There are many pests that feed on blood and don’t care where that meal comes from. Mosquitoes and fleas are just two of these. These pests will feast on humans and their pets without showing a real preference. Due to this, when a person discovers bed bugs in their home that they share with a pet, they are often concerned that their pet will also suffer. Additionally, they also worry that bed bugs will attach to their pet, and travel around on them like fleas.
This is not the case. Bed bugs like blood but most bed bugs, and certainly the type most commonly seen in homes, prefer human blood specifically. They may bite a cat or dog that’s sitting on a chair or lying on the floor, but they will not attach to them. Bed bugs also don’t typically mean to bite animals, because they are covered in fur. Biting humans provides them much easier access to the meal they are looking for. A pet cannot ‘have bed bugs’ in the same way they can ‘have fleas.’
That being said, pets don’t know to refrain from scratching their bed bug bites the same way humans do. They can also suffer from similar infections if they do scratch an area with a bite excessively. For this reason, if you think your pet is suffering from bed bug bites and are concerned about complications, you should take them to a vet to discuss your worries. A veterinarian may be able to prescribe something to help with the itching, and keep your pet more comfortable.
