Fleas, Yowling, Bells, and Giggles....

Last night, Beasley started yowling and wouldn't stop. He finally went and did something else, only to start up again sometime in the middle of the night. I tried to reassure him, but I'm not allowing the cats into my bedroom right now.

When I got up this morning, I noticed one of the fabric mice he is fond of carrying around while he yowls around it. This makes for a particular kind of yowling... I gave him a big hug and he purred. I went into the kitchen to get their breakfast, and Queenie was pushing a ball with a bell around. She even invited Bugsy to play! I giggled, and each time I did, she ran away, only to return a few minutes later.

I guess they aren't used to my giggles!

What this all means, of course, is that they are feeling better. The fleas have stopped tormenting them so much and their health is returning.

I have a little more to do to completely eradicate the fleas, but we are close. We are living on the concrete foundation of the house, but that's OK for now. I plan to put down 24 x 24 cork tiles for flooring, which provides a thermal break from the concrete while maintaining a hard floor, which is not as friendly to fleas as the carpet was.

However, I still have a little carpet to pull up in the bedrooms and linen closet (?), and then to flea-bomb the house twice before I can say we are fully flea-free. I also need to de-flea the property outside - using bombs and sprays. Each visitor who comes to the door potentially carries fleas with them, which is how we got them in the first place.

Meanwhile, it's nice to see the cats behaving more like cats. They are having fun, playing, sleeping soundly, and when they are snuggling, it is not so they can get away from the fleas.

And I love to see this interaction between them. Queenie is such a dominant cat, and she selected Bugsy. Bugsy is our biggest instigator! She seems to purposely get into the other cats' way to get involved with them and their games. This causes her to be cuffed quite a bit, but it's all done with love, and no one gets hurt. She needs a home of her own, where she can be loved and snuggled and held as much as she wants and deserves, but she is with us, with four litter mates.

Bugsy was very ill for a while - I was giving her fluids and hand-feeding her to keep her going. During the deepest part of her illness, she would not move from my chair. I think the others noticed that I would not let her get away with just giving up or feeling sorry for herself. I set her at the food bowls, kept her off my chair, and got her moving as soon as she was able. She can sit on my chair, but only when I'm there, not all the time like she did.

Cat Litter Trial

I got a different cat litter this time. I am trying "Nature's Miracle Cat Litter" made from recycled paper products. I got two of one style- the Odor Control, and one of another- Low Tracking.

So far, the results:
The Odor Control litter has a strong scent right out of the bag. Cedar, or something like it. However, it's very light, and easy for me to carry. It clumps well, and it is very easy to remove the clumps and solids from the box. If the urine begins to change over to ammonia (as in, if you leave it 24 hours), it begins to turn green on the affected particles.

The Low Tracking formula does not clump very well. I've had to be very careful removing the clumps from the box because any shaking to remove the "good" litter from a clump can make the clump fall apart. It also sheds a greenish substance on my scoop, which I assume is from the deodorizer crystals. It does seem to track a little less, but it still tracks out of the box. The particles are very small. Again, it is very light weight, so it is easy for me to handle.

I would try the Odor Control first, and recommend it over the Low Tracking formula, but if you have your litter box on carpet, the Low Tracking may be more to your liking.

I purchased all three bags of litter at my local pet supply store, with no coupons or price breaks. They were about $12/bag. For comparison, I usually spend $12-$16 for a 40 pound box of Tidy Cat every month to fill 3 litter boxes; and this purchase cost me $38, including tax.

Testimonials

I haven't been putting them up, but I often get a testimonial - a thank you - from a happy Cat Whispering client. Here is such a one I recently received....


Morgan- An update on Jasmine. She now rules the house; the dogs & the other cats. Although this makes #12, I am finding it difficult to think of giving her up. She looks at me with such love &, even tho she still has a little edge to her, she is 99% tamed! Such a crazy little kitten dashing around the house & enjoying laying in my lap & giving me head butts. Thought you would like an udate. Geri


I guess I should be putting them up, but I honestly don't remember to do that, and I wouldn't know where to put them. Maybe I should make a page of these, and put a link to the page on the Contact page. Opening a new tab, of course....


Just sayin'... Most of the time, folks are pretty happy with the results...

New Flea Collars!

I found these collars a the pet supply store the last time I was in for cat food, and I was really surprised!

The price is really good, and there are NO pyrethrins in the formula! Excellent value! The cats are doing well with them - even Queenie had no trouble getting the collar on. In fact, the only cat who had any trouble wearing a collar was Bugs! Surprise! She really hated the idea, but the others resigned themselves quickly.

Now, to pull the carpet to get rid of all the eggs and fleas living in it. I know it seems extreme, but added to the other problems we are having with carpet in the house, it's best for everyone - cats and people alike. The allergies are horrible!

I recently went out of town and had to leave Princess with a severe upper-respiratory infection. We are lucky that it was actually a virus and passed quickly. Once she got the collar on - only a day ago - she started feeling a lot better and talking to me again. She's been quietly sitting around, shrinking from pets until the 3rd stroke, when she leans into me. She has been so weak and anti-social for so long. All because of the fleas and their biting. I would not be a bit surprised if everyone was a bit anemic!

Anyway, the carpet is a breeding ground for the fleas - diatomaceous earth, salt, and other ideas have not helped in the long run. I was upset that the house came with carpet instead of hard flooring anyway, so I'll spend the extra $$ to have laminate flooring put down. Allergies, asthma, and fleas, all become worse with carpet.

The poisons I've sprayed on the carpet and furniture have become ineffective. The fleas seem to have built up a tolerance to them. I'd never heard of that, but it seems to have happened. I'll have to "bomb" the house after I remove the carpet. And to be sure, I'll have to bomb twice - 10 days apart, so that I get all the hatched eggs.

The worst part of the poisons is that the cats are getting sick from the built-up concentration of sprays. It's bad enough that the fleas aren't dying, but the cats are having reactions. It's time to stop the madness....

The collars are the first step in that. Removing the carpet is the next step, and the last step is a 2-stage flea and insect bombing with foggers.

This all started in late May, right after I'd done my monthly flea-spraying on the furniture and carpet. I got drops and put them on the cats, but at $10/each, it gets expensive with 5 cats, so I couldn't get more right away. And my spray seemed to be less effective... So I replaced it, but that didn't help.... By then, the fleas had taken over - everything!

The saga continues....

Back from Vacation

I went away for a week, taking the laptop with me, so hardly anybody noticed I was gone. My cats did, however. Beasley wants to sit on my lap and the others are all glad to be with me. Even Queenie, who was a hissy mess when I walked in the door! Poor babies! Fleas are horrible and I'll start pulling carpet Thursday.

Vacation was wonderful, by the way. I slept and read 2 whole books! The first two of the Steig Larsson trilogy. Have to get the 3rd from the Library ASAP! Hope your summer is great!

Cat Food Recall

Purina issued a "voluntary cat food recall" in limited quantities of cat food due to salmonella. Please read the article to see if your latest bag is involved.


bit.ly/p0kIrE

UGH! Fleas!!!

We are totally covered up in FLEAS! It seems that the flea population went critical, and hid under a rug when I last sprayed. The cats and I are miserable!

So - time to get out the big guns! Siphotrol to the rescue!

I'll take out the rug after I spray it, and roll it up - putting it on the porch while I spray the carpet under it. I have to spray all the upholstered furniture, move it and spray under it, spray the bed (remove the bedding first), and get in every nook and cranny - including behind bookshelves and under desks. It's a big job!

And I have to do it again in 10 days. And again 10 days later. Three treatments in 21 days. Along with putting treatments on the cats themselves.

And no Advantage II - get original Advantage, if I can find it. It seems that Bayer Corp. is pulling Advantage and only shipping Advantage II. It wouldn't be so bad if it worked, but on my long-haired babies, it doesn't work. I've added NEEM spray, too.

Hopefully, within 30 days, the fleas will be gone. I'll have to treat the outside with more Diatomaceous Earth, so they don't get tracked back in, too... Especially the back door! I always forget the back door....

Cat Whispering Without a TV Show

I may not be on TV, but I've been helping folks with cat problems all over the world for over 6 years. I don't charge what those folks charge, either, but I do charge, so that I can keep doing it.

I'm a trainer and animal behaviorist. I do not train dogs for other people. It's just not my thing. I can help best with cats. Yes, I train my own animals. I'm working on Agility Training with one of my cats, and another took me over 5 years to tame from feral. Yep, 5 years - but she sits on my lap whenever she wants, now!

Each cat is different. Each cat needs specialized and customized handling to be most comfortable. Just like people, they have their needs and comfort zone. Each cat has a distinct personality, and will respond best to one or another method of training, and not all cats respond the same to the same stimulus. It's just the way they are.

You wouldn't want your kid to behave the same as everybody else to the same stimulus, would you? Well, cats are the same way. A certain amount of conformity is fine, but nobody is exactly the same as anybody else. God made us all unique.

My job as a Cat Whisperer, is to figure out not only how your cat wants to be treated, but where you fall short. I do this through e-mail, because I feel most comfortable and effective that way. I've tutored math over the internet, and I think that training cats and their people is easier.

I ask a lot of questions. I ask for clarification. That's to be expected.

However, if you are thorough and forthcoming in your e-mails to me, I can be most effective. I don't sit in judgement on you, your lifestyle, your history with your cat, or how you live your life. I just tell you where you need to change behaviors around your cat, and what you need to do. I tell you what to look for in the cat to see if what I've advised is helping or not. And what to do if things go wrong.

You see, it's not my job to tell anybody else how to live their lives. If you need to declaw your cat, so you do. I may not think it's the best solution, but you did, or you would not have done it. So it's done - we'll move on. I've had to declaw cats at one time, too, so I know what problems to look for first-hand.

Getting your cats neutered or spayed is a given. Unless you have a pedigree cat and you are breeding it to keep the breed alive, I recommend you spay or neuter your cat. And if you have one of those pedigreed cats, I hope you are working with the breeder where you got it, because there is some stuff they can tell you about it that has to do with the breed.

Most cats are moggies. They have no distinct parentage. Long hair or short hair, siamese points or tabby stripes, patches of color or solid. They are all special.

When you have trouble with them, I'm here to help. Everything from aggressive behavior to litter box problems. Introducing your cat to your mate or another animal. Grief and loss, both yours and your cat's. I'm here.

That's what I'm good at. God gave me the talent and ability to see into a cat's soul. I'm blessed. I'll share that vision with you, all you have to do is ask.

I've Seen Some Strange Things But....

I have seen my cats do some strange things. They amaze me on a regular basis. But I never saw this one...

I was testing out Wellness food, and had one more can to use up after my report to you, so I continued feeding it. I was also doing a preliminary test of a new dry food. It isn't commercially available, and I'm working with the company to improve the flavor, but this was a new one...

There are normally 4 cats eating wet food, 4 cats eating dry food. One eats only wet food and One cat only eats dry food. I have 5 cats. 3 of them will eat either food type.

The 3 who vacillate left the Wellness and went to the dry Friskies I put in their bowls, having run out of the test dry food. They actually left the wet food. I had 2 cats in each dry food bowl, competing for the dry food.

That says something, but I'm not sure what. I know they are not wild about the Wellness. I also know that the test dry food wasn't enough for a good test. There was only enough to fill one bowl, so I pulled the other 2 bowls.

To make a good test of dry food, there needs to be enough that all 3 dry food bowls can be kept full for a week. That should be at least 6 cups of food.

I don't mind if the vacillating cats stick to more wet food. But the one who eats dry food needs to not go hungry or refuse the food.

When I do a test on wet food, I give the same food for several cans. They get that food for 7-10 days. I watch their behaviors, appetites, and behavioral changes.

This dry food was sent to me, unsolicited. I've visited their website and expressed my concerns over the flavor. It's not grabbing the cats. If they can address that with me, and the additional hairball situation that I face, I'll do another test of the food and report the results.

This was just a taste. They weren't wild about it, but they ate it. They seemed to do well on it. One even seemed to thrive on it. But I need to try it again in a more controlled environment - meaning not at the same time I'm using up another food that they aren't wild about. And I need enough of the food to make a good test - all 3 bowls filled every day for 7-10 days.

Cat Food Review

I got some cans of Wellness food for the cats. 5 cans, one of each flavor, for $12.99. I admit that our sales tax is 9.75%, so it puts the cost of each can around $1.15.

The cats ate it. They were hungry. But love it? I didn't see that. And it's made in China. That opens up their safety to factors I can't control.

So, I won't try that food again. Expensive, and made in China. If they loved it, I might try it again. But they don't, really.

Meanwhile, I received an unsolicited sample of dry food from a new company in Minnesota a couple of days ago. Since I want to give them a fair trial, I won't let you know who they are yet.