Fleas are a common and important external parasite of dogs and cats. The most common flea species infesting dogs and cats in North America and in many areas of the world is Ctenocephalides felis felis, the cat flea. Cat fleas are voracious blood feeders consuming up to 15 times their body weight in blood daily and female fleas use that blood to produce up to twice their bodyweight in eggs daily. So it does not take long before a flea infestation can get completely out of hand. These fleas can cause allergic skin disease (FAD), produce anemia through their blood feeding activities, and transmit tapeworms and bacterial pathogens.  It is therefore important for the health and well-being of our pets that we control these harmful parasites.