Can cat fleas fly?

The cat flea cannot fly. However, they have an astonishing ability to jump relatively great distances which gives the impression they can fly.

The flea’s hind legs are long. They provide massive leverage. The flea is in the premier league of the world’s jumpers. According to Wikipedia only the froghopper is a superior jumper. If humans had the same jumping ability as cat fleas they’d be able to jump horizontally over 900 feet on my calculation.



To those of us who have caught and killed fleas by hand, you’ll know how quick the flea can jump and how difficult it is to track a jumping flea. I regard myself as an expert in catching fleas but don’t get the wrong impression. There are no cat fleas on my cat or in my home as at the date of this post.

A flea can jump 7 inches vertically and up to 13 inches horizontally apparently. I beg to differ. My experiences with fleas tell me that this parasite can jump higher than 7 inches.

When you have tracked one down crush it between thumbnail and flea comb. They go pop! It is pleasurable. The cat flea serves no useful purpose as far as I can tell and have no place on the planet.




2 thoughts on “Can cat fleas fly?”

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