Freaky Friday

TBT:  No, not Flashback Friday this week,  "Freaky Friday".  Or maybe I should say "Flea-y Friday".  I am a bit distressed.

Yes, we ALL have fleas!  I even found one on ME.  I don't know quite how it happened.  I haven't found a flea on any of The Mews for 20 years.  Maybe it is perfect weather for fleas and the squirrels or possums brought them into the yard, shedding some all over.  I comb The Mews for fur mats regularly (Marley mostly; Ayla and Laz have thinner fur) but I look at the fur and hadn't seen any previously.

I DID notice Marley seemed to have more "grit" in his furs recently, and I dipped some of it in water.  Flea specks (feces) turn red when exposed to still water and they didn't. The water turned a pale brown, but I took that to mean it was fine-grained dirt and bark dust.  And it may have been.  

But I had also noticed that Ayla small little scabs at the base of her tail.  Laz had no grit or scabs...

If you don't have a flea comb, you should.  And I will mention mine has 2 sides with the teeth spaced a little farther apart on one side than the other.  I can't take a good picture of it or find one.

I use the wider-spaced side dematting Marley's fur (it pulls on him less so he tolerates it longer).  That may have been a mistake.

It started a week ago.  Marley was on my lap and I saw a tiny movement.  It hid before I could pick it off.  It confused me a bit.  Pictures of fleas show them as brown and this thing was black.  And smaller than I remembered a flea being.

But I also found this one...

But I went through his furs and saw 2 more moving.  I went all through his furs with the closer-toothed side of the comb and caught 2.  Oh DAMN!

So I went straight to the internet and researched flea removal products.  Some seemed barely effectual, some had comments from owners about their cats running around crazy after an injection, powders seemed harmful when licked off (and The Mews are thorough groomers), and it is hard for one person to bathe a cat.  

The best bet seemed to be the newest generation of collars.  They got the fewest negative comments at 2 cat health sites (not obviously connected to a brand).  It's not like I would go to a company site and ask if the product was good, LOL!

So I ordered 3 Seresto Flea collars...  This is not an ad.  It's just what I decided on.  You may choose a different one for good reasons.

So I put them on Wednesday night.  I left them loose, as I wasn't sure how they would react to collars.  Marley arrived here wearing a standard (pressure-release) collar.  Ayla and Laz did not.  So I kept them all inside yesterday to make sure they would keep them on.  Well, it would be a lot easier to find a removed one in the house than outside.  And the flea collars cost $54 each and I sure didn't want them to  get lost after a day or two!

Fortunately, none of The Mews seem to be objecting to the collars.  I would like to keep them inside another day to be sure they will keep them on.  

Marley can stay in or go out usually, he doesn't much care either way these days.  Ayla has liked going out more the past few months, but only on the deck.  She is about as happy being on windowsills and looking out.  

Laz is going nuts though!  He loves to go outside.  He is talkative (even for a Siamese).   In fact, he is a bit of a whiner (sorry, Laz).  He did not stop complaining all day Thursday!  I swear, he was grumbling about it even while he ate.  It was like having a colicky baby.

Two things Laz DOES understand (among many, but I mean relevant to the "staying-in" part) is dark and rain.  He seems to understand that none of us go out in the dark and he doesn't WANT to go out in the rain (sensible mancat).

Oh what I would give for a rainy day tomorrow!  But apparently, it won't be one.  I may have to let him out.  I'm not sure I could stand another day of crying to go out, possible loss of collar or not.

But there is GOOD news!  Yesterday, Marley was on the newspaper I was TRYING to read (he LOVES getting in my line of sight) while I ate dinner, and 2 fleas just fell right OFF him.  Newspaper is good for seeing that.  The fleas are black, the paper is mostly white.  They wobbled around a bit, obviously unhappy and struggling.  I got a tweezer and crushed them (they are darn hard to kill).   

BTW, I've found 3 other good ways are using needlenose pliers, folded sandpaper rubbed together, and holding the tweezers to a bic lighter ( flick will do).  I don't feel a lot of sympathies for fleas.

I found 2 dead fleas on the platform where Marley and Laz nap.  Two were dead, one was moving in a circle (so I killed it).  I was running my fingers through Ayla's fur and found 2 dead fleas.  

I wasn't sure Laz had any.  No scratching, no bumps, nothing in the flea comb.  But he doesn't sit on my lap and he still doesn't like being handled.  But he does sometimes come up on the table.  I was scritching him over the newspaper and one fell off alive.  I tweezered it.  But it confirmed that he had some too.

So they are all being treated.  Later today, I start a daily vacuuming regimen.  Simple stick vacuum on all the wood floors, rugbeater cannister on the carpets and the cat trees (I found 2 there using a magnifying glass),  and I'll take out the old flea trap later today.  The flea trap is a low heat light set above sticky tape.  The fleas think it is a cat, jump, and get stuck.  Sort of like a roach motel for fleas.  I've never caught any with it before, but I bet I will now!

Not exactly like this, but the same idea...

The stick vacuum is easy to empty (and I'll do it outside because some bits fall out as you empty the container).  The cannister vacuum takes more time and bags cost money, but I will buy standard old flea powder to sprinkle in a new bag.  The only place THAT bag will go in to the landfill and I compost and recycle so much that a small paper bag and one of used cat litter is almost a week's "trash" for me.  And I doubt any fleas will find anything to feed on in a landfill.  :)

Another thing to do is put everything in a closed clear plastic bag and set it outside in the sun for a day.  That will cook anything in it.

The flea *I* got was from the platform Marley had slept on.  I was examaning it and rubbing all the loose fur off and one fleas jumped on my wrist.  It was it's last jump.

I discovered some surprising facts about fleas.  First, I thought they were specific to individual species.  They are generalists.  I may have been thinking of lice.  Second, they can live away from animals for up to a year.  My older "understanding" was that they could only live a month.  Maybe that is way modern medications are designed to last up to 8 months of "slow release" lethality and repellent.

I basically dislike chemical treatments.  My yard is basically organic.  But as I WILL use an herbicide on poison ivy, I will accept the benefits of a flea-killing chemical that doesn't SEEM to harm mammals. And hopefully, this is a one time (though for months) requirement.

Comments about flea-control are welcome.  If you have a longer thoughts, I would like an email for the fullness of it.  I always want information and the experiences of others.

marksmews2118 AT verizon DOT net

Freaky Friday

TBT here:  Yesterday things got a bit out of control here.  Laz is young and a bit hyper.  He runs in the house recklessly, yells a lot, and sometimes chases Ayla around (he's too smart to bother Marley much).  Mostly (based on how Ayla reacts) it seems playful.

But yesterday, she came inside and he attacked her.  Jumped on her and bit at her neck!  He chased her all around the house and they are both way too fast for me to catch up.  She was screeching and he wouldn't stop.  It was a "fur on the floor" at one point.  I finally managed to get him closed in a room to calm down.

Then Marley even sniffed and whapped her and made a a brief chase.  At least Marley responds to "STOP"!

I checked the Felliway dispenser and it seemed to be working (about 1/4 left after 3 weeks).  But as I was standing there wondering what on Earth had happened, I detected a faint smell of "skunk".  And I HAD noticed some varmint scat in the back yard recently.  Maybe Ayla got some smell on her that triggered Laz and even upset Marley slightly.

I hope, I hope, I hope...

I don't really understand Laz.  He is more aggressive than any other cat I've had.  On the other hand, the only male cats I have had for decades have been laid-back orange and white ones.  And even Marley has chased Ayla briefly when outside.  Laz acts like a feral indoors cat sometimes.  I am assured he has been an inside cat all his life.

Most of the time, I post about his progress.  Well, "most of the time" things are good and Laz seems to be adapting to his forever home.  But it isn't always.  

He had a bad start with dogs and children in his first home, and I think he has basically been an "only" cat.  I get the impression he is like a young human boy locked in a room.  He needs space to run.  On a 1-10 scale of energy, he is at least a 9.  It seems more than FRAP or THOE.

He fights being picked up even briefly.  Yet he sits on my lap peacefully sometimes, and he sleeps up against me most every night.  He eats calmly with both Marley and Ayla.  He doesn't deliberately push things off tables and desks.  He loves my attention.  He doesn't seem malicious; just "uncontrolled".

I know he is new and adjusting.  I know he had a hard start.  I am giving him a LOT of attention and peacefulness.  I don't like the "squirt bottle" training but if things don't improve in a month or so, I may have to try it. 

Laz is friendly to Marley and Ayla most of the time.  Here is a picture of them sleeping together on the bed at night a couple of days ago...

I do not have much experience with a "sometimes angry cat".  Mean Old Tinkerbelle (who had a reason to be angry due to a bad dog-bite across her spine when she was a kitten)  was tempermental and  sometimes drew blood if I touched the wound wrong, but that was understandable.  And she was an only cat for 10 years so she wasn't attacking other cats (and accepted Skeeter and LC well later).

What Laz NEEDS is a yard he can fling himself around and run himself into exhaustion but cant escape from, but I can't manage that.  I intend to introduce him to the outdoors soon.  I have a Hav-A-Hart trap rather larger than a carrier that would allow him to be on the deck and see/sniff/hear around in all directions.  He went ape-crazy when I tried to get him in it, but that was because I couldn't hold the trap open AND guide him in calmly AND close the door at the same time. 

It occurs to me to hold the door open with a spring clamp and add a cushion and try again.  I looked at small dog kennels at the local pet store, but the doors latches are pathetic.  Doors are tricky; if I built one, the door would still be "iffy".

Most of the time, all is calm.  I think what he wants to be is an only cat in a large house.  He is so great with me, inviting attention and scritchies, flopping on the floor in front of me (and I never ignore him then).  He eats well, is perfect with the litter boxes, and keeps his claws in around me.

Any suggestions?

Friday Flashbacks

TBT:  Today's post isn't about The Mews and it is long, so I hope you'll forgive me.  This week in 2012, Dad had been staying with me a few months.  Mom had died in 2010 and Dad was going downhill  physically and mentally.  He had fallen down and hit his head.  Somehow he drove himself to a hospital.  I didn't know that until the hospital called a couple of weeks later, finding my phone number in his wallet.  They wanted me to come get him "yesterday".

They said he simply could not live alone, drive, and prepare food safely.  Apparently, he variously thought he was in a hotel in PA and/or between homes of the 60s.  I was confused and not sure what to do, but I convinced them to give me a week to arrange things.  Fortunately, he had great insurance, so they agreed.  I finally worked out a plan. 

I despise driving.  An hour and I'm falling asleep from boredom.  But my sister said our brother didn't mind driving at all.  So I came up with a plan.  Since I was retired and a homebody, I would clear out the Mews Room and buy a bed for Dad.  My brother and I would both to fly to FL where Dad lived.  We would pack up all Dad's daily stuff (clothes, and meds, and whatever valuable stuff we could fit in Dad's car) and my brother would drive Dad to my place while I stayed behind to shit down utilities and such and then fly home ahead of their arrival.  My sister (her offer) would fly down in a few weeks to arrange for disposal/sale of the furniture and other stuff and the row house.  My brother would leave Dad with me, Dad would sign over his car to my brother (who really needed a working car), and drive home.

My siblings said my plan was "too complicated to work", but they would go along with it since I would care for Dad.  But I was an analyst it didn't seem THAT complicated.  I bought a Cricket cell phone for emergency calls while travelling.  I bought the plane tickets.  I arranged to rent a car at the FL airport.  I gave my brother more than enough cash for gas and motels and food on the trip. Yes, I paid for it all.  I could; they couldn't.  I even made sure to tell my brother to make sure we were both at the ticket counter so we would travel together without problems.

The new bed arrived and I set it up.  I called my brother the night before to confirm our plans and make sure he knew to not check in if he got there before me.  I printed out Mapquest directions from the airport to the hospital, to Dad's place, from there to I-95 N, and through my neighhborhood.

What could go wrong?  Well, guess who sailed right past the ticket counter through security, and was waiting in the boarding room?  Not me...  My brother had only 2 things to do.  Have his wife drive him the the airport and wait at the ticket counter. 

I should have experimenting with the new cricket phone.  By the time I figured it out well enough to place a call and then read a voice mail and finally contact him learn where he was, I barely had enough time to get through security and find him. 

But I got there as boarding started.  The flight was fine.  The rental car was fine.  We got to the hospital.  We sat down in front of Dad while he was eating his hospital dinner.  It took him a few minutes to recognize us (uh, oh).  The Dr released Dad to me after making me sign ~100 forms.

I found his neighborhood.  No one ever told me it had a security guard.  And it was a typical security guard.  Dad was right there in the car and I showed him Dad's driver's license.  But I didn't have a sticker on my windshield!  I pointed out that I was bringing him home from the hospital.  It took him a few phone calls to "someone", but he eventually gave us a temporary visitor pass.  For which I gave him my most polite submissive smile and wished him a good day. 

We got Dad into the residence.  And discovered the A/C was broken.  It was 95F inside.  I wilt at 75...  It took an hour to find a repairman who would come out at once.  Telling one that Dad was just home from the hospital and I was from Far North finally worked.  Well my brother works out all day and Dad liked heat, but I was desperate. 

It turned out the A/C was fine but the cheap house wires had failed.  The place was clean, but mechanically a wreck.  But he did get electricity to the A/C and I could breathe again.  I handed the guy my credit card and he said he didn't accept credit cards (too many customers died owing money) and I hadn't brought my checkbook. 

Dad was really reluctant to pay for the repair (it had been repaired a few months earlier for a completely different reason) and he thought he was being cheated.  I had to work hard for that check!

There was no food in the house (well one frozen fish fillet and and orange.  And some gin.  So I drove to the security guard station and asked if the was a local chinese place nearby.  After all that, I was determined I wanted some food *I* liked.  I WAS paying after all.  Moo Goo Gai Pan, Roast Pork with veggies, and fried rice.  At the grocery next to it bought some fruit, chips, and sodas.  That was a Thursday.

The next morning, Dad was complaining about leaving.  My brother was just watching TV.  After lunch I found a big bag of trash bags and told my brother to start filling them with everyday clothes, underwear, socks, shoes, etc.  I went looking for things that Dad would want about Mom, anything valuable, his Gin, and odds and ends that make him feel "at home".  Actually, I already had a lot of his stuff.  When I got my first apartment, they gave me old family furniture and I kept it.  So he recognized some of it and thought he was at home (which home exactly, I'm not sure).

He sometimes walked around outside the first year, but the deck stairs were tricky and I had to be below him in case he lost his balance.  It was a good year for the garden (nice regular rain 2x a week) and he loved seeing the corn beans and tomatoes, etc.  

But I've actually wrote all this to show a couple pictures.  One day of relative lucidity, he told me that he really liked my stir-fries and my bread.  Mom wasn't keen on those.  Veggies had to be soft and bread came from "Wonder".  Dad himself once had a co-worker who opened a chinese restaraunt and told him the secret was to cook veggies until "just crisp".

And he was a bread fanatic.  He wanted bread at every meal.  He would eat bread with spaghetti!.  But he went crazy for mine.  Well, I use beer instead of water, and I add a tblspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and 2 of oregano.

So here are a couple of pictures he asked me to take at the time of him holding a loaf of my bread.  He liked it that much...

Miss him...

Freaky Friday

IZA:  I got trapped in a closet yesserday.  Sure, all Dad did was open the door quickly to throw a Winter hat onto the top shelf but I ran in to look around.  Places we dont usually get to get into often are always so enticing.

So he heard me talking a couple of times when he was in other rooms but not when he was near the closet.

I blame Ayla, myself.  Well, I'm not going to blame ME of course.  But she didnt show up for breakfast 2 days ago, and by lunchtime Dad was panicking.  The last time one of us was "missing but in the house" was when LC had a stroke and had hidden in basement junk when he finally found her.  She went to The Bridge that day.  So he gets a bit weerd when he cant find one of us. 

So after finally finding Ayla just sitting unner the bed, he reminded himself that sometimes we just want some "alone" time.  So when he heard me talking a couple times but couldnt actually find me, he figured it was one of those times.  And it wasnt like I was in any distress.  It was an innersting place.  But I was annoyed.  One does want to visit the litter box eventually...

He eventually went around the den shaking the kibble bottle.  That made me call out, and he opened the closet door after his pathetic hearing finally located where I was.

I milked that for all I could (well what kitty wouldnt?) and after enough treats I got laptime too.  What I dont have are pictures of the closet release.  But trust me, it happened...

Be careful of closets, though.  Unlike kitchen cabinet doors, they dont open from the inside.

Veggies In The Garden.

We didn't show these before because they weren't very impressive.   But Miss Megan asked twice, so here is what we have...

 First, we had the Summer Squash unner the covers with the broccoli so the cabbage moths couldn/t get at them.  Of course, when the squash flowers opened, TBT had ta let pollinating bugs get at the flowers.

The tomatoes are doing well.  They are all growing fast. but no fruits yet.

The good news is no sign of diseases.  And these are all heirloom varieties.  Dad says the hybrids aren't worth eating after you have tasted a real heirloom tomato.

He uncovered the squash, but kept the boccolis safe from the bugs.

The Italian Flat Pole Beans have been growing great.  You can't see the beans from here cuz TBT just picked them.  They are like 8" long and flat, and taste better than regular pole beans.  He gets a whole bowl of them every 3 days all Summer long.

We also have cherry tomatoes.  You can't see them.,but there are tiny fruits starting.

Actually, he has 2 cherry tomato plants and is looking to see where they grow best.  

The bi-color corn is growing well.  Dad likes those better than all white or all yellow.  They are growing in blocks of 9 planted 2 weeks apart.  He pollinates them by paintbrush because there are so few corns at a time.  The later plants mean long Summer of them all spread out 2 months.

This is a bad picture of a few of the cherry tomatoes growing.  But it does show there are some.  Dad has a new camera and the macro setting eludes him so far.  

He will figure it out eventually...

Freaky Friday

We present...  "The Blurs"... 

This one isn't much, "But wait, there's MORE!

Like this.

And that.

Well, there is always "this and that", right?

Freaky Friday

IZA:  Ya cant miss dinner iffen ya sleep next ta the foodbowl...

Freaky Friday

IZA:  EEK, my head is vanishing!

I was just napping...

And TBT said I was disappearing!

And then gone!

Freaky Friday

MARLEY:  So I wake up and find this THING on me.  I did the only reasonable thing and waited as I groomed my paws.  Well, that's what I do when I wake up.  Ya got ta have the paws in good condition fer the rest of the day, right?

IZA:  He did it AGAIN.  I go all frozen when he does that.  I think it is something Mom did when I was a kitten (a paw on my head), but it is hard ta remember.

He says it is payback fer walking all over him last night when he was trying ta sleep.

Gee, he could've just TOLD us.

TBT:  I did.  They wouldn't stop.  I DID warn them...

Freaky Friday

AYLA:  On Werdless Wensday, I was considering napping on the plant rack towels.  There are 2 of them for our use, but that makes it tricky for me.  I naturally like napping up high, but that is the rack Iza naps on and I dont especially like her scent where I nap.  AND she is meanly possessive. 

The bottom rack is where Marley naps and I dont mind his scent at all, but I dont like napping at floor level.

So I was thinking about both spots...  But I ended up napping on the waterybed.

Freaky Friday - The Brush Mower

IZA:  Because we collected a lot of pictures while TBT got his self together a bit, we are a bit behind the current date.  So we need to explain and get some pictures used before they stop making any sense.

Like, we don't want to refer to using something before we mention getting it.  TBT says that's the horse behind the cart or something like that.  He uses weerd phrases like that.  We have never seen a "horse" or a "cart", for example.

So one thing that happened was that TBT got a big machine what chops down brush and brambles and even little trees thick as my paw an taller than he is!  It is PAWSOME!

But before he used it, he had to take it out of its shell box crate, and thats where I came in.  And anything what involves ME is most important...

Before TBT started to beat the wood off the machine, I checked it out carefully.

I sniffed around it carefully ta make sure no rats were sneakin in.

I dint find anny, so TBT told me I should go into the house while he used sharp tools to free it.  I agreed completely.  Sharp power tools and curious kitties like me do not go together well.

But after he got it all free of the crate, I got a better look at it and was pretty pleased.  

All he had ta do after that was figure out how it worked and get it to the big back yard.

WE MEWS will not be allowed out while he is using this thing.  

But, for my snoopervision werk, I got an extra treat later, and that was good.

Freaky Friday

AYLA:  Sometimes TBT is just eating his dinner when we want to get on his lap.  He sure eats slower than WE do.  But it means we cant sit on his lap.

So we sit around near him.  I mean, ya know, we want ta be close ta him most of the time.  So it gets tricky sometimes.

Iza struggles to sit on the arms of his eating chair, but she allus eventually "taps" his bare arm with her claws slightly out and gets set down on the floor gently.  Marley has a talent for just sitting on TBTs leg and not bothering him otherwise.

I'm kinna twitchy about his lap.  Iffen he he is busy with his L-O-N-G slow dinner, I never even try.  But I do often sit nearby.

So Iza and I found ourselves BOTH sitting on the desk next ta him...  Peacefully...

We were both waiting for laptime.  Iza gets more, so she is more patient.  

That darn Iza can sleep on ANYTHING!  A remote is fine...*

That didnt leave a really good spot fer ME, though.   There was this long thing on the only good spot I could find. 

Really, did it HAVE do be there?  I couldn't relaxicate very well.

I probly should have meowed about it...

We all got individual laptime later, of course...  I was first (Iza was napping). 

*  TBT here:  She changed the channels 3 times before I finally took it away.  And did you notice that camo fleece?  I use it to support my knee when the cats are on my lap sometimes.  But this time, I stuck it under her head when I took the remote away and she never ever woke up, LOL!...

Freaky Friday

MARLEY:  Ya know how somedays ya just cant decide whether ta be IN or OUT?

When no matter WHICH side of the door you are on seems wrong?

And you keep checking ta see which side is better.

And then the Bein locks the door and goes away?

Yeah, I never have that either.  (*koff, koff*)

BTW, ignore the fish eye lens effect.  TBT set it that way in a typical random act of stoopid and it took him a WHOLE DAY ta undo it...  He actually had ta load a CD and read a manual.  And the instructions were wrong, but close enough that he fixed it.

Freaky Friday Tummy Friday

TBT here:  Megan guessed it...

The Mews said I had to take a turn showing my tummy this Week Of Tummies.  Fair IS fair...  It wasn't easy.  I had to re-learn the delayed picture feature, set the camera up on a tripod on the dining table, angle it over the edge and clamp down the back leg of the tripod so it wouldn't fall over, etc.

The first results were failures.  But persistence helps.

So, to end the Week Of Tummies, here is the last...

Freaky Friday

IZA: 

TWO BUNNIES!

I think we might have ta do something about that.

If I go around one side, and Marley goes around the other, maybe we can get one between us...

Freaky Friday

AYLA:   When you love heights, every inchworm of it matters!

Freaky Friday

MARLEY:  I dont often go up on the cat trees.  MY spot is the old one TBT built as 3 platforms and sits in the Cat Room.  No one bothers me there. 

So when he saw me crawling up around the fancier trees in the Living Room, he took a pic.  Only got one because I ran...

Freaky Friday

IZA: Oh wow, I had a bad sleep!  I thought I was being chased by Vishus Deer!  TBT said my paws were all a twitching, too!

 I kept moving around trying to get away.

 I reached to grab annything.

But TBT tapped me an I woke up.  I hadda look around fer a bit before I was sure it wasnt really happening. As ya can see, I wasn't feeling quite awake and sure of where I was.

TBT said he saw my paws "a' twitching like mad mice on a hot parking lot", so he stopped me.  Well, a good thing I guess.  But iffen I had been catchin mousies, I would have been upset.

But he convinced me the Vishus Deer were all safely outside, so I went back to nappin...  And no twitchin...

And just after that, he went to bed and I follwed quick.  No sense in takin chances.  I'm allus safe around HIM.  Oddly, Marley, and Ayla followed us to the bedroom.  Maybe they were havin bad dreams too but not where TBT saw them at it like he did me.

I think we will all stay close around him all night...

Ya never know about those Vishus Deer.