 So what's an itchy, frustrated homeowner to do? In extreme cases of
infestation, chemical treatment of the house or pet may be
necessary.One product we found effective is Enforcer Flea Spray,
available in the Wal-Mart pet section. After a population of fleas
appeared to have set up their own country in one room of our house,
the Enforcer wiped them out almost immediately. I have no problem
with insect genocide.
In the case of pet treatment, this may include the use of flea
collars, pills or monthly medicine applied to the skin.
Unfortunately, some of these products are proving to be ineffective
this flea season.
Your next line of defense should be bathing. We have used Adams
Flea & Tick Shampoo for Cats (also from Wal-Mart), and it works
well. Unfortunately it has one disadvantage: You have to shampoo the
cat. While this generally presents few problems for dogs, cats are
an entirely different matter.
Flea issues aside, many people incorrectly believe cats are like
self-cleaning ovens and never need a good scrub-down. It's an easy
mistake to make. Just because your cousin Earl licks himself clean
doesn't mean your cat will have the same success, even if it can
reach places Earl can't.
So occasional cat bathing is recommended, especially when there
is a flea problem. But beware: Cats do have a habit of transforming
from cute, fluffy, lovable fur balls into murderous,
biting-scratching demons when they hit the water.
Along these lines, wasn't it Einstein who once said, when asked
to explain relativity: "Sitting with a pretty girl can make two
hours seem like two minutes; bathing a cat can make two minutes seem
like two hours." Or words to that effect.
Here's how a typical attempt at cat bathing is likely to unfold:
Step1: Find cat. This may be challenging, especially if the cat
suspects a bath is imminent. Cats can be particularly resourceful
when it comes to stealth tactics designed to avoid baths, so check
behind the sofa, in the clothes dryer, up the chimney, in your
neighbor's sock drawer, Mars.
Step 2: Place cat in sink. At this point, suddenly realizing
you've forgotten the shampoo bottle, fetch it and return.
Step 3: Find cat and place in sink, again.
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 Step 4: Place cotton balls in cat's ears. This is not to prevent
water getting in, but to avoid further frightening the cat with your
screams.
Step 5: Pour warm, soapy water over cat.
Step 6: Remove cat from head, and return to sink. Reach for towel
to wipe soap and blood from face (yours).
Step 7: Find cat.
Step 8: Return soapy, wet, howling, scratching cat to sink.
Lather, rinse, towel dry and release.
Step 9: Call 911 and request blood transfusion. While waiting for
ambulance, disinfect any area where excrement may have been
deposited; also check if the cat left any.
Assuming you recover from the ordeal, let me also offer one
additional method we have used to reduce rogue fleas in our home.
Place a candle in a large dish containing about a half-inch of
water with a squirt of detergent. Set the pan on the floor in the
room infected with fleas, and light the candle just before going to
bed. The fleas, at least some of them, will be attracted to the
heat, but fall into the soapy water and drown. Repeat for several
nights. It works. Really.
But please note: Neither the author nor this publication accepts
any responsibility should someone in your house trip over the candle
and set the sofa on fire, whilst fleeing from a recently bathed,
vindictive cat.
[By NICK THOMAS]
Nick Thomas has written for more than
200 magazines and newspapers, including the Washington Post, LA
Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and
Christian Science Monitor. He can be reached at
alongtheselines@yahoo.com.
Website:
http://www.getnickt.com/news.html
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