Karen bruce asked 5 years ago
I looked after my mums cat around 12weeks ago and now im getting bitten and seeing the odd flea in my home are they from when i had the cat and when will they die
Adam Retzer Staff answered 5 years ago
The fleas are most likely from when you had the cat. After the host (cat) is removed, most infestations end after around 8 weeks. However, some adults can stay inside their cocoons and enter a quiescent (sleep-like) state for up to 5 months.
Heat and pressure, indicating a host, will cause pre-emerged adults to wake up and emerge. Vacuuming is a good way to simulate these host cues and force earlier emergence.
You may want to get a flea trap in order to catch some fleas and determine the species. Most species can’t survive and reproduce on human blood. However, P. irritans (human fleas) can. See our page on how to identify human fleas.
Warm regards,
Adam
