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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

1643.0. "Drown the Fleas" by ESKIMO::JULIUS () Wed Aug 10 1988 15:23

    First let me express my appreciation for this file.
    It's remarkable the amount of veterinary knowledge
    that has been displayed here.  I'm also so tickled
    by all the amusing stories you have about your cats.
    But I'm particularly impressed with the love you have 
    for our feline friends.  I have loved cats and all 
    animals all my life.  It's so good to know that there
    are others that share my passion.
    
    I have to let you all know my great flea exterminating
    discovery and I hope it works as well for your cat as 
    it did for mine.  The idea came to me from the pale of 
    water under the light trick.
    
    Shampoo the cat in the bathtub, let the water fill the 
    tub till the cat is immersed, except for his face -
    very important that you do not let his face go under
    water.  *** the fleas drown ***  The dead fleas will
    come off when you towel dry or comb him.
    
    Please let me know what you think about my method and
    I wish you all the very best of good health and joy
    for your families and pets.
    
    Bernice
     
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1643.1Drowning works!EDUC8::TRACHMANWed Aug 10 1988 15:3211
    Yes Bernice - that is what my vet says.  I was going to get
    some mycodex (sp?) from him last summer to use just in case
    I found some fleas - bad season last summer - he said to
    save my money and just use shampoo - the little buggers
    will drown if you keep the cat wet enough.  It's also a
    lot safer for the animal not to have to use chemicals
    that kill fleas.  
    
    I have seen it work.
    
    Elaine
1643.2Get the Bactine!USMRW2::KSHERMANStar Fleet ReserveWed Aug 10 1988 15:578
    It's been my experience that trying to get a cat immersed in water
    results in an hysterical cat and an owner sporting a running wound from
    eyebrow to waist.
    
    But good luck to those who wish to try.
    
    
    
1643.3CIVIC::WEBERWed Aug 10 1988 16:211
    How long do you need to keep the cat under before the fleas die?
1643.4he/she will appreciate itESKIMO::JULIUSWed Aug 10 1988 16:3612
    Re.  .3
    
    You don't have to keep the cat submerged (not his head ofcourse)
    for very long.  I would say 5 minutes would be more than
    adequate.
    
    Re.  .2
    
    I don't think I could do this alone.  My mother holds his little
    head above the water while I hold him down and move the water
    about his fur all over.  
                           
1643.5Most of them anyway...STAR::BARTHWed Aug 10 1988 17:474
    The only problem is that any fleas on the head are still around,
    but other than that, it's a good method.
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.
1643.6I bathe cats and have lived to tell about it!EDUC8::TRACHMANWed Aug 10 1988 17:5516
    I use a hose attached to the kitchen sink - the wet body and
    shampoo kill them.  They are imursed up to their bellies.
    Rinsing for a long time keeps them wet.  Maybe a little flea
    shampoo just on the neck area will keep them off the head.
    Believe it or not, cats DO become used to being bathed if 
    you start them off as kittens about 3 months old.  We can
    show 4 month old kittens and they have to be bathed before
    a show, so they think it's a way of life.  Mine do anyhoo.
    I can't say they "love" it, but most don't mind too much.
    I have some that do a one-yowl bath, and some that do a
    two-yowl bath, and a few that I can't describe in the
    language suitable for this notesfile!!!  They are the kids
    that stay home and are never shown.  I try and do them twice
    a year and dread it very much!!  
    
    E.T.
1643.7ESKIMO::JULIUSThu Aug 11 1988 09:2310
    Re.  .5
    
    With my mother holding his head up I take 
    handfuls of water and douse his head, ears, 
    and neck area.
    
    Re.  .6
    
    The hose idea sounds great.
    
1643.8EDUC8::TRACHMANThu Aug 11 1988 10:4210
    Bernice, it's not too hard to set up.  I got a 3 or 4 foot piece
    of hose from the hardware store, an attachment for the spigot
    on the sink and a piece to join the two (hose and spigot) the
    piece on the spigot stays all the time because I bathe Katenka
    so frequently (weekly if there is a show every week) - all ya
    have to do is screw the hose on and go - oh yeah, I also had
    to get a shower head with adjustable spray . Once it's set up
    it's great - actually, a bath tub is "more better", but......
    
    E.T._who_still_has_a_hot_tub_for_sale !!
1643.9ESKIMO::JULIUSThu Aug 11 1988 11:598
    Thank you Elaine, I'll have to set up a shower with a hose
    in the tub for Charlie so that we could give him a shower
    while the water fills up. 
    
    When is Katenka's next Cat Show and where?  I would love
    to go or hear all about it.
    
    B 
1643.10EDUC8::TRACHMANThu Aug 11 1988 13:127
    Yup, the tub idea is better!
    
    Katenka will be in South Yarmouth on 9-17/18, then in Framingham
    on September 25th, and Braintree on October 15/16 !  Hope to 
    see you there!  Thanks for asking.
    
    E.T.
1643.11magazine articleSTAR::BARTHFri Aug 12 1988 13:5013
    There's an article in the newest CATFANCY that talks about bathing
    cats.  It seems that lots of cats like it, and will even jump into
    the shower with their owners.  Tristan has only been bathed once.
    When we first got him he was a mess, with fleas, ear mites and so
    on.  I asked if I could bath him before taking him home, so washed
    him in the previous owner's sink.  He was an angel, very patient
    with me even when I accidentally got soap in his eye.  I wasn't
    sure at the time if he was just too sick to object or if he knew
    it was good for him.  Since then I've decided he's just a cat who
    doesn't mind water.  He keeps himself so clean on his own though,
    that he's never needed a bath since, even though he's all white.
    
    Karen, Tristan and Tenzing.
1643.12Will wonders never cease!EDUC8::TRACHMANFri Aug 12 1988 14:2718
    One of my friends has a large longhaired boy named Finnegan.
    Finn weighs about 18 lbs!  He's really a beautiful boy, with
    red & white long hair.  He will be at the Manchester show
    next weekend.  Finn loves to go outside - so a few weeks
    before a show (he doesn't show very often) he needs to be
    kept in and tidied up, meaning, of course, A BATH!  The
    first time I helped my friend bathe him, I really dreaded
    doing it.  We filled the bath tub (I had one then) and 
    she picked Finn up and set him down in the tub.  Welllll,
    we just sort of waited a second, and then we watched him
    with our eyes popping! He just sat down, and looked at us
    and said, "Well, what are you guys waiting for?"    We
    couldn't believe it - I wouldn't have if I hadn't seen it
    with my own eyes!  This huge lug just sitting there with
    his hair all slicked down with water - he looked just 
    like a wet dog! Sort of like a coker spaniel! He was as good as gold! 
    
    E.T.
1643.13IT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!!AIMHI::OFFENFri Sep 30 1988 10:1514
    I have been using this trick on my three since I read the note and,
    BELIEVE ME, it WORKS.....
    
    I couldn't believe how many fleas Thunder had even thou I had been
    using flea powder and flea soap on her.  Now I use regular shampoo
    and keep her in the water for at least five minutes, if not more.
    
    What a money-saving idea.....
    
    Thanks gang...
    
    Sandi (Lightning, DejaVu & Thunder's mom)
    
    
1643.14JAIMES::SULLIVANMHeres looking at you, KidMon Oct 09 1989 16:0247
    What a great idea!!
    
    I am one of the luckier cat owners, who got my cat use to the
    bathtub as a little kitty...so it isn't an awful experience for
    him or me.  I have tried everything this summer though and to
    know now that I can just place him in a soapy tub..great!
    
    Speaking of fleas though, I have a problem.  This summer Nugget
    became infested with them and therefore I took him to get a dip
    and at the same time "bombed" the house with a powerful spray
    for two hours.  I then vacuumed and sprayed all the nooks and crannies.
    This solved the problem for me, Nugget and my roommates.
    
    The problem:  I live in a two story house, and the tenant upstairs
    is complaining that his apartment is infested with fleas.  I was
    really surprised about this but immediately felt very concerned.
    I knew our problem was by no means "out of control" but when I heard
    he had them all over his apartment I immediately started scratching!
    I told my roommates to let me know if they saw any fleas around
    at all.  In the meantime I went out and got the upstairs tenant the 
    same "bomber" I used, paid for all the sprays, and told him the
    procedure to go thru.
    
    It's been over a month.  I live with the cat, and I haven't seen
    a flea since I bombed the place.  The man upstairs STILL says he's
    infested....especially in his bed. Can this REALLY be fleas?  Or is 
    this guy over-exaggerating the problem? He is the type of person
    who would take you for everything you've got and doesn't give much
    in return.
    
    Now he wants me to pay $3-500 to exterminate both apartments.  I
    dont feel it's necessary since our apartment is fine.  I dont
    really want to give in to his request - only because I dont
    understand why the people living with the cat are fine and this
    other person has major problems.  Also it's not my responsbility
    to tell him when and how to clean his house.  He specifically 
    said to me that he didn't realize the problem until after I mentioned
    in passing that I just brought the cat back from the Vet's.....so
    all of a sudden he has this major problem with fleas.
    
    Any suggestions?  Is it possible that from my small problem, his
    apartment would get infested?  Are there other types of household
    bugs that look like fleas..maybe he has another problem entirely.
    
    Thanks in advance for any advice!
    Maureen
                                                         
1643.15WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JOset home/cat_max=infinityMon Oct 09 1989 16:5710
    Maureen,
    
    The fleas in his house are his responsibility, unless you are in
    the habit of taking your cat into his house.  If you do take your
    cat into his house, then you should probably pay to help him get
    rid of fleas.  What he isn't realizing is that he can bring in fleas
    on himself when he comes in.  People with animals aren't the only
    ones who can have a flea problem in their house.
    
    Jo
1643.16Fleas are no circus...MAMIE::IVESTue Oct 10 1989 18:3613
    Jo is right, they could be sand fleas and they come in the house
    on everyone two and four legged. They are usually smaller than the
    animal fleas and really jump a lot and will live in/on anything.
    They come in on pant legs or socks/shoes, /stockings/fur legs/body's
    too.                                     
    
    They are tough to get rid of. We bombed, bathed and still had them
    them found out they were sand fleas. One good pointer the feed store
    gave us was buy a flea coller and put it in the vaccum cleaner bag
    and that will take care of any fleas you vac up, and then just take
    it out when you change bags and start again.
    
    Barbara/ Mocha and Ming
1643.17BARTLE::SULLIVANMHeres looking at you, KidWed Oct 11 1989 15:1711
    In answer to .15, to my knowledge Nugget has never been upstairs
    in the other apartment because the tenant doesn't like him.
    
    Thank you for your inputs!  It makes me feel alot better, especially
    if he really starts "pushing" for the extermination of the entire
    place.
    
    Now if only I could keep a straight face while telling him that
    he has a worse flea problem then my cat....  ;')