Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: annoyed
  • Music: Wicked, "Wonderful."

Putting poison on the cats.

So recently, I had an unwelcome house guest: an elderly black cat spent about a week and a half in the laundry room, waiting to be removed to its new home. There were a lot of very good reasons for the cat's presence, most of which I don't really want to go into. Lilly and Alice were fascinated by the interloper; Lilly wanted to kill it, while Alice wanted to PLAY PLAY PLAY. Behold the difference between "manic" and "temperamental," ladies and gentlemen. The cat was eventually removed, returning the house to its normal state...but a host's gift was kindly left behind.

We have fleas again.

This was discovered when I took Alice to the groomer on Saturday (she'd managed to develop belly mats, thanks to all my recent traveling, and I just wanted them gone so we could return to non-painful grooming). "Did you know you have fleas? Oh, the poor baby, she's just crawling with them."

As I'm sure you can imagine, I was...displeased. I fought a long, hard battle to get rid of the fleas last time this happened. Since Alice is a longhair and Lilly has a very dense, plush coat, it's possible for them to have fleas without my actually being able to see the signs. And since I brush both of them really regularly, they don't get as itchy as they might otherwise, so I don't get as much visible scratching. I went straight out and got flea medication, along with carpet powder and bedding spray. Then I came home and checked the calendar.

See, most flea treatments are given at one-month intervals, and I needed to be sure the second dose would come due after I got back from Australia. Today turned out to be the magical day. The day I poured poison on the cats.

Alice took it with good grace, because Alice sweats sedatives. Lilly was substantially more offended, and slunk off to glare at me for about twenty minutes. I don't care. THE FLEAS WILL DIE. Thus I swear.

Stupid fleas.
Tags: alice, cats, cranky blonde is cranky, lilly
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sheistheweather

August 11 2010, 02:30:10 UTC 6 years ago

Oh, ick. Mei-mei had them for awhile, and I got bit just as much as she did.

Yargh.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:38:59 UTC 6 years ago

I don't get bit much, thankfully.

sheistheweather

6 years ago

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beccastareyes

August 11 2010, 02:35:18 UTC 6 years ago

Poor kitties.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:39:09 UTC 6 years ago

Thankfully, the poison is working fast.

beccastareyes

6 years ago

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spiritdance

August 11 2010, 03:02:30 UTC 6 years ago

Hrm. There are a couple of the prescription meds that work very well (kill adults and eggs, so you can get rid of the infestation faster). At least one of those has on the label an extra dose in the first month (so you use a dose every 2 weeks for three doses); I tend to recommend that one when the problem is severe :)

I think you've got my phone number around, and I know you have my email if you have any questions :)

Meanwhile, have fun in Australia!

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:39:35 UTC 6 years ago

I've dosed them, and treated the carpet, bedding, and cat trees; things are already markedly better.

andpuff

August 11 2010, 03:26:11 UTC 6 years ago

Small world. We're buying flea poison tomorrow...

With nine indoor/outdoor cats, fleas are never entirely gone; we just try to keep them down to "no one, including us, is really bothered by them" and thank gods we don't have carpeting.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:40:03 UTC 6 years ago

I try to eliminate them whenever I can, just because of that coat density issue. Ugh. I hate fleas.

bigherman

August 11 2010, 03:40:21 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh, I feel ya. We gotta dose the dogs regular-like because they go on off-leash adventures several times a day. Mr. Kitty used to get them because he mostly lived outdoors (his choice, we let him in whenever he wanted but he preferred to sleep on the hottub, go figure). Either way, I'm verrry talented at pinching the heads off flea's when I catch 'em.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:40:13 UTC 6 years ago

Me, too!

Deleted comment

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:40:25 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh. I am so sorry.

ladyamber

August 11 2010, 03:47:43 UTC 6 years ago

My hubby and I cat-sat for a friend a few weeks ago, and... yup, same situation. And just after we'd killed another infestation. >.<

Simon and Sierra are currently on their second dose of the flea poison; maybe this time, the damn things will stay dead.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:40:35 UTC 6 years ago

One can hope.

catnip13

August 11 2010, 04:37:51 UTC 6 years ago

You may want to talk to your vet about following that flea treatment with a wormer just in case. As I'm sure you know, fleas can carry intestinal parasites. Drontal is what I get for my kids when it's needed.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:40:56 UTC 6 years ago

Oh, yes. I know. I'll have them checked for worms when they go for their well-cat exams.

kippurbird

August 11 2010, 04:47:50 UTC 6 years ago

I came back from vacation one time and Chaucer was full of fleas. I don't even know where he got them from. It was the worst night of my life because I couldn't sleep on the couch while he was in my room crying because I wasn't in bed with him. (Plus the couch wasn't at all comfortable) Ended up completely covered in bites.

I completely understand exactly what you are going through and hope they die quickly.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:41:08 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh. I am so sorry.

kippurbird

6 years ago

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slothman

August 11 2010, 04:54:00 UTC 6 years ago

Cleo and Yeti are also not fond of being turned into flea death that walks on four paws but Advantage does a fine job with them. (Also good to have the kind that kills heartworm larvae, just in case a mosquito gets in and bites them.)

muddlewait

August 12 2010, 01:11:53 UTC 6 years ago

Advantage is truly awesome and terrifying in its power.

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

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archangelbeth

August 11 2010, 04:55:30 UTC 6 years ago

Good luck! (Vacuuming up the eggsies and larva is also useful, I've found in the past...)

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:41:26 UTC 6 years ago

Oh, yes.

aryana_filker

August 11 2010, 05:16:52 UTC 6 years ago

Urgh, fleas. Kill them, kill them all! Whatever god invented fleas, let them go to hell. When Moony moved in, she was crawling, too, so we put a spot-on on both cats. It worked. Phew. Hope your medication is working, too-

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:41:37 UTC 6 years ago

It is, for which I am thankful.

aryana_filker

6 years ago

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branna

August 11 2010, 05:54:22 UTC 6 years ago

Oh ycch. Much sympathy. But at least it sounds like the fleas hadn't moved on to munching on _you_ yet.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:42:10 UTC 6 years ago

I don't seem to taste very good, oddly.

lisa_marli

August 11 2010, 06:04:58 UTC 6 years ago Edited:  August 11 2010, 06:05:32 UTC

Argh, flees. I hope you get rid of them soonest.
Their bites get to me, and just walking outside, I have bites on my ankles that itch like crazy. And this is the first year in some that I've been bitten. Most annoying.
My daughter's cats like to wander outside, so they've learned to take their flee medicine to keep the inside flee free.
And I appreciate it.
I would actually bathe my cats to clean them up. My long hair actually liked it. Though one of the short hairs was actually the most sensitive. The piteous wails as I bathed her would actually make me giggle. She did sound like I was murdering her. But then she would stop itching for days, so it was helpful.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:56:37 UTC 6 years ago

I think Lilly would rip my face off my skull if I tried that.

bardling

August 11 2010, 06:57:53 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh, fleas, yuck.

Hope it works well, gets rid of them all and first time!

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:56:46 UTC 6 years ago

It seems to be working!

bardling

6 years ago

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naurwen

August 11 2010, 07:10:15 UTC 6 years ago

blargh @ fleas!
seems as if the now removed cat has had its revenge... :/ hey, maybe the whole thing was planned, maybe that cat works for the fleas.
ok, it's too early in the morning and i haven't had my coffee yet... *crawls off*

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:56:57 UTC 6 years ago

Horrible old cat. :(

lalajia

August 11 2010, 07:25:45 UTC 6 years ago

Good for you looking after the elderly black cat - I'm just sorry that no good deed goes unpunished :(

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:57:04 UTC 6 years ago

As are my girls!

bobmage

August 11 2010, 07:36:18 UTC 6 years ago

I recall garlic as a good flea repellent - but you have to get the cats to accept garlic powder on their food, and too much will cause intestinal upset. (I recommend asking a vet before trying this.)
However, if the fleas are biting you, you can take a couple garlic pills each day, and maybe they will stay away.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:57:33 UTC 6 years ago

That explains why they don't like me...

madfilkentist

August 11 2010, 10:19:55 UTC 6 years ago

You have to keep after them. As the Bible says, you get "the wicked flea where no one pursueth." Or something like that.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 19:57:40 UTC 6 years ago

Sadly true.

aliciaaudrey

August 11 2010, 11:33:12 UTC 6 years ago

My parents fight an unending battle with fleas. They live in the woods in New Hampshire. They have two small Yorkshire Terriers (by "Small" read "less than six pounds each") that play in the grass. The cats don't go outside, but the dogs bring the fleas in. They're pre-treated, so the fleas don't bite THEM. However, the 'rentals don't treat the *cats* because they don't go outside. So the cats get fleas.

They have a very tiny gray cat who does not take flea treatment well. My parents treat her with dial, which is apparently what shelters use on kittens.

Good luck winning the Battle of the Flea.

seanan_mcguire

August 13 2010, 20:04:13 UTC 6 years ago

I fight with honor.

bearhand

August 11 2010, 12:07:49 UTC 6 years ago

Did you know that there was a time (especially in 1600's France) that lovers would give each other flea cages that they would wear against their skin. The fleas would feed off their blood, the cages would be swapped, allowed to feed. Supposedly it was 'romantic' to allow a parasite to share you and your lovers blood.

People have been nuts throughout history and that makes me happy.

mariadkins

August 11 2010, 13:23:30 UTC 6 years ago

now that's a special kind of awesome!!

lastwordy_mcgee

6 years ago

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seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

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lastwordy_mcgee

August 11 2010, 14:18:57 UTC 6 years ago

It's everywhere. We're fighting the battle with two dogs and four cats. Our entire neighborhood is infested with fleas. Winter can't come fast enough.

seanan_mcguire

August 16 2010, 15:12:11 UTC 6 years ago

Ugh. I am so sorry.

allaboutm_e

August 11 2010, 16:14:38 UTC 6 years ago

Death to the fleas!

seanan_mcguire

August 16 2010, 15:12:18 UTC 6 years ago

YES.

ladymondegreen

August 11 2010, 16:29:35 UTC 6 years ago

Bleah. Poor kitten-nieces. I'm sorry you have to go through this again.

seanan_mcguire

August 16 2010, 15:12:28 UTC 6 years ago

Believe me, us too.

faithfulcynic

August 11 2010, 16:41:28 UTC 6 years ago

That really sucks. Getting rid of the flea infestation on my cat (and house) had was one of the worst experiences I've ever had as a pet owner. I hope you have a quick flea execution!

seanan_mcguire

August 16 2010, 15:12:42 UTC 6 years ago

It seems to be working, for which I am thankful.
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