Cat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis

Appearance

•  2 - 3mm long wingless ticks.
•  Flattened from side to side.
•  Have long legs enabling them to jump.
•  They have both genal and pronotal combs (ctenidia), differentiating them from most other fleas of domestic animals.

Lifecycle

•  Fleas pass through four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, adult. The eggs are small and white.
•  These stages combined vary from two weeks to eight months.
•  The adult flea is awakened by the detection of vibration of pet or human movement, pressure, heat, noise, or carbon dioxide for potential blood meals.
•  A cat flea cannot complete its life-cycle feeding only on human blood.

Habits

•  These fleas are often unable to determine whether a host is suitable until it has bitten the host. If it is deemed unsuitable, the flea soon drops off.
•  These fleas nest where the host is in its usual resting place, for example the cat basket. This is where the young drop to mature.