Question: what is the worst that a flea can do to a human and a cat?
ANSWER The Oriental Rat flea is the primary vector of bubonic plague. It transmits the disease from rat to rat and from rat to human. Other species of fleas have also been found to transmit the plague. In the American southwest, ground squirrels and chipmunks can be reservoirs of the plague. Fleas transmit the plague between animals. Humans are said to be most at risk in parks and campgrounds.
Several species of flea, including the cat flea, have been found to be vectyors of Murine Typhus. Cat fleas have also been implicated in the transmission of the bacteria that causes Cat Scratch disease in humans. The cat flea is the most common flea pest of cats, dogs, and humans.
The cat flea can also transmit several species of tapeworm to dogs, cats, and occasionally to children.
Besides diseases, fleas cause flea bite dermatitis, most commonly in cats and dogs that are allergic. Heavy infestations of fleas can cause iron deficiency and anemia in animals, especially in young animals.
