Woe is Flea

I tried really hard to be a good sport, to not worry or freak out. I took in CallaLilly and her five kittens knowing they had fleas. I thought I did my best to contain them. Today I took three of my cats to the Vet. Two of the three had flea dirt on them. Needless to say, I am not thrilled.

I initially brought Gracie in for a check up since she's not getting any better. It's been TEN MONTHS and her rash still flares up, her skin itches. I'm suddenly wondering if this entire time she's had a serious allergy to flea bites, since it DOES cause miliary dermatitis in some cats. We didn't see fleas on Gracie, but we DID on her daughter, Petunia (well, just dirt, nothing living). We may have accidently stumbled upon a solution for a cure. Advantage for the next three months and a low dose steroid/antihistimine (more on that in a future post).

Dr. Larry looked at Petunia. Lauren combed her and sure enough, flea dirt. Not a lot. Not a tragic amount, but Petunia also has a ring of scabs around her neck, a sure sign of being bitten recently. F-ck. My heart sank. I didn't even want to look at Sam. I waited for the lecture about having too many foster cats and too many cats and this is what happens. One cat gets fleas, they all get it. What is the source? Hard to say.

It's quite possible that the cats got fleas from:
1. Gracie catching mice (about once a year)
2. Bob, Nicky, Spencer and Gracie hanging out on the deck-even though
they don't go on the grass or near the woods. They're a good sixteen feet off the ground, BUT the damn squirrels and raccoons visit on the deck, too. Guess what they could have left behind?
3. Foster cats-cross contamination. Fleas that weren't caught on a litter about 10 months ago when Gracie first got sick.

Then it was Nora's turn. First, she gained the pound we got her to lose. I've had a nightmare lately, trying to get everyone to eat their food. They pick, then run off. Gracie is timid so she's the worst to get fed unless it's grain free dry food, which I only give them as a last resort. Now Gracie's LOST a pound and in only a few months. This is very bad. I'm about to throw my hands in the air and just let them eat whatever they want. I just ordered another $300.00 of cat food that they will pick at. Why bother? I'm so frustrated and fed up (pardon the pun).

Nora had flea dirt. Wasn't hart to see, either. All over. Great. Nora also is in dire need of a dental, which is why she's probably doing this weird rapid-fire sneezing. She doesn't have a URI. It may be triggered by her painful, bleeding gums or a tooth problem.

So after getting the lecture and feeling like I was going to cry, we got Advantage on the cats and bought enough extra to give to all the cats at home. I started to think about how much cleaning I'd have to do-like strip the bedding, vacuum the house, the cat beds, under everything, the bed, itself. Then I'd do a light coating of the poisonous flea spray on the bedding for everyone-the carpets (thank God I don't have wall-to-wall), my OFFICE which has more cat beds than flooring. Then there was the mountain of stuff that would have to be laundered. My heart sank. There goes my day.

Sam was really good about it. He could have pointed a finger at me, but he kept his cool. I bought him a fancy sandwich at the Artisan Food Shop in Southbury. It wasn't much, but it was all I could offer other than saying I was worry even if it wasn't my fault. We drove home in silence, other than Nora occasionally crying. I told her it was going to be OKAY. That we would be home soon. I wish someone would tell me it's going to be okay.

It's not.

We got home, ate, then grabbed the Advantage. I put some on Bob, no problem. Got Nicky, too. I parted the fur on Spencer's neck and there was either a flea or flea dirt right where I parted the fur. How I never saw it on his pure white coat, I don't know. Spencer likes to sleep ON my PILLOW right NEXT TO MY FACE. I just read that fleas will make a home in humans hair. I'm freaked out. Am I gonna have lice now, too???

By Some miracle, Sam was able to get Advantage on Cricket. He's a former feral, but he's not one you can ever pill or get into a cat carrier. Sam said he did it so fast that Cricket didn't have enough time to freak out about being messed with. So, all the cats are treated. Now we wait for the stuff to work. I'm thinking I have to bar them from the bedroom tonight, which will be impossible. They'll just pitch a fit and rip on the door until they blow a hole in it. So why bother. I might as well get some Lice Off or whatever they call it because Spencer is going to sleep on my head.

I'm on the third load of laundry. The new dryer has decided that the big comforter shouldn't dry because it must be blocking the vent with its' bulk. The alarm keeps going off saying the empty the dryer filter, but it's empty. I went up to fix it three times. I blew my lid. I'm so done. This is after spending the past six hours cleaning the house and breathing in fumes from the flea spray. On top of it, I'm riddled with guilt for forcing Huggy Bear to wear an e-collar and stay confined to a dog crate for the next week! Yeah..she's got EAR MITES. Fun.

It's Friday. 8pm EST. I should make dinner, but I'm too tired. I keep hearing the dryer alarm go off, then silence. Sam is doing something to it, I think, but since the dryer isn't RUNNING, I fear he doesn't want to tell me it's broken and we'll have to find a laundromat next.

I know it could always be so much worse. We didn't even SEE one flea, dead or alive. It's a good thing. I'm trying to stay positive. This could have been percolating for months. It could have come in on stuff we brought in from my Mother's estate last year since she NEVER did anything for Bob and he basically LIVED outdoors. Who knows. We will never know. We just need to make sure we don't end up having a flea infestation.

I need a glass of wine. I think the taste will blend nicely with the chemical burn in my throat.