most relevant to humans are the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) and the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) - the cat flea has low host specificity and, in the UK, is the most common flea on cats and dogs
rabbits are increasingly being kept as 'house rabbits' are also harbour fleas
flea life cycle
fleas develop into adult fleas via larval, pupal and pre-emerged adult states
cycle takes from 2 weeks to 6 months
an adult cat female flea will lay about 25 eggs per day when it is about 1 week old - the hatching of eggs is influenced by humidity and temperature
larvae - feed on adult flea faeces and are 2-5mm long; in households often develop in carpets and burrow away from the light. The larvae is relatively fragile and will not survive dessication or high temperatures
pupal stage - quite resistant
pre-emerged adult stage - quite resistant. The main stimuli for the pre-emerged adult flea to emerge from the cocoon are pressure, vibration (e.g. someone walking across a carpet) and warmth
adult stage - may survive for weeks without feeding if conditions are favourable and then will feed within seconds of landing on a host. A cat flea may jump up to 34 cm to feed on a host. When a flea takes a blood meal then saliva from the flea is deposited into the skin. The saliva contains anticoagulant chemicals and is why a flea bite may display a central haemorrhagic spot
about 95% of the population of fleas related to a pet will be in the form of eggs, larvae and pupae (i.e. in the household) and not on the animal
pre-adult fleas may survive for more than a year after the death of a pet
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