What Size Are Cat Fleas?
WouterA cat flea’s life cycle begins when it lays eggs. These eggs are white, oval, and 0.5 millimeters long. They can lay up to four hundred eggs in their lifetime. The eggs are laid on the host cat’s hair and bedding materials. The eggs usually fall off after one to two days. The larvae emerge from the eggs, feeding on the dried fecal material from the adult flea.
Adult cat fleas measure about one eighth of an inch and are brownish black in color. The females have disproportionately small heads and a body twice as long as it is tall, and they have six legs. The eggs of a flea are only 1/64 of an inch long (less than 0.5 millimeters), so you may not be able to see them easily.
Adult fleas are hard to see. They do not move much, but once they find a suitable host, they will remain there until they find a blood source. Female fleas will then lay their eggs on the host. Fleas are true insects, and their bodies are composed of three segments. The first part of their mouth is a narrow, petal-shaped body. The third segment is a narrow, snout-like body.
When a flea has hatched, it will live for approximately one hundred days. Once it emerges from its cocoon, it will search for a blood meal on the second day. In some cases, it can survive for months on stored body fat.
