Parasites are living organisms residing on or within other living organisams.They ingest blood, lymph cells, or tissue from the bodies of their hosts as a source of nutriment. Parasites live at the expense of their hosts, causing considerable injury to their health.
Those forms residing within their hosts are endoparasites, or internal parasites. Those living on the surface of their hosts are ectoparasites, or external parasites. The external parasites of cats include a variety of small to microscopic insects and arachnids: fleas, ticks, flies, lice, larvae and mites.
Ectoparasitisam involves the skin in the form of tissue damage and secondary inflammation causing irritation and pain to the host. Some external parasites, such as fleas, injure their hosts with toxic substances when they draw blood as a food source. External parasites can carry dangerous viruses and bacteria, infecting their hosts. The host may become devoid of energy and vitality, experiencing weakened resistance to infection and disease.
Dermatoses (skin dieases) caused by ectoparasites are the most common skin disorders of cats. They cause suffering through annoyance, irritability, pruritus (itching), disfigurement, secondary infections, and myiasis. In addition, ectoparasites may be important in the transmission of viral,protozoal, belminthic and bacterial diseases.
Them nasy FleasFleas are by far hte most common ectoparasite of cats. Fleas are not host-specific and cats are occasionally paraxitized by fleas from a number of sources. In the United States, the flea most commonly found on cats is Ctenocephalides felis, followed by Ctenocephalides canis, followed by Pulex irritans and Echidnophaga gallinacea. Fleas are small ( 2 to 4 millimeters or .08 to .15 inch in length), brown to black, wingless insects with larterally compressed bodies. Adult fleas are powerful jumpers.
Fleas develop by complete metamorphosis. The eggs, which are ovoid, white, and 1 to 2 millimeters in length, are laid on the premises in cracks of buildings or on damp ground, as well as in carpeting, behind wall paneling, and in air ducts. Those eggs laid on the host soon fall off. The female flea lays three to eighteen eggs at one time, but with frequent blood meals and frequent copulation, she may lay several hundred over her life span of one year. Adult fleas separated from the host live for two month or longer. Fleas lay more eggs when the environmental temperature reaches the range of 65 to 80 degrees and when the relative humidity is high.. After incubation of two to twelve day, the eggs hatch into larvae--active white-brisled worms with chewing mouthparts. They ingest fecal casts from adult fleas. Larvae grow and molt twice over a period of nine to two hundred days. The third molt produces an opaque white larva that becomes quiescent and spins a loose, whitish-gray cocoon, inside which it pupates for seven days to one year. The adult flea breaks out of the cocoon and looks fro a host on which to feed. In general, fleas are particularly devastating in warmer climates and do not survive at elevations over five thousand feet.
Hypersensitivity to flea salvary antigens plays a critical role in dermatoses seen in flea-infested cats. It is verey likely that skin lesions resulting from flea bites occur only in sensitized individuals. results of intradermal skin testing in cats with flea-bite hypersensitivity suggest that they develop primarily an immediate hypersensitivity reaction.
Cats with simple flea infestation may harbor an incredible number of fleas, yet show few or no clinical signs. there are no agew, breed, or sex predilections. Blood loss anemia can be produced in kittens and debilitated adults.
Cats with flea-bite hypersensitivity show varying degrees of pruritic erythematious,papulocrustous dermatitis. The dorsal lumbosaxral (lower back) area, thighs,ventral abdomen, head, and neck are most commonly affected. In some cats the crantial or caudal ( head and tail ) aspects of the body are almost exclusively affected, while in other cats the dermatosis is generalized. A few cats show only intense itching and traumatic alopecia.
Sounds pretty yucky if ya ask me!! Fleas are really nasty lilttle pests.I have found that Advantage works really well.With all the cats I live with, I need something that works. I have been using Advantage for over a year now and have not had any flea problems since.
