Fleas pose a risk to pets, families

Dear Uncle Matty: My husband doesn't seem to be concerned that our cat has fleas. Tinker spends a lot of time in the house, and I'm worried about our two children and the flea problem. Our dog stays outside most of the time, but I see him scratching a lot.

Should I just forget about it and quit arguing with my husband, or is this problem really serious? —P. Rodriguez, Phoenix

Dear P: Fleas are voracious blood suckers that multiply so fast you couldn't even keep up with the count. An infestation on a pet's body is unbearable, and eventually, the poor animal is consumed by scratching, misery and pain. The adult female flea ingests as much as 14 or more times its weight in blood and delivers as many as 150,000 offspring in eight weeks.

It takes only a few days for larvae to hatch, and then soon, a whole new crop of blood suckers goes to work — jobs that last as long as seven or eight months as they blood-suck constantly and drive pets crazy.

If you found one flea on your cat, there are no doubt thousands more hiding out in your cat's fur and in your carpet and furniture. "Telltail" signs are little black flecks on your pet's skin and in other areas around the house, especially where your pet sleeps. Some people think these are dead fleas, but those specks are actually dried blood. And yes, you should be concerned about the health of your children, your pets and yourself.

Fleas are not harmless. They carry disease and can cause serious problems like fever, anemia, fatigue, flea allergies and even tapeworm. Some people are not allergic to fleas and their bites, but many, many others are. Walking into a home that is a host to fleas can be miserable for someone who is allergic to these parasites.

Although it is extremely rare, fleas have been known to carry the bubonic plague to humans and pets, as reported in the mid-'90s by the Centers for Disease Control. These incidents occurred in your part of the country — in Arizona, New Mexico and California, as well as the Pacific Northwest.

There is a "cat flea" and a "dog flea," and both types can plague dogs and cats, as well as humans, other mammals and our fine-feathered friends. If you have pets, getting an infestation of fleas is easy. Getting the fleas to flee is extremely difficult, time-consuming and necessary for the health of your pets and your family.

Every pet household should deal with flea prevention, and should these horrible little pests start to take up residence on your cat or dog, you need to remedy the situation right away. Prevention begins with vacuuming your floors and furniture at least two or three times a week. That means all floors — carpeted and solid surface.