Cat Fleas

[sandyRoe]

I petted a neighbours cat in my garden this morning and in the process picked up one of its fleas. Can they survive long without a host?

[woofgang]

oh yes! they will bite humans and lay eggs. If you caught the flea and killed it quickly then you might have got away with it. If you went indoors and found bites later then I would get some RIP flea spray and treat the house. I have experienced what happens if you don't.

[Prudie]

Weeks I believe - of course you are a perfectly acceptable second host

[kvalidir]

We use Acclaim ( get it from your Vets) best thing ever (5 dogs , 3 cats)it lasts for 12 months and one can really does do a 4 bed house and a car as they say because we can do ours with 2 cans, and it really works, extremely well.

[sandyRoe]

I'd one bite on my face while I was still in the garden. Hopefully I haven't carried the flea into the house.

[kvalidir]

They're in the grass around here, the whole area is like Fleaville, so we're really meticulous about it, if you're not they'll take over your flipping house and you really don't want that.

[ummmm]

They can lay dormant.

I have an electrical plug in. I don't know how it works but it does.

[Rockrose]

Beaware that just hoovering does not kill them as they bury into carpets and crevices.
Pop to your vets and get some decent killing spray.

[woofgang]

you can get it online. I recommend RIP Flea.

[Peter Pedant]

well
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/occas/catflea.htm

altho cat fleas will feed off dogs ( who also have dog fleas )
I thought the blood meal was species specific ....
because .... we dont see bubonic plague now as the flea responsible needs a Black rat ( rattus rattus) blood meal and the Norwegian rat ( rattus norvegicus ) wont do.

also I thought there was hop-on hop-off with the fleas
altho I read that cat fleas can hop-on-and-stay-on

upt o 35 d

[DRockwell]

Yes, indeed. Fleas are very cunning and thus tenacious. They'll bite and cling to any mammal to survive and lay eggs. Here's an official explanation:
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef602
I also recommend checking this article:
https://pestcontrolhacks.com/get-rid-of-fleas-cats-dogs-pets/
Visiting a doctor is always a nice idea after such incidents, and don't forget to clean up your house.