What Do You Know About Pets and Pests?

By: Dr Gareth Evans - Updated: 10 Jan 2013 | *Discuss

 

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Much as many of us love having their companionship, unfortunately pets can sometimes bring rather more little friends into your life than you’d bargained for – or really want in your home! Keeping your pets pest-free is like most of the rest of pest control; it calls for vigilance and swift action if necessary. That’s all very well, of course, if you’re clued up on what you’re looking for – so what do you know about pets and pests? Why not try our quick quiz to help you find out?

The answers are at the bottom – so good luck!

1. Which kind of flea most commonly infests Britain’s dogs?

• a) Cat Flea.
• b) Dog Flea.
• c) Human Flea.

2. What appears to be a wriggling grain of white rice is stuck to your cat’s tail after it’s finished its toilet business; what are you really looking at?

• a) A roundworm.
• b) Part of a tapeworm.
• c) A tick.

3. What sort of pest causes mange?

• a) A mite.
• b) A worm.
• c) A fungus.

4. Your vet tells you that your pet has ringworm, but just what is it?

• a) A mite.
• b) A worm.
• c) A fungus.

5. Why do ticks often take a while to be noticed?

• a) They are almost transparent when young and only darken up as they get older.
• b) They only become noticeable when they have started to feed and their bodies swell.
• c) They run very quickly through fur and so are hard to spot.

6. How much blood can a cat flea drink?

• a) 5 times its own body weight.
• b) 15 times its own body weight.
• c) 50 times its own body weight.

7. Pests can be spread in strange ways – but which one of these is actually true?

• a) Feeding your dog stale bread can give it roundworms.
• b) Woodlice carry hamster lice.
• c) Flea bites can spread tapeworms.

8. How far can fleas jump?

• a) 15 times their body length.
• b) 50 times their body length.
• c) 150 times their body length.

9. Which word best describes most pet pests?

• a) Anthracite.
• b) Malachite.
• c) Parasite.

10. People often talk about the danger of worms in dog poo, but what is the name of the condition they can cause?

• a) Toxocariasis.
• b) Tansy.
• c) Toclafane.

Answers

2. b) it’s part of a tapeworm and it’s full of eggs to give rise to a whole new generation. Time to see the vet and get those worming tablets!

3. a) mange is caused by mites.

4. c) despite the name, ringworm is actually caused by a fungus.

5. b) ticks only become really noticeable once they have fed for a while and their bodies have begun to swell; before that they are often very hard to spot, especially if your pet has medium or long fur.

6. b) a single cat flea can drink a staggering 15 times its own body weight of your pet’s blood before it’s full!

7. c) a bite from a flea that has itself been infected with tapeworm larvae is a surprisingly common way for your pet to get a tapeworm; woodlice and stale bread, by contrast, pose no threat!

8. c) fleas can jump an incredible 150 times their own body length; a human would have to clear over 800 feet to equal this feat of insect athletics.

9. c) it’s parasite; anthracite’s a kind of coal and malachite is a greenish copper-containing mineral (and give yourself a BONUS POINT for EACH, if you knew that already!)

10.a) Toxocariasis; tansy is a plant with naturally insecticidal properties, while Toclafane is a made-up name from Dr Who (more BONUS POINTS for EACH here too.)

How Did You Do?

• 14 – Purr-fect!
• 10 to 13 – Furry good!
• 4 to 9 – Cold nose!
• 0 to 3 – In the dog house!

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