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Cats - Dogs - Pets and Fleas
By Eric Hartwell
Fleas and pets are frequently found together. The tiny dark bug drinks blood, and in the process can bring on illness, transmit disease, annoy your cat or dog, and can so affect families.
It's vital to move fast to solve the problem. The life of a flea is a month or longer, which means that if you're tardy, a whole new generation of pests will arise.
First establish that there is a flea problem. If your cat or dog is scratching often, fleas might well be the cause. Fleas jump often, so you can see them if you put a cloth where they are expected. They may become visible as they move around (a light cloth works best for showing up the small dark insects).
These insects have four parts of their lives termed egg, grub or larvae, pupae, and adult. Eggs are laid by the female after a meal (of blood). The larvae and pupae are the phases before the adult, when the insect becomes ready to attack, bite, dine, and lay some more eggs to start all over.
Because the cat or dog got the bugs from somewhere, you may also need to check all outdoor places your pet visits, or any other animals your dog or cat may come in contact with. Even a single place or animal with insects can spread it to everyone all over again, so it is very crucial to be vigilant.
It is crucial to act quickly by halting the insect's life cycle. With the egg stage, simply combing the dog's or cat's hair with a finetooth comb can aid to get the eggs out. However, eggs can fall onto surfaces, so you need to take care to thoroughly vacuum any area the cat or dog may have visited.
Should you already have fleas, you should consider destroying the pet's bed. Also, while vigorous cleaning may take care of the problem, you might wish to steam clean furniture and carpets to get rid of any remaining fleas and eggs.
The greatest situation is to never have fleas! Prevention is the best option, and you can do it by looking for the problems before they become serious. Remember these pointers, and you'll improve your cat's or dog's health and yours - and you won't have an uninvited house guest!.
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