2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21
The cat flea (lat. C. fells) belongs to the order Siphonaptera. The adult has no wings, is laterally compressed, with strong and long legs, equipped with numerous spines. On the sides of the head, when viewed through a magnifying glass, the so-called club-shaped antennae are visible. The mouthparts are ideally suited to pierce the skin and suck out blood. The cat flea is a rather small insect, rarely exceeding 2 mm in size.
This is a temporary parasite that can be completely eliminated. The female flea lays small, almost imperceptible, non-sticky eggs on the cat's fur and skin, from where they roll onto the floor, bedding, and furniture. After a week (sometimes longer), larvae appear, at first having a worm-like body and feeding on leftover food and organic remains. Two weeks later, the pupa becomes an adult and begins to lead a different lifestyle - parasitic. Both sexes of insects (males and females) feed on blood.
The cat flea is ubiquitous, it is found on animals all year round. Your pet can become infected through contact with infested animals,and not even close (just a few minutes of being in the same room with cats suffering from parasites). Look at the first photo, what cat fleas look like when enlarged several times.
It is believed that these insects attack only those animals that are kept in not too good conditions, with accompanying dampness and poor nutrition. However, the statement is fundamentally wrong. A well-groomed, he althy cat can also become infected.
The cat flea is far from harmless insect. The skin reacts to the bite of parasites with itching. The animal itches. Scratches and scratches appear, dermatitis develops. The cat is nervous, sleeps little, wasting energy on a useless fight against fleas. The consequence is a decrease in immunity, an increase in the likelihood of introducing infections and viruses to which the animal would otherwise be resistant. Ectoparasites are easily detected when examining the integument. Favorite places of insects - under the paws and tummy.
How to remove cat fleas? The use of dust is already a thing of the past. Modern veterinary medicine offers anti-insecticide aerosols, emulsions, solutions, powders. When choosing a remedy, be sure to consider the degree of toxicity and the age of the animal. Not all drugs are suitable for young cats, and it is generally not recommended to treat kittens up to a month old. You should know that cat flea remedies act mainly on larvae (adult forms are slightly more resistant) and practically do not affect eggs. Therefore, the procedure is repeated without fail (after 12-18 days).
To exterminate fleas, you can use an aqueous solution of chlorophos (1%), an emulsion of karbofos, cyodrin, diphos (abata), trichlormetaphos. A good effect is given by the drug "Oxamat" - a repellent (2% aqueous emulsion). This substance is slightly toxic to animals. Synthetic pyrethroids "Ectomin", "Ektopor", "Anometrin", etc. deserve attention.
From ready-made veterinary drugs, not very expensive, but effective drops "Bars" (also available in the form of a spray), "Fiprex", "Lawyer", "Stronghold" are in demand.
Prevention measures:
- treatment of the premises (especially the place where the cat sleeps) with drugs like "Butox";
- exclusion of contact with infected and stray animals;
- Additional protection in the form of anti-flea collars.
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