I knew the cats were itchy. I was a little itchy, too, and for two days, I thought it was allergies. Huck was especially miserable, scratching and grooming almost all the time, and I ran a lint roller over him, just in case.
It collected a fine crop of fleas, some still twitching.
After consultation with the vet, last night they got the approved treatment, and as of this morning, everyone is doing better, even me. There's rather a lot of vacuuming and laundry in my immediate future, though. I don't know where they came from; Tam and I both take long walks; many of mine in the open fields of the North Campus at work. We've both done yard work and since she likes to take a long lunch and write at nearby eateries, she meets a lot of people's dogs. And both of us have been keeping screened windows slightly cracked on cool days and nights, where long-haired Holden Wu likes to nap. Any of those things could have let fleas get in.
Rx, if you have a rooms with wall-to-wall carpet, you can sprinkle Borax on the carpet, and vacuum vigorously to work it down into the carpet base, where it will kill off the nits and larval fleas. You have to be very careful and diligent in the vacuuming, since the borax is poisonous to cats and many other animals.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I have no carpet. I dislike it, and fleas are one reason why.
ReplyDeleteBack in an earlier life, I did apartment maintenance along with a TV station co-worker (we both worked the evening shift at the station). First thing we would do in an empty apartment was spray bleach throughout the bathroom and fridge, hose down the stove parts with oven cleaner, and leave. The next day, fridge parts, drip pans, and outlet/switch plates went in the dishwasher, and we would start painting. That second day, we were in the apartment five minutes when we felt something on our legs (it was summer and we were wearing shorts). Fleas! Aaaugh! We ran out of there and made sure our clothes were clear of bugs before we did anything else. The apartment was bug-bombed before we returned. With the added threat of bedbugs, I don't think I would want that kinds of job anymore; fortunately, my broadcast work is doing enough these days to pay all the bills.
ReplyDeleteWe too have eliminated carpet from our home, just a few throw rugs where they make sense.