The two most common species of fleas that are pests of man and domestic pets are the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, and the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis. Pest management professionals are much more likely to encounter the cat flea (regardless whether pet is a dog or cat) than the dog flea as the dog flea tends to infest wild hosts
instead of domestic pets.

Cat fleas are wingless small insects approximately 1 /16 of an inch long. Their bodies are flattened from side to side, allowing for easy movement between fur and hair. Fleas are blood sucking external parasites of warm-blooded animals. Both male and female adult fleas feed exclusively on blood. Fleas have complete metamorphosis which means their larvae and adults look very different and they have a pupal stage. While the adults spend most of their lives on animals, the three other stages live elsewhere. The eggs, larva (small and wormlike) and pupae all develop in areas such as carpets, rugs, furniture, in floor cracks and crevices, along baseboards and other areas that the pet or pets frequent. On the outside of structures they develop in shaded areas that are frequented by the host. The eggs and pupal cases tend to be very resistant to pesticides, thus chemical control is targeted at the larval and adult stages.