I Don't Have Fleas!



In my apartment building, some of us were a bit aggravated to hear a flea problem exists. For those of us who are clean about ourselves, our homes and our pets, we did not take kindly to this report from the manager. For those of us that consider it a priviledge to have pets, we use common sense and use flea control for our animals. However, there are those who do not think flea treatment is important as long as their pets never go outside. May I submit to you that this is a myth. It only takes one inconsiderate pet owner's refusal to treat their pet that we'll all have to bear the consequences.

The biggest part of the problem is people know so little about fleas. Fleas live on blood from humans and animals. The female can produce hundreds of eggs. Fleas season in this region normally runs from June through December with September being the busiest month. They need a minimum of seventy degrees or better to thrive. Remember, these little critters can jump and get away from you quicker than you can fart!

I have found powders, sprays and collars absolutely temporary to outright useless. You can try these but the problem is that these do not last long or they lack strenth. Understand, for any treatment to work, that flea must bite into the treated skin thus ingesting the solution. For those of you that sware your pet has no fleas, try giving Spot or Fluffy a dose of Capstar. This is a oral treatment (pill) that is effective within fifteen minutes of administration. Then lay a white towel on your lap. Place the pet on the towel (provided the pet is small enough for your lap or that you are big enough for your pet). Then watch those fleas drop dead before your very eyes and go tell everyone that your pet has no fleas. Capstar is only good for twenty four hours. Or part the hair of your pet to find what looks like pepper (flea dust). Smear some of this on a damp, preferably white, paper towel. If it looks like a brown smudge, then Spot or Fluffy has dern fleas.

If you want an longer lasting flea treatment, try Frontline, also highly recommended by veterinarians. Not only does Frontline protect from fleas, rather it protects from ear mites and worms. What's more, this treatment is very effective for thirty days. This is a topical treatment administered at the base of the animal's head. It is important to administer this medication in this location to prevent the animal from licking off the treatment as it could cause the animal to foam at the mouth or make it sick. Warning! Avoid cheap topical flea treaments as veterinarians have warned that the cheaper versions are causing convulsions in the animal. My vet gave me personal accounts of cats in his clinic having to be placed on i.v.'s due to these convulsions. Purchase safe and effectie flea treatment from your vet. Don't underestimate your vet's advice as they are licensed by your state and have the education to advise you how to care for your pet. If you rarely take your pet to it's vet, then I feel sorry for the poor animal.

Moo, Teddy Bear, and myself do not appreciate our neighbors bringing in fleas when their untreated animals are outside. We sit here and wonder about people not taking care of this nuisance. We do not want their problem. I wonder about them. If they are willing to live with a flea bitten pet, it is untelling what else they are willing to live with. We have a nice building in which to live and we want to keep it this way. Some of residents should never be allowed to have a pet and here are just a few of the testimonies as to why this should not be.

One gentleman here has a little dog that, sad to say, smells as bad as a road kill in August (as does the owner). This man has been asked repeatedly to bathe the poor dog as well as himself. Rather than do something as simple as bathing the poor little dog on a regular basis, this owner gets mad or makes excuses for not bathing the animal. GARrooooooooooooooooooooooooos! As a result, this man has made it clear he is nasty and thrives in living in filth. Furthermore, he is willing to make enemies in the process.

A lady was lectured on proper flea control for her cat. Thinking that as long as her kitty is never outdoors, she will not have to purchase any flea treatment. She forgot that when she had a couple of surguries thus leaving her kitty with a relative, the relative did not keep up with the flea control for kitty. Finally, when kitty comes home, the lady had to have her apartment sprayed several times. Each time this lady had to be out of her apartment four hours at a time.

Another lady ignored something as simple as daily grooming for her cat. She allowed her poor cat to live with matted hair on his back. May I submit to you that matted hair is extemely uncomfortable for a cat. Would you want someone to grab a handful of your hair and hold on to it 24/7? Poor cat became so uncomfortable that he stopped sitting in his window perch. I finally managed to talk the lady into taking her cat to her vet. She was warned that since the matts were so far advanced that the cat would be sedated then sheared. Under these circumstances she was to take the cat's food away from him the night before. However, this lady told me she "just didn't have to heart to take away the food". I told her if she feeds him that night and he is sedated the next day, he will die. Several days later, the poor cat struggled to breathe right up until he died. The woman did not as much as take her cat back to the vet let alone talk to her vet regarding the cat's problem. This cat died because this lady just had to be right about everything. This lady blamed me for her cat's death. In the long run the lady lost her cat and a friend.

A handsome black labrador retriever was rushed to my vet. As he lay almost lifeless on the operating table, Dr. Ulyshen explained to the owner that the dog was in stage four of heartworm. The only solution was to euthanize the dog as the heartworm was slowly killing it. He told the owner that this was easily preventable had the owner used a regular flea treatment that included heart worm protection.

Another lady in the habit of buying whatever cheap cat food is on sale at Walmart or Meijers let her cat's dental hygeine go haywire. Losing weight rapidly, I had noticed the lethargic cat refusing to eat. Curious, I opened his mouth and noticed what appeared to be a couple of blisters above some of his teeth. Though a cat can still eat without any teeth, it should not have to suffer in pain and loose it's teeth due to an ignorant owner. I advised the owner to get her kitty to the vet now. The lady ignored that poor cat for seven weeks. When the cat was finally taken to the vet, not suprisinglly, the cat had the problem teeth extracted. I can't even set foot in this lady's apartment due to the stench so I am not suprised as to the extent her cat was ignored.

A lady kicks her dog every time she takes him outside to pee. This is just stupid. Ironically, one block down is a dog training school. Never ever hit an animal! Doing so only teaches them to fear and hate you. As long as you have a dog on a leash then you have control of that dog. Teach him where to pee. The temperatures around here are in the upper nineties and we don't need a doggie bathroom at the entry of this building.

Another lady came to me one day covered in hundreds of little red pin prick welts. She said her indoor/outdoor cat and dog have fleas. I asked her why she is not getting treatment for her pets? She claimed she did not have the money. So I asked her why that live in boyfriend of hers is not paying for the flea treament? She said he refused. So I told her if he can't pay for something as simple as flea treatment imagine what else he is not going to pay for if they choose to marry. I told her she is going to have to treat the animals. Rather than treat the animals, she chose to sleep in her car while her boyfriend stays inside. Hmmmmmmmm? I told her treat the animals first then use a can of Mycolex (which I gave her) in the home. Not listening, she failed to treat the host pets, wasted the Mycolex and still has the flea problem along with the useless boyfriend. Later she came to me asking where she could take her cat to be spayed because she is tired of her cat spraying all over the place. I referred her to a low income spay and neuter clinic. She said she just did not have the money and could not take her cat to the vet because she owes this vet money. asked her if her live in is willing to pay for the spay. What I stupid question. I asked how old her cat is. She stated the cat is two years old. I told her I could not believe she let that cat go this long without having it spayed. This lady should not have pets or that boyfriend. Allowing a queen to keep having kittens and not being spayed is detrimental to her health. She can suffer from female and urilogical problems that can lead to death. As long as a queen comes into heat she is going to cry, annoy, be uncomfortable but determined to find the tom. A queen has been known to become sexually mature at four months though not common. Moo's mother was only seven months old when Moo was born (the only thing I know of Moo's Daddy is that he is the neighborhood gigolo and she looks nothing like him). Moo was not spayed until she was five and one half months old. I almost waited too long. I was present during Moo's surgery and Dr. Ulyshen found a cyst on one of her little ovaries. Imagine what could have happened to Moo if I waited longer. Moo may not have been with me and Teddy Bear today. Ignoring spaying a female also add on to the cat overpopulation and puts more cats in the hands of mean people. Why put her through all of this?

Folks these testimonies were all preventable situations. This heartache does not ever have to happen. Veterinarians not only go all out for the animals but they go all out for the owners in educating you in how to give your pet many happy healthy years. Sad to sad, owners often try to cut corners at the expense of their pets. People have the right to live anyway they please but when your messy pet life style spills over to your neighbor and interferes with your pet's health, you have overstepped your boundaries. Take care of your home, pets, and be kind to your neighbors even the neighbors that have no pets. Regularly clean up after your pets and get them regular vet check ups. Cats are notorious for their cleaniness but the owner still has to clean, clean, clean. Nothing is more disgusting than to go to a home that reeks like cats as soon as the front door is opened.

When I have visitors, people are suprised that with Moo and Teddy Bear, we do not smell like cats. This is simple. Their bowls, which are ceramic and stainless steel, are washed weekly. They get fresh water daily. I avoid plastic bowls as scratches can allow bacteria buildup and formaldihyde is still active in plastics thus subjecting a cat to possible acne problems (cats can't clean their chin). I avoid harmful indoor sprays for obvious reasons. Litter is emptied throughout the day. Litter box is washed in diluted bleach water and soap in between litter changes. Upholstry is cleaned daily. Linens are washed weekly. They use Scoop away litter as it just totally covers the smell of pee and poop. I avoid cheap foods, Iams and Science Diet because these cause some smelly trips to the litter box. I advocate Purina One dry cat food as there are different formulas available. I have never seen a cat that did not like Purina One dry cat food. We use Purina One Advanced Hairball formula as it passes that hair out of cats body like it was meant to pass, it has a fiber in it that prevents tartar build up and my nose can not tell when the kitties go poop. This formula comes in chicken flavor, Divine's favorite. I also avoid switching foods. Once a cat finds a healthy food that pleases, you would be suprised how long they will tolerate that one food. Cats have very, very, very tender tummies. Therefore, one change can upset that delicate tummy. Moo and Teddy Bear know that table scraps, milk, and cheap food are off limits. Moo and Teddy Bear also know that Mom is not going to allow them to be subjected to tension that could cause them to have unessessary bathroom accidents. So cat haters are not welcome here. I open windows daily to let our little home air out and the kitties just love it. At the end of the day they get their grooming because it's it healthy, cuts down on the loose fur on the upholstry and Teddy Bear demands to be groomed.

Is it obvious why we do not want to be subjected to other peoples' pet problems? We don't have fleas and we want to keep it this way. We have found prevention and education makes us happy and healthy. We wish you and your pets many happy healthy days ahead.

NOTE: Mamma's kitty babes safe, happy and at rest.