One of our readers recently wrote to us because he noticed some odd organisms in his house. He thinks these might be fleas. His message explained that he has been seeing “white pieces” on his carpet, but he isn’t able to determine if these pieces are moving or not. He is nervous because he knows that tapeworms can come from fleas. He said that he has been spraying and vacuuming every day. Finally, he mentioned he has two cats, which are probably the source if these are indeed fleas. He didn’t send us any photos or descriptions beyond the “white pieces.”

So, is our reader dealing with fleas? That is definitely a possibility. Especially if our reader is familiar with fleas and has a pet that could carry them (like a cat or a dog), which he does. The “white pieces” our reader mentioned could be flea eggs. Flea eggs are white and oval-shaped, measuring at about 0.5 mm long and 0.3 mm wide. So, although they are tiny, they are big enough to be seen without a microscope.

Without a photograph we can’t state with absolute certainty that he is dealing with fleas, but we think it is very likely based off of the information we do have. If this is the case, there are a few things he can do to. First and foremost our reader should take his cats to the vet as soon as possible to confirm that they have fleas and to explore treatment options. Some of these treatments include a combination of washing with flea shampoo, combing with a flea brush, using a prescription oral flea preventative or topical flea preventative. Our reader said that he has been vacuuming every day, which is definitely a good way to get rid of flea eggs. He should also wash his cat’s bedding, or other areas that they sleep on. As we mentioned above, the most important thing is that he takes his cats to the vet.

To conclude, one of our readers wrote to us about “white pieces” that could be flea eggs. We encourage him to take his pets to the vet and continue to clean to eliminate flea eggs in his home!

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