Can fleas from a cat go to humans
Content
Cat fleas - small insects that feed on blood. Pet owners and pet lovers pet chances to get acquainted with them are quite high. Whether fleas are transmitted to humans is a frequent topic of debate. Fanatical cat lovers believe that cat fleas pose no danger to humans and only elurofobimay consider otherwise. Sensible people are convinced of the opposite and are confident 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 the external differences dog fleasfeline human parasites Only an entomologist can. The size of adults does not exceed 4 mm, the color is dark brown with shine. They are not able 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 not a completely correct question regarding insects. Bacteria and viral infections can be transmitted. But the phrase "fleas are transmitted to man" is so well established that it has often become used not only in everyday life, but also in literary sources.
Blood suckers live in places of accumulation of garbage, holes of rodents, under fallen leaves, stones. Possessing a good sense of smell, they determine their prey by their smell, air vibrations, temperature fluctuations and jump onto it.With rare exceptions, harmful bugs do not live on the body of the wearer, but use it only for food. They rest and multiply in the vicinity of their prey. When it comes to cats, insects most often live in bedding, rugs, on which the pet rests.
Are cat fleas transmitted to humans?
Unlike lice, fleas do not live on the victim's body, but the question of whether cat fleas are transmitted to humans does not lose its relevance. To say that cat fleas are transmitted to humans is not entirely true. They can bite a person and live in his apartment, house, but no more. Insects feed on any blood, and if a person comes into their field of vision, then the probability that it will be bitten is quite high.
A cat can be a carrier not only for cat fleas, but also rabbitdoggy basement parasites, for which it is a kind of vehicle. A pet can pick up a “random fellow traveler” while walking, playing with other cats, dogs or simply on the ground. Possessing excellent jumping skills, insects easily jump to the cat and hide in its fur."Transfer" to a person is carried out during contact with an infected cat, or with any surface on which he rested, a shaggy pet was played.
Feedback
“I have always been an avid lover of cats and did not even think that fleas can go to humans. Once on the street I found a little kitten, brought it home, carefully ransomed it, but literally two days later I began to notice bites on the body. After scrupulous inspection revealed the presence of harmful insects in the fur of their purring. I had to buy different anti-flea shampoos for their removal. "
Alina
There is a version that owners of small kittens and old cats more often give in to attack of bloodsuckers. The fragile organism of a small animal is not able to meet the needs of insects and stimulates them to search for a new host.
Can feline fleas live on humans?
It is not typical for small bloodsuckers to live on the body of the wearer, therefore, it is important for pet owners to know whether cat fleas live on humans. Having satiated, they jump off their victim to lay eggs. Only some species make egg-laying directly on their host.Cat fleas predominantly live in pet litter, cat houses. In cases of large contamination of the premises, adults, the larvae may be in carpets, pieces of furniture, near the baseboards. The person is of interest to the parasites solely as a source of food. Therefore, to the question of whether fleas live in humans, there is only one answer - no.
Danger of fleas to humans
Than fleas have cats dangerous to humansprimarily depends on the insect itself. If it previously fed on the blood of a sick animal, then in the process of bloodsucking the parasite may well infect a person. Are people dangerous? flea bites? Undoubtedly! As mentioned above, a cat with 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 a third. Now there are no outbreaks of the deadly disease, but still the bite of the bloodsucker is like a lottery.
The bites of wingless insects provoke the following diseases:
- Pulicosis - skin lesions, characterized by severe itching and the appearance of severe redness.
- Dermatitis - with regular bites, there is a strong defeat of the skin.
In addition, it has been established that they are carriers of dangerous and hepatitis viruses, tick-borne encephalitis, salmonella bacteria, brucella, typhoid pathogens. Also, fleas are intermediate carriers of various worms - helminths. The ingestion of insects contributes to the development of intestinal infections.
Signs of cat flea bites
It is possible to determine that it is fleas that bite, but not bugs, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking individuals, based on 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 substance. Their saliva contains an enzyme that prevents blood from clotting, so their bites are always painful. Anesthetizing the puncture site for small parasites is meaningless, they can always quickly and with impunity retire if they are noticed.
- Unlike bedbugs, fleas from cats can bite at any time of the day.
- At the puncture site appear blisters with severe swelling.
- The 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, to get to the capillary it has to immerse the head and part of the body in the wound, which leads to complications in the healing of the bite site.
How to deal with parasites
Bring blood suckers into the house on shoes, after contact with someone else's infected pets. But nevertheless fleas from a cat appear in an apartment more often. To prevent their occurrence, the following measures should be taken:
- During walks, put special collars on your pets.
- Regularly wash mats, bedding, on which animals spend their time.
- Do not neglect the wet cleaning in the apartment and promptly vacuum carpets, carpets, upholstered furniture.
If your pet has fleas, you can use pharmacy tools or apply available homemade recipes.