with humans as the preferred host) are rare in North America, cat fleas can temporarily end up on a human host and cause itchy, uncomfortable bites. In some cases, fleas can also transmit flea-borne illnesses.

An adult cat flea usually spends its entire life on the warm, furry body of an animal host. Even though they’re capable of jumping great distances, fleas usually don’t leave a host unless they’re groomed off or otherwise dislodged.

Adult fleas feed on blood, mate, and then lay their eggs on the skin and in the fur of their host. Flea eggs fall off the host and into the environment, where they hatch as larvae. Eggs and flea larvae thrive in deep carpet, upholstery, and bedding, and feed on organic debris, such as pet dander. The larvae then spin a cocoon and pupate, and when they hatch as new adult fleas, they immediately start looking for a mammalian host.

While cat fleas can’t thrive on a human host, they can still jump on humans and bite them. . Since a single adult female flea can produce more than 500 eggs in its lifetime, the environment of a pet with fleas quickly becomes heavily infested. Regular use of a safe and effective form of flea control on all household pets is necessary to protect the health and well-being of both pets and humans in the home.

Most flea bites on humans are harmless but uncomfortable. However, fleas do have the potential to carry diseases and parasites that can affect humans and cause serious illness. Additionally, many people are allergic to flea saliva, so bites can be very itchy. Preventing fleas on household pets helps to minimize human exposure to fleas and flea-borne illnesses.

Flea-borne diseases

Fleas can carry diseases that can spread to both pets and people, either directly through bites or when flea dirt contaminates an open wound on the skin. Fleas have the potential to spread:

• Plague
• Murine typhus (flea-borne typhus)
• Bartonella (cat scratch disease)

A significant number of fleas carry disease, reaching up to 80% in some populations, and the full extent of ways fleas transmit pathogens and cause illness in humans is still unknown. Scientists are only just beginning to learn the affects flea-borne diseases may have on chronic inflammatory diseases in humans, such as fibromyalgia and arthritis. Talk to a doctor if you are concerned about flea-borne illness or begin showing symptoms after your pet has fleas.

Tapeworms

Fleas can transmit tapeworms if accidentally ingested. A flea larva may ingest a tapeworm egg that hatches and grows inside the flea as they both mature. If an animal accidentally ingests that flea, they become the next host for the tapeworm. In rare cases, a human may ingest the flea. Tapeworm species that more commonly affect people differ from those that affect dogs and cats. Most human cases of tapeworms occur as a result of eating raw or undercooked meat and fish.

Small children are more likely to catch tapeworms from cat fleas than adults. Young children typically wash their hands less than adults and frequently put items in their mouths, which increases the risk of accidentally ingesting an infected flea. Flea prevention is essential in preventing the spread of these tapeworms to people.

The best way to prevent flea infestations in your home is to use vet-recommended flea prevention on all pets in the household that can carry fleas. Despite their name, cat fleas can infest multiple species of animal, including dogs, cats, ferrets, and rabbits. “It only takes one adult male and female flea to start an infestation in the home that can affect all animals, including those who do not go outdoors,” explains Dr. Jo Myers, a veterinarian on the Vetster platform. “Flea preventive measures are essential because getting rid of a flea infestation can take a long time, putting humans and pets in the home at risk in the meantime.”

According to the flea pyramid, flea eggs, larvae, and pupae make up 95% of the total flea population. This means that the adult fleas found on pets are just a small part of a flea infestation. When a dog or cat is infested with fleas, the home is also infested, even if there are no obvious signs. Flea eggs, larvae, and pupae can live on carpet, furniture, and bedding, where they eventually mature before searching for new hosts.

A broad-spectrum parasite prevention product recommended by a veterinarian is the best way to protect your pet and home from fleas. Broad-spectrum products also protect against heartworm disease, ticks, and other parasites. Many of the safest and most effective prevention products also provide some treatment for the environment. When using an effective pet product, additional home flea treatment is often unnecessary.

Not all flea control products are created equal. Some over-the-counter products are ineffective and many can be dangerous. Flea products intended for dogs may be highly toxic for cats, even if not applied directly to cats. Even over-the-counter products labeled for cats can be toxic. When talking to a veterinarian about canine flea prevention, always let them know if you have cats or other pets in the household. Talk to a vet for a safe and effective product based on your pet’s size, species, and lifestyle.

In addition to parasite prevention for pets, there are methods that may help limit flea exposure, such as:

• Cutting long grass, brush, and bushes around the home
• Cleaning up leaf litter
• Keeping cats indoors
• Deterring wild animals from entering the yard with fencing and animal-deterring plants
• Frequently vacuuming and cleaning carpet, upholstered furniture, bedding, and pet toys

Limiting exposure to fleas can help, but it is not a replacement for year-round vet-recommended flea prevention.

Fleas in the home will not go away unless all mammalian pets are placed on effective flea prevention. It must be given or applied correctly and on time for at least three months to eliminate the population.  Many of the best flea control products only kill adult fleas, so the flea life cycle continues as eggs hatch, larvae mature, and pupae hatch. Repeating treatment is necessary to eliminate the entire flea population.

Some flea products also prevent eggs from hatching and larvae from maturing, which gets an infestation under control quickly. Flea pupae are protected from even the most aggressive flea treatment and can wait four to five months before hatching if the environmental conditions aren’t suitable. Fleas are likely to return to a pet if effective flea control methods aren’t maintained year-round. Cat fleas only affect mammals, so other pets such as reptiles and amphibians don’t need prevention.

Regularly vacuuming the home and washing bedding may help remove some of the eggs, larvae, and pupae from a house. When vacuuming, be sure to empty the vacuum outdoors to prevent fleas from escaping indoors. Washing pet bedding and toys with soap and hot water can also help kill fleas. In addition, cleaning fabric surfaces, such as sofas and curtains, with steam can help kill fleas. Home and yard treatments are also available, and the most effective options contain an insect growth regulator to help destroy the population more quickly. Premise sprays, flea bombs, and other environmental treatments are not replacements for year-round flea prevention.

If you need a vet-recommended flea product or tailored advice on how to get rid of a flea infestation, online vets are available on the Vetster platform for virtual vet visits.

What do flea bites look like on humans?

Flea bites on humans look like small, inflamed spots and are most often found on the feet, ankles, and calves. However, flea bites can look similar to other insect bites, so talk to a doctor if you’re unsure and are concerned about the bites. Humans are often exposed when moving into a home or apartment that previously had pets and fleas, even though it may have remained empty for months. This happens because the pupae are hardy and can survive in the environment for many months, waiting to emerge until a warm-blooded host is present.

How can I prevent fleas in my home?

The best flea preventive measure is to put all mammalian pets in the home on year-round flea prevention as recommended by a veterinarian. Without a mammalian host to feed on, flea populations will not survive long-term.

Can humans get fleas from their pets?

Cat fleas are the most common flea species that infest dogs, cats, and other household pets in North America. This species of flea can bite humans but doesn’t live for long on human skin or hair. Other flea species in the world infest humans, but they’re very rare in North America.