What do cat fleas look like to the untrained eye? They are tiny, reddish brown insects that are reddish or black in color. Heavy infestations can be seen as fleas and their eggs on your cat. Parting the fur of your cat will reveal the skin. Look for the fleas on your cat’s neck, back of hind legs, base of tail, and lower back.
If you have a cat or dog with fleas, you may wonder what they look like to the human eye. Fleas are brown and black oval-shaped insects, approximately 3 to 4 mm long. They have hard shells and four pairs of legs. Fleas can be found in your pet’s fur; on the skin of your pet; in the carpeting in your home along the baseboards near rugs, upholstery and where your pets sleep; and in cracks and crevices of objects such as furniture and chairs. If you think you might have a flea problem, look for small, dark specks that quickly move away from the light when illuminated,
Feathers
While the fleas you see on your pet may not appear dangerous, they aren’t harmless either. The adults look like specks of dark brown on the fur of your pet. They are often attracted to a cat’s fur, carpet, or furniture and can jump to reach a cat’s body. Fleas are parasitic insects and carry many diseases. Fleas are responsible for the deadly Black Death, which wiped out a quarter of Europe’s population.
Legs
The legs of cat fleas are very difficult to see. Fleas have bristles on their legs and back. Their mouths are composed of two parts: a petal-shaped outer laciniae and a long, slender inner proboscis. Cat fleas have long, rear legs and are capable of jumping up to 12 inches. They have brown heads and legs.
Eggs
Whether your pet has fleas or not, you may have noticed the egg-like structures on your pet’s fur. Female fleas lay their eggs on various hosts, including cats, dogs, and ruminants. They cannot lay eggs in human hair, so they will rarely infest humans. When you find these, you must take action quickly. However, it is best to avoid putting your pet at risk.
Cocoons
The cocoon of a cat flea develops into an adult flea. The cocoon protects the flea pupa from outside influences and provides protection from insecticides. In less than favourable conditions, the flea pupa can remain in its cocoon for up to a year. It emerges from the cocoon when it senses body vibrations and warmth. Moreover, it cannot develop into an adult flea without a host.
Flying ability
Did you know that fleas have the ability to jump 50 times their own height, or 100 times faster than the blink of an eye? They are very small, about the size of a sesame seed, and their flat side-to-side structure allows them to slip through the fur easily. Their wings have a pleural arch and a resillin protein that stores energy so that they can jump and land safely on their hosts.
Location of eggs
You’ve probably noticed that your cat has fleas. These little creatures are about half a millimetre long, oval-shaped, and white. When viewed under a microscope, flea eggs look like very tiny grains of rice. They are also slippery. Unlike dandruff, which is solid white, flea eggs are smooth, shiny, and move on the surface of your pet’s fur.
Cat fleas can cause your cat a lot of health problems – from allergies and ear infections to serious diseases such as Lyme disease. The best way to keep them off your cat and out of your house is with preventative treatment for fleas, which are often combined with other treatments like heartworm medicine or parasite medications. It’s also important to make sure to ‘curl’ the area of fur between the neck and the base of the tail every time you groom so that you can check for signs of fleas.
