Fleas belong to the category of parasites with complete conversion. In other words, young individuals that have just hatched eggs are significantly different from adult, sexually mature counterparts. Differences are observed both in the external structure of the body, and in the way of life and the production of food.
How do fleas in cats breed? What are the distinctive features of their development cycle? How many such parasites can be simultaneously on the body of an animal? How quickly do fleas breed in cats? All this will be discussed in our article.
General information
Before telling how fleas in cats breed, I would like to say a few words about adults. Sexually mature blood-sucking parasites are capable of reaching sizes of the order of 3-4 millimeters. Such insects have a dark brown tint. The soft tissues on their body are protected by a fairly strong chitinous membrane. The body is somewhat flattened laterally and covered with small villi, which allows parasites to move easily in the dense coat of the animal. Fleas have three pairs of limbs. The longest legs are used for quick movement over long distances.
Egg stage
We will begin to consider how fleas in cats breed (the whole process in detail) from the very beginning. The life cycle of such insects begins with the stage of the egg. The masonry of the parasites is very small. The egg shell has an extremely smooth structure. Therefore, after being postponed by a flea, they are poorly held on the body of the animal and often showered on the ground.
Most often, blood-sucking parasites create masonry on the floor, fond of carpets, all kinds of cracks in the coverings. Under favorable conditions, the maturation of an insect in an egg takes several days. If there is a low ambient temperature, an inappropriate level of humidity, the process can be significantly delayed.
Larva stage
How do fleas breed in cats in an apartment? After the maturation of the eggs, larvae emerge from them, which, according to their appearance, resemble miniature worms that are hardly noticeable to the naked eye. The latter are able to maintain vital activity, absorbing all kinds of organic substances, whether it is dead epidermis, small grains of food or the excrement of adult fleas. During development, the size of the larvae increases significantly. Having gained weight, such individuals pupate, protecting their own body from adverse conditions.
Chrysalis stage
The flea larva, which has formed a kind of cocoon around its own body, is the most tenacious stage of the parasite. If favorable conditions are observed in the places of development, an adult individual capable of breeding can form within a week. When the life of a young individual is potentially threatened by negative factors, the process is significantly delayed. Based on the sensitivity of special receptors that are contained on her body, the chrysalis determines the right moment for the emergence of an adult flea.
It is worth noting that it is almost useless to combat blood-sucking parasites that are at the pupal stage. Such individuals are absolutely not sensitive to the effects of household cleaners, all kinds of disinfectants. At this stage of development, the flea is able to save life in conditions of subzero ambient temperature.
Adult stage
If the environmental conditions are satisfactory for the insect, a sexually mature flea emerges from the pupa. Such individuals immediately begin to search for food. Having gained weight, parasites begin to multiply actively. The result is the appearance of new clutches both in the coat of the animal and around the entire perimeter of the housing.
Mating process
We examined how fleas breed in cats, the cycle of cat fleas. Now let's take a look at the process of pairing such parasites. Having found the sexual partner, the female individual draws the male’s special sexual claw into its own body. It usually takes about an hour to exchange a seed.
After mating, about fifteen eggs are formed quite quickly in the female body. In cases where the female does not experience problems with access to food, the whole masonry is born simultaneously. If a flea suffers from food shortages, eggs reproduce gradually. With a good food base, one sexually mature individual can produce up to five hundred embryos.
How do fleas in cats breed? After the maturation of the eggs, the latter are shot from the abdomen of the female. Thus, masonry can be on a variety of surfaces.
Flea life span
To combat parasites, it is important to know not only how fleas breed. How long do such insects live? As noted above, much here depends on the level of humidity, temperature in the habitat, access to food.
Usually fleas feel fine in apartment conditions, concentrate nearby heating mains in basements, live on the streets in the summer, and can live in porches for a long time. The optimum temperature for such parasites is considered to be the ambient temperature in the range of + 20-25 ° C. At the same time, the stage of transformation of the pupa into an adult takes the minimum amount of time.
On average, the appearance of a mature flea, in the presence of favorable conditions, takes no more than three weeks. If, during development, the insect suffers from any negative factors, the developmental stages slow down. In some cases, even formed individuals do not leave protective cocoons for a long time. With such a combination of circumstances, underdeveloped insects are capable of falling into inaction for up to one and a half years.
As for adult fleas, on average, their life lasts about six months. During this period, fleas show particular aggression towards potential victims. With a shortage of food, parasites can attack not only cats, but also other animals, and sometimes even inflict painful bites on humans.
The number of fleas on the body of the animal
How do fleas in cats breed? How many live on the body of the animal? It all depends on the responsibility of the owner of the pet. In case of an untimely reaction to the problem, unwillingness to take measures aimed at the extermination of parasites, several hundred blood-sucking insects can simultaneously be on the body of the animal. In this case, the cat's skin is covered with small wounds, combs. The animal will suffer not only physically, but also experience extreme emotional discomfort.
Parasite control
As you can see, fleas in cats can reproduce quite quickly. In case of detection of small bloodsuckers, it is extremely important to immediately begin their extermination. An effective solution for protecting a pet from adult attacks is the use of special collars soaked with insecticides, as well as sprays and drops that are applied to the skin at the withers of the animal.
However, the above actions are far from always able to save a cat from subsequent flea attacks. The parasites are able to return again, developing from eggs spreading around the apartment. Therefore, to resolve the problem should be approached comprehensively, resorting to the disinsection of all housing.
Instead of a conclusion
So we found out how fleas in cats breed, what stages of the parasite development precede the birth of adults. With information on the lifestyle and biology of such insects, their reproduction intensity, and ability to withstand adverse conditions, it is much easier to deal with the problem. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the sooner fleas in an apartment are exterminated, the less likely it is to have catastrophic consequences. After all, such parasites not only cause discomfort to cats, but also act as carriers of pathogens of rather dangerous infectious diseases.