A total of 3,382 cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), was taken from 164 of the 200 stray cats examined. It was observed that cat fleas preferred specific areas on the cat. A significantly higher mean number of fleas was found on the area of head plus neck than on the ventral part of the body. More specifically, the mean number of fleas was highest on both of the neck and dorsal areas. However, in terms of the density of fleas, the neck had more fleas than the dorsal area did. The fewest fleas were found infesting the legs and tail. Distribution of fleas on the cat may well be explained by the various grooming patterns of the cat, and the knowledge of flea distribution may be valuable for application of on-animal flea control procedures.
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1 July 2002
Distribution of Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) on the Cat
Meng-Hao Hsu,
Tung-Ching Hsu,
Wen-Jer Wu
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Journal of Medical Entomology
Vol. 39 • No. 4
July 2002
Vol. 39 • No. 4
July 2002
cat flea
Ctenocephalides felis
grooming behavior
on-animal control
on-host distribution