Got Fleas?

So, a few weeks ago, Jill had to be in Jacksonville for 5 nights because Gianna was having sinus surgery.  She didn't want to leave all 5 dogs home with Wayne so she asked if I could watch two of them; Liloh the tiny Chihuahua, and Reeses, the puppy Dachshund.




Of course I said yes, even knowing that neither one is completely house trained and I'd be giving my steam cleaner a strenuous workout.  I love dogs and in this rental house we're not allowed to have one, so this would be fun, right? Wrong!!!!!!  Every time I turned around there was another puddle or pile and one time I even stepped on it and it stuck to my big toe.  I screamed and the girls and Jimmy just sat there pointing and laughing at me as I hobbled to the kitchen to spray Fantastik on my poor poopy toe. Disgusting!

Now Liloh is just a really ugly dog.  I mean, butt ugly and is even bald behind her ears and her entire tummy.  But she loves me and she adores cuddling, so I was never alone on my bed.  I'm used to this with my cats, but at least they don't try sticking their tongues in my mouth.  Liloh, on the other hand, thinks this is rip-roaring fun.  And her breath!  Someone pass that dog a Tic Tac!  

So anyway, one day as I watched tv and communed with Liloh, I noticed something brown scurrying under her very white and very sparse fur.  Flea? No, can't be!  Not in MY house, said me!  But it was!!!!!!!!!!  EEK!!!!!!!!!!!!
 I called Jill on her cell and blasted her!  "Your brought me your dogs with FLEAS on them?  Are you nuts?"  "No", she said, "They were just treated a week and a half ago.  The flea problem is coming from your house!"  But how could that be?  My three kitties are indoor cats. They're all clean and beautiful.  They would never allow a flea on their pristine fur.

So, the five long nights pass, and Jill  picks up Her Poopiness, Reeses, and Her Peepeeness, Liloh.  Ah, dogs gone, fleas gone, this is GREAT!  Until one day when I was laying on the bed with Poo and noticed a little brown thing scurrying under her white fur.  Oh nooooooooooooooooo!  Can't be!  Not on MY kitty!  But yes, she was INFESTED with them.
 What seemed like hundreds of tiny little blood suckers were crawling all over my beautiful Siamese.  Did Jill do this to me?  Well, at first I thought so, until I remembered that two months ago Poo had escaped the house and was missing for three days, before Jimmy found her on the golf course.  And it never crossed my mind to treat her for fleas.  I was just so happy to have her back!

So, in the tub she went.  If you've ever been around an angry Siamese, I don't have to describe the noises coming out of her.  Positively eerie!  But she got her bath and hated every second of it.  Dead fleas all over the bottom of the tub.  

Next came Zoe, my feisty three year old.  

She put up a valiant fight, believe you me, but in the end, Mom won and she too was clean and missing a few pounds of fleas.

Now it was poor Simmie's turn.  I say "poor" because Simmie hasn't been looking well and has lost a whole lot of weight recently.  My baby barely fought me at all which I knew was a bad sign and knew that a trip to the vet the very next day was in order.

She was a sweetheart while being examined, poked and prodded, and it turns out she's got a very hyperactive thyroid which now has to be treated with medication twice a day for the rest of her life.  It was actually a better diagnosis than it could have been, so you won't hear me complaining.  And while we were there she was given a pill called Capstar, which kills all the fleas within 30-45 minutes. More pills were taken home for Poo and Zoe, plus Revolution flea treatment.  All three kitties were treated and seem to be completely flea-free now.

But what about the house?  Well, I flea bombed it today, but nearly caused a self-inflicted tragedy on myself.
 I had all three cats, plus their litter box out in the truck with the car turned on.  Kids were outside waiting for me to set off the bombs.  Madison's room?  Check.  Close the door.  Mikayla's room?  Check.  Close the door.  Next it's off to my room, close the door.  Family room, done.  But then I realized I was barefoot and that I'd left my shoes in my room!  Egads, it was so foggy by now but I had to have my shoes!  So I quickly ran into the room and got them.  But then I realized I didn't have a paper I needed to drop off while we were out, and went looking for it in the kitchen.  Then suddenly, my vision went wonky and the room started to tilt!  I was so scared but I forced myself to run to the front door.  If you've never seen a 200+ pound woman running, I've gotta tell you, it's not pretty.  But at this point, vanity was out and survival was in!  I got outside and just plopped my ass down on the first available surface and gulped in fresh air.

Long story short, (okay, not so short) I was okay, the kids were okay, and the cats were meowing like crazy, but it seems like we are now FLEA FREE!!!!!!!!!!!  Got sheets and blankets tumbling around in the dryer and tomorrow will have to be a big vacuuming day.  Oh, the joys of having fuzzy critters in the house!  It sure makes life interesting!

Until next time, Justine :o )