Humans can certainly get flea bites from interacting with cats and dogs. In the same way that fleas can move from pet to pet or from animal to animal, these creatures can also move from a cat or a dog to a human. Most fleas who invade your home are in search of a cat or dog—not you. The only reason fleas will bother humans is if they become very hungry if their preferred host is unavailable. Those starved fleas that had been infesting the resident pooch will be looking for any source of blood they can find, which will likely be you.
To properly understand whether fleas can reside on our couches, beds and recliners, you have to understand the life cycle of a flea. These eggs usually fall off the host during normal activities, whether by scratching, grooming or generally moving around. These eggs could also become dislodged when your pet jumps off the couch or another piece of furniture.
Eggs will hatch into larvae three or four days later. Larvae will survive off predigested blood from their mother. These immature fleas hate light and will burrow into your carpet, couch or even your bed to avoid it. When the flea larvae mature, they spin themselves into a cocoon. During this egg to cocoon period, these immature fleas can live in your furniture. Once the adult fleas hatch, they will hop right onto the closest host they find and will seek a blood meal. Female fleas can lay up to fifty eggs after one blood meal, and larvae can stay spun up in their cocoons for upwards of 6 months.
How do you know if you still have fleas on your carpet near your furniture? Put on some clean longer white socks. Despite popular belief, you can have fleas in a house with no pets. You can bring one of these hitchhikers in after being outdoors, one of your guests could do the same or you could have an animal living in your attic or beneath your home.
Speaking of bringing a flea into your home, how would that usually happen? Flea sprays for your pet can be useful for kittens too small for spot-ons. Tablets are an effective treatment but because they work in the blood fleas need to bite in order for them to work, which may not be suitable for all cats. Some owners may also find it difficult to give their cat tablets. One injection can last up to six months, but it has to be administered by a vet.
Find out more about preventing and treating cat fleas. Warning: You should never use a dog flea product on your cat as certain active ingredient s used in these products can be extremely toxic to cats. If you have dogs as well as cats, speak to your vet about your options. Fleas can carry the tapeworm parasite, a nasty intestinal worm which can be transmitted to your cat if ingested. Speak to your vet about treatment options. Fleas can easily infest the home, laying eggs in the carpet and other soft furnishings.
When you notice fleas have invaded, you should always treat your home as well as your cat. Remember to:. Read more tips on removing fleas in the home. Find out more about the risk fleas pose to humans. Fleas can produce up to 2, eggs in their lifetime. So, if your cat has 50 fleas, that could mean up to , eggs falling into your home waiting to hatch!
Durden, Nancy C. Use Medicines Responsibly. Further information is available from the datasheet at www. Tel: Home Parasites Everything you need to know about cat fleas. Master Brand. Intro Text. Cats can pick up fleas surprisingly easily and these tiny parasites can quickly spread around your home unless you act quickly to prevent an infestation. Introducing the cat flea. Do all cats get fleas? The cat flea life cycle. Can cat fleas live on dogs?
Should you worry about cat flea bites? Cat flea bites are painful and itchy, and they can cause a range of additional problems: Anaemia Kittens and elderly cats are at risk of becoming anaemic from blood loss if bitten too many times. Flea Allergic Dermatitis FAD This is a very common allergy to flea saliva that can set off a severe reaction in your pet from even just a few flea bites.
As we touched upon earlier, if a flea is going to be in your hair, it is likely to be in a bushy beard, dreadlocks, or thick, dense hair. Therefore, it is super important to keep your hair well combed if you can, and keep it clean. Strong smelling shampoos, which have ingredients like tea tree, eucalyptus, and rosemary, are good flea repellents to encourage any fleas to move on out. Of course, if you have any furry animal pets in the home, they are almost certainly suffering too.
You must treat them for fleas as a priority, as they will be the home for the majority of the adult flea population. It is fair to say they will be very uncomfortable themselves if you have enough fleas around that they are starting to find their way into your hair.
Treating your pet and yourself is an important step, but you must not overlook the enemy within the carpet or cracks in the wood floor. Flea eggs do not stay on the host, they are designed to fall out from the fur into the ground. In your case, that means your floors and carpet are likely littered with flea eggs and larvae. This is a time bomb waiting to go off.
By far the most effective way to do this is by vacuuming your entire home thoroughly. Any adult fleas, eggs, and larvae will be sucked up from the fibers. They believe the vibrations are signs of hosts moving nearby, so they break free and start to emerge—only to be sucked up.
You may have to vacuum intensely every few days before you get them all. Vacuuming is a great way to hit fleas hard, but you will also have to deal with soft furnishings and textiles which cannot be vacuumed. Ensure to remove your bedding, pet toys, and pet bedding, cushion covers, etc. If you have access to a steam cleaner, this is a sure-fire way to eliminate fleas from the carpet and furniture, no matter what stage of the life cycle they are in.
The thought of fleas living in your hair is enough to make anyone start to furiously itch and want to jump in the shower immediately. Luckily, as we have seen in this article, the potential for fleas living in your hair is very slim. Most species of fleas will bite and feed on humans , but the reality is that they do not wish to live on us.
Fleas will not lay eggs in human hair because our blood is not nutritious enough to support their fertility and ability to reproduce. Simple personal and home hygiene methods are effective in tackling fleas.
So long as you treat your pets and home thoroughly, you should be free of these pests in no time. Table of Contents. Flea Eggs In Human Hair. A Feeding Flea.
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