Flea dermatitis in cats: a major consequence of small parasites

What do fleas look like on cats?

Fleas are wingless brown insects with 3 pairs of legs, the last of which is better developed than the others and is used for pushing off the surface when jumping, the length of which can reach 1.5 meters. Their body is flattened laterally, its length is 2–2.5 mm.

The flea has a laterally flattened body and three pairs of legs; no wings

The flea is protected from external influences by a chitinous shell, on which there are multiple spines and outgrowths that help it stay on the surface of the skin and fur. The parasite has a piercing-sucking type of mouthparts.

The flea lives for about 2 years, and actively reproduces. Fleas lay eggs wherever they can, and the worm-like larvae that emerge from the eggs feed on dust, debris, and various contaminants. The larvae turn into pupae, which, under unfavorable external conditions, can remain viable in the external environment for up to 1 year. The entire development cycle of a flea under favorable conditions takes only 2–3 weeks.

Fleas are highly mobile and tend to change hosts. It is extremely important that the majority of fleas live in the room where the cat is kept, while on the cat itself the number of parasites does not exceed 5–10% of the existing number.

Fleas are carriers of diseases:

• hemobartonellosis - infectious anemia of cats;
• tularemia - a natural focal infectious disease;
• helminthic infestations: dipilidia - parasitism of cucumber tapeworm;
• dipetalonematosis - parasitism of small roundworms - microfilariae. The disease occurs in Africa, South America, and southern Asia.

Ways of flea infection

Flea infestation occurs when:

• direct contact with infected relatives;
• through bedding, toys, and care items infested with fleas, their eggs and larvae;
• fleas can live in an apartment, periodically attacking a cat;
• A mother cat with fleas infects her kittens with them immediately after their birth.

If a mother cat has fleas, all her kittens become infected.

Symptoms of flea bites

These bloodsuckers live in any house, but prefer to live on the first and last floors. They are also attracted to homes with animals.

Fleas are very small and it is almost impossible to see them. But it’s not at all difficult to guess that fleas have bitten a child. A swollen red bump with a radius of about 10 mm appears at the site of the bite. Subcutaneous hemorrhage is observed in the same place. The child begins to itch intensely, causing the bites to become huge. Microbes accumulate on the baby’s hands, which he spreads throughout the body and infects other areas of the skin. The effects of flea bites last up to 5 days.

You can be completely sure that it was fleas and not other insects that appeared on the baby’s body only after an additional and thorough examination of the bites.

What do flea bites look like on a child’s body:

1. These are multiple wounds. Around each of them there are several short paths with additional markings. Fleas are jumping insects, so they do not hide their actions. At any moment they can bite and jump to another area. This explains the fact that the marks are located on the same track in different places.
2. Do not confuse flea bites with bedbug punctures, which leave behind similar stains and blood on the sheets.
3. When bitten, the child feels severe pain, since the insect’s saliva does not contain painkillers.
4. Any flea attack ends with the appearance of a red spot with a characteristic puncture inside it. After a while, the skin under the spot thickens and a papule appears, and a rash appears at the site of the bite.

Every parent should know what flea bites look like on children and how they differ from other irritations. This will help you quickly understand the situation and take effective measures.

Causes of flea dermatitis in cats

Flea dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease of allergic origin. It is based on the formation of hypersensitivity to flea bites, the saliva of which is a complex allergen. There are:

• Immediate hypersensitivity reactions occur when an allergen to which an antibody titer has already been developed is re-entered into the body. The meeting of the allergen and antibody occurs on the membrane of mast cells and causes the release of a large amount of biologically active substances (histamine, bradykinin, serotonin, heparin, reactive oxygen species). This type of reaction for flea dermatitis is manifested by the occurrence of: redness of the skin;
• skin itching;
• urticaria (the appearance of skin infiltrates accompanied by itching and redness of the skin). In some cases, these signs appear immediately after the very first flea bite, and we are talking about atopy - an altered type of immune system response that is inherited.

Flea dermatitis, fortunately, does not affect all cats that have been bitten by fleas, since flea bites do not cause an allergic restructuring of the immune system in all pets. Most often, with flea dermatitis in cats, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions or a mixed type of reaction develop. The disease of flea dermatitis, as well as its exacerbations, is characterized by seasonality. When fleas live indoors, there is no seasonality of the disease in cats.

Video: flea dermatitis

Main manifestations of flea dermatitis in cats

The most common manifestations of flea dermatitis in cats are:

• miliary dermatitis - redness and multiple blisters (vesicles) appear on the skin, which, when opened, form small erosions. After the erosions dry out, numerous crusts appear. With a long course of the disease, the affected areas acquire a dark color - acanthosis nigricans develops. The fur thins and falls out. The disease is accompanied by unbearable skin itching; when scratching, infection occurs with secondary microbial flora;
• formation of foci of baldness in the absence of inflammatory manifestations;
• development of the eosinophilic granuloma complex - accumulations of eosinophils and lymphocytes in the lesions take part in the development of all its forms. Manifestations: eosinophilic granuloma - looks like: whitish nodules or tubercles on the oral mucosa;
• linear intradermal thickenings on the body.

Photo gallery: manifestations of flea dermatitis in cats

baldness is a characteristic sign of flea dermatitis

eosinophilic granulomas look like intradermal thickenings in the shape of a line; eosinophilic plaques can merge to form continuous eroded surfaces

acute dermatitis caused by an allergy to flea bites; miliary dermatitis is represented by small erosions and crusts on the skin

Diagnosis of flea dermatitis

The diagnosis is made based on:

• detection of typical skin manifestations with signs of flea infestation (the presence of fleas or their excrement on the cat’s skin);
• studying scrapings from a cat's skin;
• histological examination of a skin sample - in some cases, to clarify the nature of the disease;
• general blood test - an increase in the content of eosinophils is typical; when allergic dermatitis is complicated by secondary microbial flora, leukocytosis will appear; when infected from fleas with hemobartonellosis or helminths, hemoglobin will decrease;
• skin allergy tests - are necessary in cases where signs of flea parasitism are not visually determined in a cat. Fleas can bite a cat periodically, without parasitizing on it and living in the external environment;
• the presence of positive dynamics in the course of the disease after the use of drugs that destroy fleas.

A cat owner can suspect the presence of flea dermatitis on his own, but examination by a veterinarian is necessary, since there are diseases that have similar symptoms:

• mite damage: sarcoptic mange;
• notoedrosis;
• demodicosis

When a cat is infested with fleas, dark flea excrement is detected in the cat's fur.

Destruction of fleas with the help of specialists

This method is the simplest, most reliable and convenient. Specialists will quickly treat your home from annoying fleas and provide a guarantee for the treatment. In addition, the poisons used by pest control services are safe for people and animals. The products used undergo mandatory certification, for which there are the necessary documents. But this method cannot be called cheap. The services of disinfectants will cost you a pretty penny, but will save you from lengthy and possibly futile attempts to remove fleas yourself. The equipment used by professionals is designed specifically for the destruction of parasites, and its high cost is justified by the same effectiveness.

It doesn't matter which method you use to get fleas out of your home. It is important to prevent their reappearance. Seal all cracks in the floor, check the animals periodically and carry out wet cleaning as often as possible. It would be useful to additionally treat the basement against rodents. Perhaps they became the primary cause of fleas in the house.

Treatment of flea dermatitis in cats

For the treatment of flea dermatitis, the following are used:

• Corticosteroids - in order to suppress the reaction of allergic inflammation, they are effective in 90% of cases of systemic use: Prednisolone;
• Dexamethasone;
• Hydrocortisone.

Photo gallery: drugs for the treatment of flea dermatitis

Prednisolone quickly relieves skin itching and reduces inflammation in flea dermatitis

Tsiprovet is prescribed for a short course of 5 days in the presence of bacterial complications

Tavegil suppresses the release of histamine from mast cells in immediate allergic reactions

The uniqueness of Advantage lies in the combination of insecticidal and repellent effects

Stronghold effectively destroys fleas at all phases of their development

Table: products used for external flea treatment

Means used internally

Flea control agents used internally:

• Comfortis tablets - the active ingredient is spinosad, which causes paralysis and death of fleas. The effect begins within half an hour after taking the tablet and lasts for 1 month. Not applicable during: pregnancy;
• lactation;
• under 14 weeks of age in kittens;
• epilepsy;
• individual hypersensitivity to the components of the product.

Traditional medicine

For flea dermatitis, the use of folk remedies is possible, but it is better to do this in combination with veterinary remedies to destroy skin parasites, as well as taking medications prescribed by a veterinarian. Folk remedies will improve the condition of the skin and coat and help get rid of some parasites, but it will not be possible to cure flea dermatitis using only folk remedies.

Traditional methods include bathing your pet in herbal infusions:

• capable of destroying a small number of parasites: wormwood;
• tansy.

Infusions for bathing are prepared:

1. Take 100 g of dry herb.
2. Add 2 liters of boiling water.
3. Leave for 30 minutes in a water bath.
4. Leave for 1 hour after removing from the water bath.
5. Strain the infusion.
6. Add water to the required volume for bathing.

To repel parasites, you can use a bag of dried wormwood or tansy grass, tied to the cat's collar.

Photo gallery: traditional medicine for the treatment of flea dermatitis:

You can wash your cat with tansy infusion to reduce the number of parasites

dry wormwood in a bag attached to a cat's collar can repel fleas

calendula infusion has a disinfecting effect on skin lesions and also reduces inflammation

Features when treating pregnant cats and kittens

The development of flea dermatitis in pregnant cats is very dangerous, since the severe disease requires the use of corticosteroids and antibiotics, which are contraindicated during pregnancy. In small kittens, flea dermatitis occurs extremely rarely before the age of 6 months, is represented by immediate reactions and usually indicates existing atopy, the extreme manifestation of which can be anaphylactic shock, which poses a direct threat to the life of the kitten. It is important to prevent flea attacks on pregnant cats and small kittens; if there is a flea infestation, it is necessary to treat the mother cat and babies with Frontline spray, which is approved for use in pregnant and lactating cats, as well as in kittens from 2 days of age.

How to rid your cat of fleas and prevent their appearance

It is necessary to act on fleas in a comprehensive manner, since fleas at different stages of development and in large quantities are kept in the room where an infected cat lives:

• All domestic animals with fur are subjected to simultaneous treatment for external parasites;
• in the future, animal protection is achieved by regular preventive use of insecticides, as well as repellents in any forms convenient for the owner for all pets;
• regular repeated wet cleaning of the floor and horizontal surfaces is carried out using solutions of Neostomozan or Ecocide;
• upholstered furniture, carpets, car interiors, cat beds are regularly vacuumed, reliably getting rid of the contents of the vacuum cleaner (it is better to burn), and you can also use a steam generator;
• prevent contact between pets and stray animals;
• Wash your hands thoroughly after contact with other people's pets to prevent the transfer of parasites to your cat.

Regular flea treatment with veterinary insecticides is used both for the treatment of flea dermatitis and for its prevention

Common sites of injury

Insects do not choose the human body as their permanent residence. Here the temperature for their existence is low. They are comfortable living in carpets, upholstered furniture, grass and soil. In these places they lay eggs and hatch larvae. They only bite people. If there is an animal nearby, the insects fix their gaze on it.

Fleas, if necessary, can live for about a year and a half without food. But under normal conditions they eat repeatedly and greedily, receiving nutrition from the human body. The process of blood absorption lasts from a minute to several hours. Not all the blood is digested; a large amount is released with feces, which further increases irritation of the child’s skin.

As a rule, bite marks are found on the legs, arms, face and stomach, that is, on uncovered areas of the body. Individuals do not penetrate clothing and do not bite through it. Fleas feel great in a child’s head, leaving bite marks and spots. This can lead to such serious diseases as hepatitis, brucellosis, and anthrax.

Not all insects are infected, but if they see a similar problem on the baby’s head, they get rid of it urgently.

First, make sure that there are fleas in the child’s hair. You need to be able to distinguish them from lice. These insects require different approaches to treatment, and blood-sucking parasites can be recognized by the following signs:

1. Fleas on children's heads are in constant motion; they do not stay in the hair part, but jump from one place to another, while lice live and lay eggs in the hair.
2. The first ones jump on the head, and the second ones crawl.
3. They are saved from lice by using special hair products and combing out nits. You won’t be able to get rid of fleas on children’s heads this way. Complete disinfection of the home, clothes and shoes, and pets is necessary.