Adult fleas are less than half a centimeter in length, brownish in colour, without wings, but with powerful legs adapted for jumping and piercing. Their bodies are covered with backward projecting spines that assist them in moving amongst host hairs of cats and dogs. Cat and dog fleas look very similar and should be treated as a general pests. Female fleas can live up to two years, during which time they can lay up to 1000 eggs each. The female cat fleas head is twice as long as it is wide. Both cat and dog fleas have a row of very heavy spines on the front of the head and on the back part of the first body segment. Cat and dog flea larvae are half a centimetre long when fully developed and look much like fly maggots. They have 13 body segments, are a dirty-white colour with backward projecting hairs on each body segment. They also have a pair of hook-like appendages on the last abdominal segment.