Can fleas from a cat go to humans

Fleas in cats

Cat fleas

Flea habitats in the house

Flea bites

Cat fleas - small insects that feed on blood. Pet owners and lovers of pet purring pet chances to get to know them are quite high. Whether fleas are transmitted to humans is a common topic of debate. Fanatical cat lovers believe that cat fleas do not pose any danger to humans and only elurophobes can consider otherwise. Sensible people are convinced of the opposite and are sure that any bloodsuckers are dangerous to humans. Who is right, let's understand.

Features of parasitism

Cat fleas are one of the varieties of a large flea family. See external differences dog fleasfeline human parasites maybe only an entomologist. The size of adult individuals does not exceed 4 mm; the color is dark brown with shine. They do not know how to fly, but they are able to jump well, the length of the jump reaches 30 cm. They feed on blood, any warm-blooded animal or person can act as a victim.

Whether fleas are transmitted from cats to humans is a poorly posed question regarding insects. Bacteria and viral infections can be transmitted. But the phrase “fleas are transmitted to humans” is so established that it has often been used not only in everyday life, but also in literary sources.

Bloodsuckers live in places of accumulation of debris, burrows of rodents, under fallen leaves, stones. Having a good sense of smell, they determine their prey by smell, air vibration, temperature fluctuations and jump on it. With rare exceptions, harmful insects do not live on the carrier’s body, but use it only for nutrition. They rest and breed in the vicinity of their prey. When it comes to cats, then most often insects live in bedding, rugs, on which the pet rests.

Are fleas transmitted from cats to humans?

Unlike lice, fleas do not live on the victim’s body, but from this the question of whether cat fleas are transmitted to humans does not lose its relevance. Saying that fleas in cats are transmitted to humans is not entirely true. They can bite a person and live in his apartment, house, but nothing more. Insects feed on any blood, and if a person gets into their field of vision, then the likelihood that he will be bitten is quite high.

A cat can be a carrier not only of cat fleas, but also rabbitcanine basement parasitesfor which it is a kind of vehicle. A pet can pick up "random companions" during a walk, playing with other cats, dogs or simply on the ground. Possessing excellent jumping skills, insects easily jump onto the cat and hide in its coat. The "transfer" to a person is carried out during contact with an infected cat, or with any surface on which it rested, a furry pet was played.

Feedback

“I was always an avid cat lover and did not even think about the fact that fleas can go to people. Once I found a little kitten on the street, brought it home, carefully bathed it, but literally two days later I began to notice bite marks on my body. After a thorough examination revealed the presence of harmful insects in the fur of her purses.I had to buy different anti-flea shampoos to remove them. ”

Alina

There is a version that owners of small kittens and old cats are more likely to attack bloodsuckers. The fragile organism of a small animal is not able to satisfy the needs of insects and stimulates them to search for a new host.

Can cat fleas live on humans?

It is not common for small bloodsuckers to live on the carrier’s body, so it’s important for animal owners to know if cat fleas live on humans. When they are full, they jump from their prey to lay eggs. Only a few species lay eggs directly on their host. Fleas of cats mainly live in the litter of a pet, cat houses. In cases of large infection of the premises, adults, larvae can to be in the carpets, furniture, near baseboards. Man is of interest to parasites solely as a food source. Therefore, the question of whether fleas live in humans, there is only one answer - no.

The danger of fleas to humans

Than fleas in cats dangerous to humansprimarily depends on the insect itself. If it had previously fed on the blood of a sick animal, then in the process of bloodsucking the parasite could well infect a person. Is it dangerous for humans flea bites? Undoubtedly! As mentioned above, a cat from a walk can bring a variety of fleas. For example, rat parasites were the cause of the plague epidemic in medieval Europe, which reduced the population by one third. Now there are no outbreaks of a fatal disease, but still the bite of a bloodsucker is like a lottery.

Wings of wingless insects provoke the following diseases:

• Pulicosis is a skin lesion characterized by severe itching and the appearance of severe redness.
• Dermatitis - with regular bites, severe damage to the skin occurs.

In addition, it has been established that they are carriers of dangerous and hepatitis viruses, tick-borne encephalitis, Salmonella bacteria, Brucella, typhoid pathogens. Fleas are also intermediate carriers of various worms - helminths. The ingestion of insects in food contributes to the development of intestinal infections.

Signs of cat flea bites

It is possible to determine what fleas bite, and not bedbugs, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking individuals, by a number of signs:

• Severe pain and burning at the site of the bite. Insects are not very humane to their prey and do not inject anesthetic. Their saliva contains an enzyme that prevents blood clotting, so their bites are always painful. Anesthetizing the puncture site for small parasites is pointless, they can always quickly and with impunity leave if they are noticed.
• Unlike bedbugs, cat fleas can bite at any time of the day.
• Blisters with severe swelling appear at the puncture site.

  

• Bites are located serially at a distance of 2 cm from each other on the legs, neck, back, arms.
• The appearance of severe allergic reactions. The proboscis of the parasite is very short, in order to reach the capillary it has to immerse the head and part of the body in the wound, which leads to complications of the healing of the bite site.

How to deal with parasites

You can bring bloodsuckers to the house on shoes, after contact with other people's infected pets. But still fleas from the cat appear in the apartment most often. To prevent their occurrence, it is necessary to take the following measures:

• When walking, wear special collars on your pets.
• Wash mats, bedding on which animals spend their time regularly.
• Do not neglect wet cleaning in the apartment and timely clean carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture.

If your pet has fleas, you can use pharmacy products or apply available home recipes.