Recent molecular research indicates fleas are capable of transmitting a typhus disease in humans called rickettsiosis. Symptoms are similar to murine typhus but less severe, and include headaches, chills, fever, vomiting and rash. Fleabites appear as a small central red spot surrounded by a red halo, usually without excessive swelling. They cause minor itching but can become increasingly irritating to people with sensitive skin, and some people and pets suffer from allergic dermatitis — intense itching, hair loss, reddening and secondary infection.
New, safer and more effective products aimed at controlling adult fleas on pets have made cat flea management without pesticide sprays, shampoos and dusts feasible in most situations. But managing fleas on pets has to go together with regular, thorough cleaning of pet resting areas indoors and out.
Once fleas infest a home, control requires a vigilant program: vacuuming, eliminating fleas on the pets, cleaning up and possibly treating shaded outdoor locations where pets rest. That's where we come in.
