Cats and dogs spend a great deal of time outside and in the garden. Cats are able to go further afield as they have free run once they are out of the house. Dogs on the other hand can be contained within the garden but if your dog is anything like mine then they will enjoy a nice long walk. It is at times like this that your pet may be bringing pests into the house.
Table of Contents
What pests could my pet bring into the house?
Depending on the nature of your pet, this could be where your pet may bring in a pest on purpose or of course there could be the unfortunate accidents. The two main common pest problems that your pet is likely to bring into the home are rodents and fleas to which I will go into more detail.
How Fleas end up in your home
There are several ways that fleas can end up in your home. A common occurrence is visitors to the garden introducing them and then transmitting them onto your pet. Foxes are known to carry a flea infestation on them. If they are regular visitors to your garden, then the fleas may be introduced to overgrown areas and long grass. Then jump on to a new food source, that being your cat or dog. This can be even worse if the foxes have set up a den in your garden which often happens. An old shed or a space that you are unable to get to make a great place for a vixen to have her cubs.
Your pet may then be the host and introduce the fleas to your home. It is recommended that your pet is kept in date with a regular flea treatment as this will help to reduce the chance of your pet bringing fleas in. That said it won’t guarantee they will pick them up but with any luck the flea will be on and off before the pet comes in.
Other Ways a Flea Can End Up in Your Home
Dogs are very sociable creatures, they like to mix with other dogs, well in most cases anyway. It can be during this period of dogs sniffing each other or playing with each other whilst out on a walk that the transmission of fleas may occur. Fleas are always active and will happily jump from one animal to another in the search for food. Before you know it, your dog is at home with the new visitors.
If a flea feeds on your pet, they will normally jump off and then go and lay some eggs. This is normally done at the edge of a room at the skirting board. The eggs are impenetrable and hatch when they know a food source is available. They detect heat vibration and movement, which is a sign that food will be accessible. Once hatched the process starts again and an infestation is created.
Cats Bring in Their Catch
The second most common pests to be brought into the house by a pet must be a rodent. It is in the DNA for a cat to hunt. Some cats hunt and eat their prey, others hunt and bring their catch to you to show how well they did. The only issue with this is when the rat or mouse is not dead. Some cats like to have a play with their catch, and this is where the problems can arise.
They will release their catch to then catch it again, but things may go wrong, or the cat sometimes gets bored of the game and so lets it go, or it escapes. Either way you have a rodent on the run in your house. This is going to be a difficult one to deal with if you are unaware, it has happened as it may take a little while for the problem to show itself.
What Can Be Done to Reduce the Chances Of Pests In The House
From the two common pest issues discussed above, there are a few things that can be done. There is no guarantee that this will stop the problems but may help. By controlling cats’ entry into your home, you can stop them bringing mice into your home. You will know yourself if your cat is a natural hunter. Some cats don’t have the temperament to hunt for rodents.
Keeping the grass short by regular cuts will reduce flea activity. Naturally if you have a fox den in the garden then moving them on using disruption will reduce the chance of getting fleas in the garden. Cut grass, regular flea treatments controlling the entry of pet house keeping
What Should I Do If My Pet Does Bring in Pests?
If you are finding fleas in your property, there is some self help you can carry out to help the situation. If you get the flea infestation early enough, by giving the skirting areas a good hoovering you may be able to catch the outbreak early enough. You must empty the hoover in an outside bin. If this does not work, then we strongly recommend you get a quote for a fumigation treatment from a professional pest controller. This will give you an idea of cost before you start buying lots of expensive self-help aerosol sprays.
If it’s a runaway mouse in the house, then your usual trapping or baiting are available. Remembering that the mouse is a visitor to the house and does not know how to get out so will be scared and need food. There is also the fact that the pet that brought it in would be roaming the area. A professional pest control company can help with this type of problem by carrying out a treatment.
Read also: 6 Effective Pest Control Tips for New Homeowners