Pesky fleas!Hank again, I know you have all missed me! I’ve been hanging out with the staff here at Twin Maples, making them cater to my every need ;)… ya know, typical day in the life of Hank Maples! I’m going to talk to you all about something that EVERYONE hates dealing with, and that’s fleas. It’s spring time and that means they are starting to come back out and annoy everyone again! I’ll explain the most important things you need to know about fleas and what you can do to prevent them from multiplying in your house! Even though us house cats don’t step paw outside, we get preventions every month to keep us protected!

et’s first start with me explaining the flea life cycle to you so that you have a better understanding of these little rascals. Adult fleas live, feed, and mate on our pets; the female flea lays eggs that fall off into the environment where they hatch into larvae. The larvae eat debris until they mature into pupae. The pupae then hatch into adult fleas, which then jump onto a host, such as your dog or cat, to complete their life cycle and to make it happen all over again. All of this can happen in as little as two weeks if they are in the right environment

!What effects can fleas have on us felines? We can develop an allergy to them, especially if we are bit a lot by them. If we are allergic, we might groom ourselves a lot or even scratch excessively. If we are that itchy, we might even get skin infections due to self-trauma! Another effect can be anemia since fleas do feed off of blood. A single flea consumes its weight in blood many times over its entire life! Lastly, fleas can act as a host furrr tapeworms! Flea larvae become infected by eating a tapeworm egg, us cats eat the flea while grooming, the tapeworm larva will then develop into an adult tapeworm. Any feline with those pesky fleas is likely to also have tapeworms

!I’m sure you’re wondering why our doctors here recommend flea prevention even if your cat doesn’t even step paw outside. That’s because YOU can trrrrack them in! If you are around any other animal, the fleas might hop on to you until you get home and hop on your cat! Another thing to consider is if you have dogs. Dogs typically go outside to go to the bathroom or play andthey might track them in to your kitty inside! Some preventions cover more than just fleas, so if your furrr baby doesn’t have fleas, they will be protected against other things as well

!What if you have fleas in your house already? Get all the animals on prevention right away! Sometimes it can take three to six months to get rid of fleas completely, so this might be a pawcess furrr you at home. But be patient and stick to it or else they will continue to raid your house! You will need to wash your pet’s bedding frequently and clean the areas that they lay around! When you vacuum, take that outside to the trash can immediately because the eggs can hatch in the trash

!Continue to keep your furrr babies on prevention; you don’t want the headache of the pesky fleas in your house! Ask one of the wondurrrful staff members at Twin Maples what prevention would work best furrr your pet

!See you in a few months!

-Hank