How to find out if a cat or cat has fleas

Caring for a pet is a painstaking and time-consuming process. The cat must not only feed, drink, bathe, but also provide her with protection from all kinds of parasites. It is in this category that they belong cat fleas - small jumping creatures drinking the blood of a pet, and subsequently its owner. Regular planned measures to identify insects in the animal’s hair will help to solve the problem at the initial stage. About how to find out if a cat has fleas and small folk tricks that facilitate the search for parasites, are thoroughly covered in this article.

What do fleas look like?

To find fleas in a cat, you need to have an idea of ​​their appearance. Fleas are blood-sucking insects of brown color, their body size varies within 2-4 mm. They are very moving and jumping. Adults feed exclusively on blood and can be on the body of their donor for a long time.

The larvae look like white fleshy caterpillars and absorb organic waste. It is almost impossible to meet young animals on the cat’s body, as young individuals spend their time in the secluded corners of the apartment, at home. Contrary to the erroneous opinion, fleas do not live permanently on the body of their victim. Locations of their clusters should be sought close to the cat.

Mostly cat fleas are chosen as victims. But given the ability to migrate from one species of animal to another and unpretentiousness in relation to the composition of the blood, there may be rat, bird, or dog parasites on the cat's body. Only a narrow-profile specialist can recognize fleas by their species affiliation.

On a note!

For pet owners, differences between species do not matter, since the characteristics of reproduction, nutrition, and behavior are identical for all fleas.

How to understand that a cat has fleas

It is possible to determine that a cat has fleas by observing its behavior. The fact that the pet is disturbed by insects will give the following symptoms:

• the cat behaves uneasily, cannot sit in one place for a long time, sleeps poorly;
• the pet is constantly itching;
• with severe infection, the cat can comb the places of bites before the appearance of blood.

A visual inspection of the coat and skin will help to determine if the cat has fleas. To do this, arm yourself with a comb and gently push the pet's coat and carefully examine the exposed skin. The presence of tiny black grains of excrement on it may indicate the presence of fleas.

On a note!

Make sure that the black lumps found are feces of parasites, a simple test will help. Using tweezers, you should extract the find and place it in a small container with water. If it is a flea feces, black grains will begin to dissolve in water and in this place the liquid will turn red or brown.

In cases of severe infection in the hair of a cat can be detected flea eggs. Their size is smaller than a grain of rice. The embryos are white or off-yellow in color and the shell is tack free. Usually parasites breed outside the body of their host. The female lays eggs during movement, which is why they literally fly apart.

Thanks to the smooth shell, embryos roll down even from the wool, hairline.Therefore, if it was not possible to detect fleas in a cat, it is necessary to carefully examine and check the space adjacent to the cat’s habitat in the apartment for eggs.

It is possible to understand that parasites annoy a kitten or an adult cat by the presence of wounds, red swelling, blisters on the skin. Identify that these are flea bites, and not a rash caused by other factors, a magnifying glass or a magnifying glass will help. Bites are small red spots with a characteristic puncture point in the center. In case of development cat allergic reaction flea attacks, affected areas begin to swell, swell.

Folk secrets to detect parasites

You can identify fleas in a cat if you resort to some tricks that are based on the nuances of the behavior of bloodsuckers:

1. Spread a large white sheet in the place where the cat spends his time. Fleas are very active and mobile, so if you observe for some time, then on the sheet you will see the rapid movement of dark points.
2. A fairly radical way to test a cat for fleas is to redeem it. Blood-sucking insects are very afraid of water, and if you put the body of a pet in a basin of water, they will quickly leave their owner.

How to rid a cat of parasites

Fleas not only cause discomfort to animals and humans, they bite painfully. They carry dozens of deadly diseases and helminth eggs. Fleas in a kitten can provoke weakness, anemia. If parasites are found in the animal, proceed immediately killing fleas. In addition to taking care of the pet itself, you will need pest control and thorough processing of all his accessories, toys, cat's house, accessories.

The choice means of destruction and protection of a cat from fleas huge. When choosing a drug for your pet, you should be guided by the age of the animal, the ease of use of the product, the toxicity and effectiveness of the drug. Arsenal of antisplash products:

1. Aniparasitic shampoos. Conditionally divided into detergents for the destruction of fleas and for their deterrence. The first includes an insecticide, which has a destructive effect on parasites. The product is applied to the wet skin of a cat, aged for several minutes, and then washed off. For the destruction of fleas, a single treatment is enough. Popular detergents are Bio Groom, Lugovoi, "Celandine", Leopard, "Fitoelita."
   

   

2. Drops at the withers for cats have a destructive effect and protect the cat from parasites for 2-3 months, depending on the manufacturer. To use drops to disgrace is simple. It is enough to remove the dropper with drops from the package and apply the product to the withers of the animal. The death of parasites occurs within 24 hours after application. According to consumer reviews, the following drops have proven themselves well: four with a ponytail, Front line, Delix, Rolf Club 3D, Barrier, Dana Ultra Neo, Stronghold, Adventage, Blokhnet, Celandine, Helmintal, Inspector.
3. Collars for cats to kill insects give the greatest effect if you pre-redeem a cat with anti-flea shampoo. The owners of cats are in demand such collars: Leopard, Celandine, Beafar other.
4. Spray against parasites for cats destroys pests and provides long-term protection of the pet from blood-sucking insects. The product is applied to dry skin against hair growth. So that the pet does not lick the drug, a protective collar is put on it. You can not bathe a cat 2 days before the procedure and 2 days after.

Fleas must be disposed of. They are dangerous not only for a family friend, but also for a person.