I thought I'd share about my Big Flea Adventure that I just went through. First of all, I have three cats, they are all strictly indoor cats, and always have been. They've never had fleas in their lives. I live in a basement apartment, the owners upstairs are an old European couple who take in stray cats all the time, but they don't look after them very well, no shots, they don't get them fixed, etc. and their cats wander in and out all the time (even in the dead of winter). Their food is dumped outside on the back porch, where it's usually crawling with flies, or freezes solid in winter. Needless to say, my landlords go through a lot of cats that disappear or get hit by cars or killed in fights, then more strays or kittens come along to replace them. One day I noticed my black and white cat scratching at his back, and his back had dandruff all over it, so I looked in his fur to see if he had a skin rash or something, and found flea dirt, and a couple of fleas right away! Normally bugs don't really bother me, but I am absolutely disgusted by fleas! So of course I rushed to check the other two, the Siamese, and sure enough, they each had signs of a few fleas as well (not nearly as many as the black cat though). I was between paycheques, and knew the best remedy to start with would be Advantage from the vet's office (the drops you put on the back of their neck that kill the fleas for a month) but I couldn't afford that right away. Off I went to the pet shop to see what they had. All they had was some drops that wouldn't kill adult fleas, they just had an "insect growth regulator" to break the life cycle. They also had a spray you could use on the cat's fur. Some junior salesman fresh out of elementary school wandered over, and tried to tell me that I could put a dog flea collar on my cats. Luckily I knew more than he did, and that his advice could have killed my cats! So I complained to his manager, who almost had a heart attack when she heard what I'd been told. I got the drops and the spray and rushed home to douse the cats in spray (which was supposed to kill the fleas and last a week between applications). Well, first of all, the two Siamese got sick from the spray, and acted stoned and shakey for over a day after I applied the spray. The vet's office was closed, and they were still eating and drinking, but I was worried. Luckily they got better on their own. The fleas weren't killed at all, though. They were probably less sick than the cats! The only result was that the cats smelled awful, and tasted awful too, judging by the faces they made when trying to groom themselves! A couple of days later, I tried putting the drops between their shoulder blades as directed. No effect either of course. In the meantime, both my daughter and I were scratching at ourselves out of pure paranoia at the thought of fleas in the house, and I was running around cleaning everything with disinfectant and bleach, and vaccuuming like mad. When my next paycheque came in, I was right at the vet's the same day buying the Advantage. Within a day all the fleas were gone, and they haven't been back since. I will still have to keep an eye on them though, and the cats still may come down with tapeworms, which are often carried by fleas. That will cost me another trip to the vet's for deworming medication. This week, we noticed more "dandruff" on the black cat, this time between his shoulders and in much larger pieces. I took a look at him, and a layer of his skin was peeling off in sheets, right where I had put those "insect growth regulator" drops from the pet store! (We had put the Advantage on the back of their heads as the instructions directed). Now he has a big bald spot where the skin peeled off. Moral to the story: 1. Don't waste time and money on flea products from the pet store! Go straight to the vet's and get Advantage, or there are a couple of other similar products available. A sad postscript to this tale - a few days before I first noticed the fleas on my cats, my landlord told us that one of his cats (a kitten about 8 months old) had just had four kittens. A couple of days after I used the Advantage on my cats, I happened to be talking to the landlord and asked him how the kittens were. "Kittens?" he replied. "I show you kittens!" He opened a closet in his rec room, where there was a cardboard box lined with towels. There in the box was one tiny tabby kitten. The other three had died. "I don't know why they all die", said my landlord, shrugging. I picked up the kitten and parted its fur. It was hopping with fleas. The other kittens probably died a slow death of anemia from blood loss due to the heavy infestation of fleas. Too bad that little surviving kitten was too young to treat for fleas, and too young to leave its mother, or I'd have taken it right then and there. I tried to explain to the landlord why the kittens died, but he refused to believe that such tiny insects could kill a cat or kitten. I suspect he didn't want to spend the money to do anything about it either. Some people shouldn't be allowed to own pets. Moral #2: If cats aren't allowed to roam outside, they don't disappear, they don't get hit by cars, they don't bring in fleas or worms to pass to other animals, and they don't have unwanted litters that end up suffering and dying. They should also be spayed or neutered too, of course. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I felt the need to rant!

Please forgive me for venting but I need to get it out. Monday I stopped at a house with FREE yardsale items. While there around 10 kitties came bounding out to meet us. It bothered me that the house "looked" abandoned. However perhaps because it was so beat up that it appeared to be abandoned. Anyway, yesterday I drove by again and did'nt see any kittens. I went by twice today (8 miles one way from my house). I have 5 inside cats and a dog. My kitten was with me so I took her home, got my dog cage and went back. I got 8 kittens and two adult cats (one being the Momma). I know there are at least two other kittens as I could'nt find the white/black calico and the tiger with white. I also noticed a dog (Rottweiler mix?) inside the house. I stood with my face to the window and his/her face inside the glass. It NEVER barked once. It only rolled it's eyes. NEVER have I known a dog not to bark in that situation. Whether it was depressed or starving/dieing of thirst I do not know. I have no more room for cats although I'd dearly love them. But I have one pet chicken left so I cleaned up her pen the best I could. Although it's not sanitary, I did the best I know how. Then put clean straw in, a new huge litter box, a huge box of food, and a cleaned out litter pan full of water. I put some milk in although I don't want to over do it. I have photos if anyone is interested. I did go to the local Humane Society and they are full and can't take more cats. I also found out I'm the fourth one to complain about the abandoned kittens. So I went to the next door neighbor and she said they had moved out, and that she was feeding the kittens. She was lying. She also asured us that the dog was "doing great". I don't believe that ether. So I also traveled a few more miles to see the dog warden's wife. He is distant family. She said they can't go into someone's house to get a dog even if it is abandoned! She said she'd tell her husband. So after I left I traveled back to the house to see if by any chance the other two kittens were back... well a white station wagon was there and the dog outside. Evidently the neighbor called them and said four people had complained and perhaps they got scared when I mentioned turning them in to the dog warden or sheriff. Anyway, I've never in my life gone to someones house and taken their animals. I feel like a thief. But for four days I've agonized over those kittens and any adult cats that may have been there. When I found out I was the fourth to complain and no authorities gave a damn, then I just could'nt turn my back on them. I'm so pissed at anyone who could ever abondon any animals to die. I hope they someday suffer the same cruelty. Anyway, I now have eight kittens and two adult cats in my barn to try to find homes for. I will NOT advertise FREE KITTENS as I hear that sometimes people pick them up to sell for experiments. Also I worry as Momma cat is black, and so are six kittens! As you know, Halloween is coming up and I am not feeling very loving or trusting of my fellow "humans" right now. Well I hope my venting is ok. I just love critters so much and it breaks my heart that people can be so heartless. By the way, ALL of my four cats, one kitten are ALL spayed/neutered and I live on a small disability check! My puppy will be spayed next month too. So although my money situation is not good (spent over $1,000 on vet bills this last 9 months) I do the best I can for my babies. Yes I know I have to many, but if I had the finanaical means, I'd have more. Anyway, I'll quit "crabbing now". Good night all.

WTG!!!

I have 2 wonderful cats who could only lay on me if I was reclining. Now, at 120 pounds down, they both can curl up in my lap. Wow, it is weird to have a lap. It is very cute though. As soon as I sit down, they jump into my lap in seconds!!!! They approve of my weight loss!!!

I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THE CAT IS PISSED BECAUSE THERE ARE STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE. CATS ARE VERY VERY TERRITORIAL AND DO NOT LIKE STRANGERS. EITHER THAT ARE YOUR BOYFRIENDS PARENTS FED IT THE CRACK. SUSAN