Community identification
Cat Flea
Ctenocephalides felis
- Order & Family
- Siphonaptera: Pulicidae
- Size
- 1.5 to 3.3 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Domestic environments, carpets, bedding, and the fur of mammals
Diet & Feeding
Adults feed on the blood of mammals; larvae feed on organic debris and adult flea feces
Behavior Patterns
They are wingless, jump long distances, and adults spend most of their life on host animals to feed and lay eggs
Risks & Benefits
Potentially transmit tapeworms and diseases like murine typhus, and cause allergic dermatitis; no known ecosystem benefits except as a food source for some predators.