The last couple months of 2010, our cat developed a problem with fleas. And as much as we love a good flea market, we’re not fans of the wee bugs. We were getting bitten ourselves, and the poor kitty was constantly scratching. This was despite the fact that we’d been reasonably good about applying Frontline, the preventive stuff that’s supposed to keep them away.
Toes, a noble beast who deserves to be pest-free.
We were reluctant to, as they say, "bomb" the house. We’ve done it before, but it didn’t feel right. Who wants to spray pesticides around the living room? Yet one might be tempted to unleash weaponry, upon reading about the life cycle of the flea and the rate at which it reproduces. Not to mention the fact that flea eggs are distressingly easy to spot with the naked eye.
Mr. Green Scene, a crack researcher, devised and executed a non-chemical strategy. Namely, vacuum all the time (that was the easy part) and bathe the cat. And guess what? It actually worked. We’ve been without fleas now for weeks. Knock on wood.
Our cat, who’s a total star, submitted to the bath with virtually no protest. Our theory is that she could feel how much it was helping–once she was submerged up to her neck, the fleas would crawl upward to avoid drowning and be quickly combed off her. I realize this experience would be totally unacceptable to many cats. But, if you have a flea problem, it might be worth a try. We were shocked at how well Toes took it.
Anyway, I’m really glad we didn’t have to go for the napalm–especially because after using flea bombs, you still have to vacuum like crazy.
Anyone else had this experience?