Indoor cats can get fleas, too!

Most people know that outdoor cats are at risk for picking up fleas - especially those cats that like to lounge in the shade under bushes where other animals spend their time. But, did you know that even indoor cats can get fleas?

Sometimes, the fleas are brought into the house by unsuspecting owners, on pants legs, on shoes, or other outdoor items. Most times, it is not the adult flea that comes inside. They have a large warm food source, already, why would they want to jump off into the great unknown and leave a good thing behind? Instead, the female flea is almost constantly laying eggs, which roll off the host - a rabbit, a squirrel, a stray cat - and into the dirt. There, the eggs can hatch, and the flea larvae can eat and grow under the bush until it is time to

Flea larvae are only a little thicker than a cat hair. Under the microscope, we can see this larva has eaten some flea dirt (adult flea feces - digested blood) which gives it a reddish color.

form the pupal cocoon. Once the pupa stage is reached, the flea is pretty much indestructible. No amount of pesticide is going to hurt that cocoon. After a period of time, that cocoons can be picked up by a human and transported inside. Once inside, when conditions are right, the adult fleas hatch and find a food source - your pampered indoor pet.

Other ways that an indoor cat can get fleas is from visitors to the home - with or without their own pets. We often find out that just before a cat starts scratching, Aunt Sally might have visited along with her Jack Russell Terrier, or maybe the kids just got home from visiting Grandpa Frank and his indoor/outdoor cat Puma. Or, maybe everyone just got back from camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the cats were rolling around in the luggage.

Sometimes, your cat will show signs of itchiness such as scratching or excessive grooming if he or she is bothered by the fleas. In cases where cats actually have an allergy to flea saliva, cats will develop hair loss and/or sores in a classic pattern - usually around the base of the tail and the neck. Other signs of fleas are more subtle. Your cat may be noticeably spending more time up off the floor, may be more easily irritated than usual or may have no signs of discomfort at all.

To check for fleas, use a fine-toothed comb and comb your cat from neck to tail, concentrating under the chin and near the base of the tail. Afterwards, check the comb for fleas or flea dirt. If you find a flea, you win! Well, not really, but at least you will know that your cat has fleas. Unfortunately, because cats are such good groomers, just because you don't find fleas, it doesn't mean they're not there. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to catch them in a flea comb - they're fast, and they're flat, and they know how to hide!

A cat flea caught in a flea comb. Look fast - he's going to jump!

Flea dirt is another indicator of the presence of fleas. Flea dirt, or flea feces, can be recognized as tiny black specks about the thickness of a hair, often curved, that turn red when water is added and they are rubbed on a white towel. If you find flea dirt, you have fleas, even if you don't find the naughty critter himself. If a flea has been on your cat long enough to produce flea dirt, he's been there a while! If you find a flea but no dirt, then it's likely the flea hasn't been around long.

The flea life cycle

The best way to be certain that fleas never enter your home is to make sure that your cat is receiving a monthly flea prevention medication along with his or her heartworm prevention. We usually recommend the all-in-one product Revolution because it also prevents heartworm infections and has some additional effectiveness against ear and skin mites, ticks and some intestinal parasites. Advantage Multi is another good topical product that is similar. However, if your cat is already taking Heartgard heartworm prevention, you may want to choose Frontline or Advantage instead.

If you already have noticed a flea problem, make sure to read our tips on fighting fleas. It is important to
remember that if you see adults fleas on your cat, you are only seeing 5% of the problem, so one application of flea preventive is never enough to solve the problem. Your best weapons against fleas are prevention and patience. 

Is my cat "hairy" or furry"?

Various cat coat colors and textures

What’s the difference between fur and hair? Is a pet with hair better for allergies than a pet with fur? These are the questions that sparked this article. Based on the amount of discussion about this topic, both here in the hospital and through email with friends, colleagues and family members, this year has been a particularly bad year for allergies, and people are looking to do whatever they can to feel better!

In 2001, Scientific American magazine interviewed Nancy Simons, a mammalogist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York about the difference between hair and fur. Her answer? There isn’t. Hair and fur are the same thing.

A cat hair (top) compared to several human hairs (bottom)

Really, hair versus fur is a matter of semantics – it’s ALL hair. Hair is a defining characteristic of mammals. Even whales and dolphins have hair (usually just a few on their snout as babies). “Fur” is just one type of hair.  Both human hair and animal fur is made of the same stuff that makes up rhinoceros horn and our toenails – a protein called keratin. Cats’ whiskers and porcupine quills are special kinds of hairs. Even the strange scales on the back of a pangolin are specially adapted hairs. Just like in humans, hairs with round shafts are straight, and curly hairs are flattened to various degrees.
When talking about pet hair and specific breeds of cats and dogs, “fur” is usually used to refer to a double coat of hair that covers the entire body. “Hair” is usually a finer, softer, longer, single coat and - as in the case of humans, the Sphynx, and the Devon and Cornish Rex breeds of cat - may not cover all of the body.

An often-repeated humorous quotation (author unknown) about hair versus fur is:

Dogs and cats: If it's where it belongs (on the animal), it's fur; if it's where it doesn't belong (on your black slacks), it's hair.

            Humans: If it's where it belongs (on the top of your head), it's hair; if it's where it  

            doesn't belong (on your back), it's fur.

Many people consider “hair” to be less allergenic than fur, but hair is not the culprit when it comes to allergies. The real culprits that stimulate allergic reactions are a number of proteins in a cat’s saliva and other glands in the body. They are deposited on the surface of the cat as he grooms and secreted from the sebaceous glands in the skin. These allergens mix with the surface of the skin and coat, and are then shed into the environment, naturally. It is true that some breeds that shed less and have finer hair are less likely to build up allergens within the coat and less likely to spread as much allergenic material in the environment, but even Sphynx cats groom themselves and have sebaceous glands, so are not truly allergy-free! For more information about why people are allergic to cats, stay tuned for our next blog article!

Meanwhile, if you are overwhelmed by your cat's shedding, you could put the cat hair to use!
Check out this book about crafting with cat hair or take a look at Flora Davis' cat hair jewelry.