If your cats have been unlucky to have fleas, they you may have seen them, they’re small little things the hid amongst your cats fur, sucking their blood and making them itch.  For some cats it itching is so intense that they make scratch their fur and skin until they bleed. Fleas don’t just love cats but they like certain humans too, if you wake up covered in bites then chances are it’s fleas that have been having a midnight feast on you.

If you’ve had a bad infestation then you may have seen them jumping through your carpet, surprisingly they can jump up to 33 cm. While they are a definite nuassiance there are plently of ways to get flea infestations under control and as long as you break the cycle you should be able to get rid of them without much hassle.

Illnesses Caused By Fleas in Humans

Fleas aren’t a new phenomenon, in fact they’ve pestered animals and humans for a long time. Not only do they irritate animals and humans by biting and feeding on their blood, they carry germs as well:

It’s believed that it wasn’t rats that were the carriers of the Bubonic Plague, but this wasn’t really the case. The bacteria was carried by the fleas on the rats. Without the fleas the rats wouldn’t have carried the Plague Fleas also carry Murine Typhus, while this illness can be nasty, it can be cured with antibiotics.

As well as Murine Typhus fleas can also carry tapeworm. Grossly enough, it’s easy for humans and animals to swollen a flea – urgh!! This is how tape worms can get into our and our cats systems.

Allergic reactions can be caused by fleas too, but fleas are the only way people are allergic to animals.

Treating a Flea Infestation

None of the above have to be a problem though as there are many ways to deal with fleas on your cat and in your home. It’s always better to deal with the infestation as soon as you become aware of it, it gives them less chance to multiply and infest other areas of your home. Just follow some of these suggestions to help you get rid of fleas.

Remove your bedding and wash it on the hottest cycle possible. While it’s not usually a good idea to vacuum your mattress (it makes more room for bed bugs to thrive) it’s an easy way to suck up any flea eggs which may have nestled themselves into crevices. Vacuum your carpet and if you’ve have a bagged vacuum cleaner, you’ll need to dispose of the bag, if not bagged then empty it out in the outside bin. Steam will help kill the fleas and eggs so if possible steam clean the carpets.  If this isn’t possible get a spray or a flea bomb. You need to treat your animals as well as your home so treat them with an effective flea treatment such as FrontLine for Cats.  You will need to repeat this treatment every 5 weeks to keep your cats and home flea free.

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